We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Bell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I initially got into filmmaking by capturing local events and creating recap videos. I loved capturing joyous memories and moments in time that people could look back at. I researched a lot about cameras and editing until I found my groove. Oddly enough I realized I had been editing since I was a kid! I would pull clips from YouTube and make my own music videos on Windows Movie Maker. At that time I didn’t think of it as a potential career because I genuinely enjoyed doing it. It was fun! Going directly into film school in undergrad may have sped up my learning process but I had a lot of friends who wanted to create films so I don’t feel like I lacked the education. Now that I do have formal training in film production, I feel like I’ve gained more in relationships and resources.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a filmmaker and photographer based in Los Angeles, CA. I capture Black women, Black livelihood and Black celebration at it’s finest and most authentic moments. I value representation for us by us that does not capitalize off of tragedy or spectacle but instead showcases the joy and diversity within Black culture in ways that will inspire, educate and uplift the community. My film work has been recognized by the LA Press Club and Los Angeles Docs among other film festivals. I was awarded Loyola Marymount University’s 1st place capstone award and was honored on the cover of LMU magazine for my short documentary Defending Our Crowns which is about natural hair discrimination in Hollywood. I also have 7 years of experience creating short-form digital media for commercial brands and entertainment. I am currently pursuing my MFA in Film and TV Production at USC with emphasis on Directing and Cinematography.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I stumbled into filmmaking in college and quickly realized that I wanted to transfer into a film school but I kept getting rejected due to lack of experience and example works. I dreaded going to community college for 4 years without receiving a bachelors degree but ended up going to Santa Monica College for 3 years before I received an offer at a university. I was rejected from film school again but was offered the option to select a different major so I ended up going to Loyola Marymount University for journalism. I struggled a bit with shifting my creative mind to think more like a news reporter because I wasn’t interested in news at all. But I found a way to make it my own. I pivoted toward fashion, beauty and culture news and I created an award winning documentary, Defending Our Crowns, as my capstone. Journalism school actually made me a better storyteller and gave me the resources and experience that I needed to get into grad school for film.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience through the people that I’ve met in different places and by working in social media. I’ve worked for companies as a video producer and as a content creator so some of my followers have found me through previous work. My advice for building a social presence is to post what you want to be known for and to interact with your followers. If you work in a creative field it’s all about who you know and who knows your work. If you never post about your work people won’t think about your work. I’ve gained a lot of gigs and clients off of social media because I’m always making posts related to what I do. You should also use social media to build and maintain relationships with people that you know. Leave comments on their posts and start conversations in DMs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephbproductions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/xostephbell

Image Credits
Summer Wigley StephB Productions