Like everyone else, our team entered into 2020 with big plans for in-person experiences by bringing our Creative Sustainability Summits to a new city every month. (Shout out to everyone we met in Winston-Salem and the Little Rock area!) The universe had other plans, but not even a pandemic could stop us from supporting creators by getting them to information and inspiration to build sustainable careers. In fact, the pandemic made it vital that we do everything we possibly can to ensure the entire independent creative ecosystem survives and find possibilities for it to (dare we say it?) thrive.

To determine just how to do this, we talked to the very community we serve. We used social media and email, but we also had 1-on-1 conversations with creators in all stages of the process (namely ideation/pre-production, funding, festival-ready, distribution) in different locations. We asked what you needed. (And then shut up and listened.)  The details varied, but the answer was the same — creators need each other. We need our community, and we need to know we are not alone in facing the challenges of our work and world. That can take different forms for everyone. For some, it’s some practical tips and direction on how to get to the next step on your creative work. For others, it’s meaningful conversations on the ideas and questions keeping you up at night. It can be as simple as being in a shared, safe (physically and emotionally) space together. It can be all three. 

That’s precisely the intention behind our new Creative Sustainability Sessions — an ongoing slate of virtual events where well-known creators dig into the very real challenges creators are facing right now. We’re taking issues head-on, with you right there in the co-pilot seat. Which by virtue of digital events, may be the same thing as your favorite chair or couch or dining room table. Whatever your seat may be, we want you to pull it up and sit with us for these (we'll be updating this list with links to RSVP once registration opens):

May 1: Family Meal — A virtual dinner party and conversation with Jeff Yang on anti-Asian racism in the time of COVID

May 8: The Draw of Creating Comics with Erika Alexander and Tony Puryear, creators of Concrete Park

May 15: Cracking Your Project with Mark Duplass

May 29: Finished in Four— A 4-Week Screenwriting Challenge with Academy Award-winner John Ridley

June 18: Too Soon?": Making Jokes in "These Uncertain Times

June 26: Creative Writing in Times of Crisis with Mark Duplass 

July 10: Mental Wellness for Creatives with Academy Award nominee and onetime therapist Emily V Gordon

Date TBA Leveling Up — Creativity in Gaming with Janina Gavankar

So while we wait to gather in person, our hope is that these events provide the community, the connection, the creative momentum or whatever it is you need to keep going. To hold onto the creative career you’ve worked so hard for thus far. To care for one another. To remain hopeful. 

Because our team and everyone involved in the Creative Sustainability Sessions are rooting for you.