Hey friend,
This week cracked something open for me.
Between hearing Mayor Andre Dickens speak at Venture Atlanta, sharing space with women builders at the Female Founders Dinner, and launching CineSparq.com, I walked away with clarity about where we’re headed and how story still drives it all.
Here’s what’s inside:
- How the industry is shifting and what that means for you
- Lessons from Venture Atlanta and the Mayor’s talk on storytelling and investment
- The launch of CineSparq.com and how you can get involved early
- Tailoring your story without losing authenticity is the key to connection
- My honest take on fundraising, pride, and progress
Let’s get into it.
The State of Story + Strategy
After a few box-office flops that people thought were sure wins, this year’s biggest story in entertainment isn’t about what’s being made — it’s about how we approach the work behind it. Studios, streamers, and cities are rethinking production models.
The slowdown forced everyone to pause and ask harder questions about sustainability, collaboration, and access. Out of that reset, a new pattern is emerging.
Here are the three things you should be paying attention to:
Strategic co-productions: Regions and organizations are pooling incentives, talent, and infrastructure to stretch budgets further and keep productions local. How does your project plug in?
Data-led decisions: Investors, commissions, and brands want visibility on ROI, workforce impact, and cultural outcomes before committing dollars. This means your production plan has to show its value beyond the screen.
Smarter infrastructure: Creative teams are looking for connected systems that bring creative and financial decisions into sync instead of keeping them in silos.
That last one is where my passion lives. CineSparq sits right in that sweet spot between storytelling and strategy which makes sense given my history and professional experience.
We’re not only helping to match projects and funders but we’re building the story spine of a new creative economy that’s smarter, more connected, and more human. Heavy on the human right?
Lessons From Venture Atlanta 2025
Venture Atlanta was powerful for me, not just because of who was in the room, but because of what I learned about myself and the story I’m telling.
I got to hear Mayor Andre Dickens speak about the power of stories to shape investing, funding, and our connection to real people and real problems. That hit home because that’s what CineSparq is about: aligning human stories with the systems that make them possible.
Throughout the event, I met investors, executives, and founders across industries, and one conversation stopped me cold. It made me realize I’d been describing CineSparq in ways that made it sound smaller than it really is. That moment shifted everything.
Later that evening, at the Female Founders Dinner hosted by Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and sponsored by Invesco QQQ, I found myself surrounded by women who were all building, dreaming, and raising.
Some women were, like me, at the start of the journey while others had already scaled to millions. But what connected us was the shared experience of building something from an idea and a problem we saw in the world.
That’s the power of story! It turns strangers into a sisterhood and community.
And that same energy is what fuels CineSparq.
Movement & Momentum
A few milestones this week:
- We shared the CineSparq mockups, and got feedback that reminded me of how powerful this vision is. It’s scary-exciting. I can't scale it back, but my advisors will help me create a real implementation roadmap. That's the power of mentorship!
- I told you guys I was going to film a doc-style diary of this journey. It might become a limited podcast or something else entirely. I’m not overthinking it (as I often do) I just want to capture the essence of this experience and share it as it comes.
- And… drum roll we launched CineSparq.com. It’s not the full platform yet but it gives you a great sense of the connections between players in the film production ecosystem. Even more, right now, the site serves as a space for you to see what’s coming and lend your voice to the solution we’re building.
Lessons from the Field
At Venture Atlanta, I got to pitch CineSparq about 50 times and I noticed a clear pattern in what worked. Then I got to learn the power of leading with empathy directly from, Marty Osborn, an author and leadership coach who led an executive session exclusively for founders.
He suggested: Instead of leading with a rehearsed pitch, lead with curiosity. I took that advice and ran with it!
I asked each person what brought them there, what they were most excited about, and what mattered to them in their own work. Only then did I share CineSparq through their lens, while staying true to mine.
That’s what I want filmmakers to take from this:
- Define your story pitch (i.e., logline) but don't stop there
- Learn to tailor your story to the room without losing your truth.
- Understand what your audience values so your story connects.
That’s the skill we all need and I’ve built it into my Fundable Filmmaker framework because leading with empathy, speaking with clarity, and staying rooted in why you started is how filmmakers will progress in these uncertain times.
You MUST Ask for Help
Talking about money isn’t easy if you were taught not to — I wasn’t.
And asking for money? OMG. Instant shame. Instant embarrassment. Somewhere along the line, needing help started to feel like failing. Maybe you’ve felt that too.
But here’s what I learned this week: you better ask for help and money.
Even people who were born into privilege learn how to do that well.
More than once, after I pitched CineSparq, the next question was, “How can I support you right now?” The first time, I froze. The third time, I figured out my answer. And it's not that I didn't already know before or I suddenly figured it out.
All that time, I was moving through the story that I need to be “further along” to deserve support. Can you relate?
We glorify bootstrapping like it’s a badge of honor, but when you’re moving at the speed of tech, pride can derail progress.
So yes, I’m gearing up for fundraising, starting with a community-driven campaign. Because it only feels right that the first people to help build this future are the ones who’ve been part of it from the start. Building the table with the people it’s meant for is the only way I want to do this.
"We glorify bootstrapping like it’s a badge of honor, but when you’re moving at the speed of tech, pride can derail progress. "
Building the Foundation
As CineSparq grows, my team and I are rethinking how WordSmith Studios fits into the bigger picture.
For context, WordSmith Studios is where it all began. This is the brand where all my education and mentoring programs live from Flip the Script and The Fundable Filmmaker to my PWR Writer program. CineSparq is the next evolution of those frameworks and the platform that brings those programs together to help turn your ideas into investor-ready projects.
Our focus right now:
- Keep everything clean, clear, and aligned.
- Prevent brand confusion as both grow.
- Build structure that supports scale without losing soul.
Then there’s the legal and IP roadmap. It’s not the flashy part that gets people excited, but this behind-the-scenes work is crucial because it protects the story and makes sure it can travel far as we grow.
Thank you for being here. For reading. For believing that film, tech, and humanity can move in rhythm instead of competition.
See you next week,