Since 1994, women in Film and Video has celebrated women's creative and technical achievements in media with the Women of Vision Awards. Past winners have included Linda Carter, penny Marshall, Ruby d and Julie Dash to name a few and a special evening event on May 12th with will recognize the contributions of three more amazing women.

Abby Greensfelder, founder of Every Woman's Studio. Linda Ops, founder of Linda Ops Production and Bonnet. Petru, C E O of Root Branch Media Group. I'm your host, Sandra Abrams, and in this episode I'll chat with one of this year's honorees, Vanya Vane pedigree. She has over two dozen years of professional experience as a filmmaker, writer, TV producer, director, instructor, and casting agent.

She's well known for her work with Disney and TV one, but she's also well known for her film Academy providing film and digital digital media lessons for students in grades K through 12. A Philly native, she earned a BA from the University of Maryland last month. She received two major honors, the daily record named her to the list of Marilyn's top 100 women.

And Whiff named her a Woman of vision winner. Welcome vane to Media and Monuments. Thank you,

you, Sandra, for having me.

Well, we're thrilled to have you. So I wanted to ask you a little bit about your background. You went to Maryland, you interned at the Clinton White House. Tell us, uh, what did you study in school and how did the White House internship shape your career?

That's

an excellent question. So I actually studied speech communications at the University of Maryland College Park.

In

my studies, I really wanted to be a professional speech writer, and so one of my professors sat on a White House round table and he brought members of the White House to visit us at,

you know, in class

one day.

I was so intrigued and.

And

with his recommendation and and guidance, I applied for an internship and I was accepted into the speech writing department as an intern. So I was there in 1999 during President Bill Clinton stated the union address. And as an intern, I didn't actually write any of his words, however, I did, um, play a part on the research team.

So when the president, um, states all the. Uh, wins of the, the country for the year and the accomplishments made during his, you know, term for that year. Um, our research team would do all of the research to put it into congressional documents that lived in the Congress of library as official presidential papers to support any of the, um, the claims or, um, the things that he would state in his, um, state of the Union address.

That sounds like it was a fantastic opportunity for you. Wow. How exciting. Now I, I wanna circle back with your company. Um, you started your company, what year did you start your company and how did you come up with the name of your company? I 

started my company Root Branch. Um, we started out as Root Branch Productions, and that was back in 2006 while I was actually working full-time in leadership capacity at the Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, Maryland. Um, so while working, um, full-time job, I. You know, I've, I've quickly learned that one of the things about discovery, like many networks, is it operates more like a company, um, or a corporation versus what you think is happening behind the scenes with this, all this production and creative things happening.

Um, and what I learned quickly was that the network worked with.

tons

of production companies around the world, um, um, yet alone, the country, uh, that produced a lot of, some of our favorite shows that we would see on many of the, the networks. And so that's when I realized, although I loved my job, um, you know, I was more on the corporate side of things and I wanted to be on the creative side.

So I started my own media production company so that I could position ourselves to be in a posture to. Someday create original content for a network like a discovery.

So, and then the name of your company came from?

So Root Branch is actually, um, named and honor my family. Root Branch Road is actually a place, and South Carolina is my

family's

property. And so when I decided to come up with a name for the business, I reached out to the elders of the family and asked their permission, uh, to name my company. And it's a very, very rural town in South Carolina.

But you know, I really just do our work and our growth put root branch, you know, on the map in a way that we would've never imagined.

That's so exciting that that's wonderful. Uh, that they gave you permission to do that. So

they're 

proud.

as they should be. So now you're, you're building this new space, uh, for your company or maybe it's already completed. And I just thought that is a, such a huge, daunting undertaking. So, um, and maybe you can share a little bit, like how did that come about? You know, why, why did you do that?

So yes, you are referring to our new endeavor, which I have named the

the R

B M G building, uh, which is the home of our new media. Studios that sits on Baltimore is beautiful in a harbor, literally on the waterfront. The water is across the street. Um, everything about this acquisition is huge and monumental being a woman of color only on the harbor, um, it hasn't been done before.

So, um, it's definitely gaining a lot of traction and attention in, in that regard. Um, but honestly, the. Opportunity came in a very organic way. Um, when the pandemic hit and other businesses were kind of closing down and, and downsizing. Being a media company, it was an opportunity for us to really pivot, grow, and expand because.

Let's be honest. It was really, um, the access to technology and the use of media during those two years of covid that really kept us safe. Um, you know, kept us connected to our work and to our families and entertainment. And so, Everyone quickly, um, learned the value of media assets. You know, businesses needed the media, um, assets to pivot and, and stay afloat in the education space.

