You imagine the setting. It could be a conference, a party, a first date. The inevitable question always comes…
“So, what do you do?”
I used to tell people that I was a writer, a filmmaker, a student, an activist, and whatever else tapped my passion. But truly, the best answer I ever gave was “I’m a visionary.”
Most people are intrigued when I call myself a “visionary.” In a society that links power and wisdom with age, it’s a bold title for someone barely into her 20s. Regardless, with the help of many mentors, I’ve taken tremendous steps toward my goals and I know the legacy I want to leave behind.
I’ve never imagined myself with a “box it” type of career. While it would probably make my family breath easier if I pursued law, medicine, or business (read: work for someone else), that was not the path or the vision I was given.
So what do I do?
I create projects stimulated by personal experiences and convey them through my writing, film-making, community activism, etc.
At first, I wanted to write books, make films, plan events (essentially give my ideas) for large powerhouse companies and organizations. Then I realized that no one could express my ideas better than I could. Admittedly, I’m somewhat of a control freak when it comes to my work and VERY particular about the people that I collaborate with. I knew that I wouldn’t take it well if I put together a project, sand old it to a major company who then brought in a more senior director to change key aspects of my work: a cold reality for many young writers, directors, and producers.
The internet provides young artists a global platform to share our work and I now realize that I don’t need a major company. In fact, too many of us are seeking the attention of these major conglomerates instead of creating work that makes these companies seek them! I decided to harness the power of the web and to become an entrepreneur.
In 2009, I founded L Media House, a multi-platform media company. L Media House seeks to connect major media companies to creative, compelling, and crisp material. We want to preserve the authenticity of a start-up project while positioning ourselves as a connector for larger companies to obtain new material.
With this innovative business model, we are gearing up for the release of our first major film production, “The Bi-deology Project,” a feature-length documentary that explores the experiences of self-identified straight women who have dated men who also engage in sex/dating outside of heterosexual relationships (aka bisexuality, homosexuality, etc). And here’s the kicker: we are going to release the documentary online for FREE! After exploring the possibility of selling the documentary to MTV, HBO, PBS, and other major distributors, it was more important for me to share my creativity with as many people as possible. The Bi-deology Project has already been a great success thanks to the generous support of New York University and many other friends in the industry that have offered their expertise and advice to my first venture into film, not to mention the wonderful people involved that you will meet later when the film is released. The topic is controversial and definitely provocative, so I look forward to sharing the remainder of the filming process and launch reactions with Zora&Alice readers.
The best advice that I ever got from a mentor was to “own your vision.” Entrepreneurship is the most productive path to actualize your creativity. Who can do it better than you?
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