2023: A Year in Rewind

2023 was a milestone year, here’s the big and small of it all -
1️⃣ In March I left the best job I've ever had. After 10 years growing with Whiteboard Geeks - Med Messagers, I parted on the best of terms to pursue my filmmaking career. My time at Whiteboard Geeks taught me everything I know about business. Founder Lance Johnson taught me dozens of life and business lessons from management to marketing, including "The Numbers Give Me a Pep Talk" and "Cold Call Every Day No Matter What". The connections I made and experience working with and learning from current CEO Barbara Pigg have made a lifelong impression on me. Everyone at Whiteboard Geeks is a beloved friend and I'm so proud of what I helped build there. I'm even prouder to live the company's mission of following where I am being called by God!

2️⃣ In my 2 month break I made 2 short films and entered post production on African Woman's Voice Documentary. I filmed "Song is a Spell" with producer Gabrielle Barlatier and "Body Prison" with Julia Reingold. 'Song is a Spell' is still in post along with AWV, but 'Body Prison' has already won multiple awards, including Best Short Film at an international festival.

3️⃣ I started YOYOS | You Own Your Own Stories with the help of dozens of mentors and their incredible sage advice. Some mentors of note: Jordan Levine, Dusty Robbins, Barbara McAteer, Ashley Welch, Michael Johnson, Jerry Klawitter, Teresa Brazen, Jacques Coumans and Greg Leitz. THANK YOU! 🙇‍♀️

4️⃣ I continued volunteering at Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg, a micro-cinema dedicated to screening underseen and rare films. In December I marked a year running the poster team. I've made some fantastic new friends as a collective member at Spectacle and seen some WILD films. If you're in NY definitely check this spot out!

5️⃣ After dozens of calls and opportunities, I closed my first 2 deals in December under the YOYOS LLC. Seeing my name and company name on a big enterprise PO document was gratifying. I went in my den and danced to Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" 😆 Thanks to all the people who celebrated that with me.

Overall, a year of growth and change and I'm still dancing in my office with excitement about the upcoming year and the many film projects with YOYOS | You Own Your Own Stories. Cheers to a 2024 filled with even more partnerships, change and growth.