You know, we sent our children home to learn virtually and. In a city like Baltimore where students didn't have internet or actual computers, so what were they to do? So my company was a part of a solution in the midst of a health crisis where we basically produced a pilot for a kid TV show that we pitched the Baltimore City Public School to basically take the.

Curriculum that the students were sent home to learn. And we produced 30 minute kit episodes, uh, for students in grades pre-K through fifth, teaching them the content that they would've learned in class. And because again, they didn't have internet or computers, they were able to watch TV and learn their lessons.

And so, um, It was a model that quickly took off. And other, um, education organizations provided funding for us to continue to work with them and produce a bank of content so that their teachers could be trained and so that their students can continue to learn remotely. And, you know, honestly, um, Sandra, in that first couple months of the pandemic from April, 2020 through August, 2020, We produced 105 episodes of this 30 minute show, so we were like essential personnel.

The pandemic was really fresh and new. It was very scary still, you know, um, And, and it put us in a, in a space and a posture where I needed a space, a studio space to keep producing this much volume of content. And so, um, while we were just doing what we were doing, the building that we are purchasing is the old bar coding building.

And so bar

bar 

Reached out to us to say, Hey, we moved into a bigger building. Can you guys create us some marketing content to show our new space? And while I was interviewing their c e o for the video, I shared with him, you know, the work we were doing and that I was in the market for, um, a studio.

And he said, oh, well, our old building is for sale and it's, um, not on the market. Make me an offer. And I was like, what?

what?

Never did. I imagined that I would be. You know, presented with an opportunity to buy a property that was such prime real estate, like I said, that sits on the harbor, um, literally on front Street.

And, um, it's a 15,000 square foot building. It's an entire block long. And so here we are building studios, a coffee shop, and. We have offices for lease, um, that have already attracted the industry and, um, you know, media professionals hang out in the building all day. Like we're fully leased out. We have maybe one or two units available right now and it's just amazing.

amazing. That's phenomenal. What, what advice would you give to somebody who's looking to do that? Because here you are, you know, uh, a woman owned business and, you know, trying to get funding for that, you know, this is a huge undertaking.

What advice would you give to people who are doing, uh, something like this, who are making the leap to do this?

Well, you know what? I, I will honestly stay, um, to stay true to the vision because, um, And when I first took on this endeavor, traditional banking, traditional financing, quite honestly wouldn't touch me because it didn't really, my growth was so fast. It, you know, the track record of the revenues didn't make enough sense to take a gamble on, you know, but, The more they understood who we are, the social impact we have in the community, and we're proving the model of what the access of media is able to do for all industries.

You know, it's like they're taking more of the, the story behind the.

it,

it with my numbers and the offers are coming. When, when I first started, you know, it was treated very much like a traditional, um, real estate commercial development deal. They're looking at comps, they're looking at this, and I'm like, but what are you comparing it to?

It doesn't exist. We're not a media town in Baltimore, so you're, you're not gonna find another studio that's comparable to what we do, having the impact that we have. And the reach and access that we're providing for, you know, our constituents who happen to be inner city children who don't have access.

Well that's, that's amazing though that you were able to do that. Um, I wanna ask you, um, You know, a little bit more about the kids because that's how I learned about you. Um, you know, when they first were talking about the Women of Vision Award, um, and this program, the partnership and it's such important work.

Um, you know, so you talked a little bit about how this came about through the pandemic, but you know, creating those partnerships, Sounds like it's a very, um, arduous situation. So maybe if you could talk a little bit about that and how it came about. What advice do you give to, to people on that?

So, um, although I obviously understand media, I know production, really learning the education space was something that. It's not something I knew, but those a alliances, the, the partnerships with youth organizations, um, they really allied for us. They really, um, worked with me to learn processes because quite honestly, we hold a three year contract with Baltimore City Public School, but it is still technically a government contract.

And so there's a lot of things that are very procurement like about it. There are a lot of things that from a education side, we still have to show data and metrics to show that, um, our curriculum is effective and is, is making a difference in the students learning. So all of that part, uh, was new to me.

So, um, having our principals and our partners at schools, um, really work with us and because they don't wanna lose us, they don't wanna lose our program, so they're willing to. Do the things to help us really continue to show and validate in the data that the quality and the effectiveness of our program.

So for someone who's trying to do something in an industry that they don't really know, it's okay. That. That's not your skillset, but you link up with other, um, subject matter experts that can really, um, stand in the gap for you and Ally on your behalf. You know? Um, because like I said, we, we carry a multimillion dollar contract with the school district to be able to perform this work and.

