We were lucky to catch up with Lisa DeSouza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Founding the Santa Clarita International Film Festival has been one of the biggest risks that I have taken in my life…and trust me I have taken quite a few. I have always been a creative spirit having started my acting and then writing and directing career in the off-broadway black box theaters of NYC. However, like most artists we have bills to pay and so I had to work and found myself learning how to make content for the web. That brought me out to Los Angeles and I made a lucrative living in the tech industry while digital marketing and internet content was exploding.
About 7 years ago I bought property in Santa Clarita CA. For those who don’t know much about Santa Clarita other than that is where Magic Mountain is, the city is the third largest in Los Angeles County and has the most number of film shoots (outside of LA proper) resulting in the name “Hollywood North”. In addition 65-75% of the population that lives up here works in the industry…ie. your grips and camera operators and set designers, etc.
We launched the festival during Covid and what we thought was going to be something small ended up being larger than expected and is growing faster than I ever expected. In our short two years…going into three… we have already garnered some very large names that have participated and are helping us grow. This has the potential to be the next great festival in the country…and potentially the world. When you feel that kind of pressure, failure is not an option. And the reputation of everyone on the team…including myself as the leader…is potentially at risk. So yes the stakes are high.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My path has definitely been a circuitous one, but I think that everything happens in divine timing and I am right where I need to be.
I started my journey working in fashion in New York City. It was there that I learned about marketing (both print and digital) and how to set up a shot that tells a story as well as how to create video content. I started learning about digital marketing and the web through a mentor who told me “Learn! This internet thing is where it’s at”.
While living in NYC I also was an actor on the theater scene but soon realized that my passion was in writing and directing. So I was walking two parallel paths.
Learning about all things with content creation and digital marketing lead to a job for a tech start up in Los Angeles and then a consulting career supporting many big San Francisco / Bay area companies. And while many would question or ask me if I had lost my creative spirit or had lost my interest in writing and directing I felt like the lessons that I was learning about running project plans, budgets and resources actually made my producing talents even better. I took what I learned and applied them to the film industry and for the first time was able to “marry” my business mind and creative mind
When I moved to Santa Clarita I started writing again. I took a leap of faith, directed my first project and when doing the festival circuit, I wanted to submit my film into a festival where I lived…ie. Santa Clarita. I was shocked to find that we didn’t have one. So all that I learned from my digital marketing career kicked into gear…starting with buying every version of the domain.
What started as a small idea has exploded and is growing exponentially…and with that so has my life. I still have a consulting practice and I am also still writing and directing but as the Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) continues to grow exponentially so does my responsibilities.
The rapid growth of the festival and the brand shows me that there is a need and a hunger for the next great independent festival in LA that is easy to access and is a destination event that is close to the city. I am proud of the enormous amount of work that the team (and we are small) has done in this short period of time. The brand is being recognized already and we cannot wait until we become one of the most recognized brands in the country and potentially the world.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I am an immigrant who came to this country when I was 14. I was recruited to Deerfield Academy on a full scholarship when I was 12 and even though I was a child I was able to convince my parents (read beg and plead) to go. I knew even then that this was an opportunity of a lifetime and that my life would be completely different if I “walked through that door”. So I left everything and everyone I knew behind and came to the States. It was easily one of the hardest things…and the scariest…that I have every had to do. But here I am decades later making my way and more importantly give back to my adopted country which is now my home.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Life is always about being agile and pivoting. One such example is when I decided to make the cross country move from New York to Los Angeles. I love New York and still miss the energy of it but I knew that there was alot more opportunity and growth for me in LA. And while, as I mentioned earlier, I originally came to create digital content and get my foot in the “industry”, a door opened for me instead in the tech space and I spent several years working in, building, and learning. Now I straddle both worlds. I believe that if life gives you chance you should should grab it. Life is a series of risks and sometimes the path you think you need to be on is not always the right one. I believe in divine timing…even tho I am not a very patient person…and the path I am on is exactly where I need to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: sciff.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.desouza.1481/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sciffest3210/featured
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/SCIFFESTIVAL/
Image Credits
Line Donnelly Tim Alexander Scott Willson HJ Magnus