As you know, like I know across all industries, people left the workforce, so the schools are no different. So many teachers left the schools, and so by me having a robust program, I can provide staffing of 40 media arts instructors that are going into the schools to fill the gap. Um, and making a difference because they're learning something that's 21st century to continue to help them be competitive in this market space, and we're literally fulfilling a human capital need.

need. Absolutely. No, that's wonderful. I guess I wanted to, you know, dealing with kids, what is that like, uh, compared to your other production work, what, what have you learned from the kids in this particular situation?

Well, one thing I learned is that they know a lot more than we give them credit for

for

because they literally come. Out the womb, it seems nowadays, knowing already how to swipe left. And they know the technology, they know how to use these phones and cameras. So where we come in, because again, I'm old school tv, um, I have

um, I

dozen years of, you know, experience, so.

And I'm coming from a major network, so we're able to still give them those fundamentals that work in a TV network space. Um, and even though there's Netflix and all of these other things, there's some core fundamentals that are still the same. And so our curriculum teaches them creative development, it teach them about 

about Um, 

responsible content, you know, particularly as young people and young people of color, quite honestly, they're depicted very negatively in the media. But now we're we're, um, empowering them to be content creators so they're able to change the narrative and change the way they are seen and depicted in the media and by the media because they are the media.

the media. Absolutely. Can you share any success stories, uh, that we may not know about, uh, that you've done with these kids?

Any, anything in particular?

Well, you know, we started working with the kids back in 2010, and so with it now being 2023, you know, we had students that were like in eighth grader or so when we started out, and

started out, and

on to pursue, um, careers in media. Um, gone on to, uh, universities studying journalism and, I mean, and some of them are even, you know, young parents now themselves.

And so just to see, um, the impact of, you know, the, the summer or the school year that they had with us and how much it has shaped them. So, I get notes and, and photos and stuff from parents and I, I actually have grandparents. Who, um, faithfully make donations to our program, even though their children are young adults

are young adults

they really value, you know, what that experience with us many years ago.

So without even asking, I almost always receive donations from certain parents and

parents and grandparents. Wow, that's great to see that thread continue. What's happening, you know? Mm-hmm. With, with their lives. I, I wanted to ask you about, um, your Goldman Sachs, uh, the 10 K small business program I used to work in, in New York as a print reporter covering Wall Street.

So, um, You know, at, at one point I worked for CNN n Financial News as a TV producer, you know, TV producing experience. Um, but I saw the Goldman Sachs and I know how prestigious Goldman Sachs is. Um, yes. So I I I, I was like, wow, that is so impressive. So maybe can you talk about that program, how it came about and, and what did you learn from that program that is helping you today?

So I

So I

through the Goldman Sachs 10. B program right when the pandemic hit. So we were in session in person, and then we got the notice that we couldn't return to campus because everybody was going virtual. So it was very, it was a very strange time. Um, but it was very beneficial because, again, There was so much uncertainty and we, you know, across everything from your job and being a business owner, we were really like, oh my God, how are we going to, you know, stay afloat?

What are we gonna do? And so by being in the midst of this cohort, I had a community, I had a tribe to go through this, this with. And so I

actually am the ambassador of my cohort. So I'm always talking up the program. They always tap me on the shoulder to come. Speak about something or appear in a video or commercial or something about the program.

Um, but we, we say we're, we are the forever covid cohort. Um,

Um,

and,

the Covid cohort. There you are.

covid cohort. But one of the things I will say, which was a huge success story that talks back to our work with the kids when the pandemic hit, this was even before I did the whole produced the kid TV show thing, when the governor of Maryland.

Said, we need to go home again. I was like, oh my gosh, what I'm gonna do as a business? And then I have all these teachers that teach in the schools, so now the teachers don't work. So again, I'm seeing hits all over the place, but

but

shifted my focus to our kids. I was like, well, how are they coping with this?

Like, I know how scary this is as an adult. But what do they think is happening? So I came up with this idea to launch a kid video contest called Root Branch Video Contest Kids on Covid 19. And um,

And, uh, what was it called again? I'm sorry, I didn't hear. What, what did you, what was it called?

called Root Branch, um, video Contest

video contest,

on Covid 19, like Kids Speaking out on Covid

19. 

out on Covid 19.

So I created this concept to. Do a video contest, and it started out just for Baltimore and I said, let's do a contest. Have the kids make two minute videos. They upload it, tell us how they're staying connected to their schoolwork, how they're staying safe with their families and and in their communities.

in their communities. 

called up my.

up my.

Point of contact through my Goldman Sachs 10 K s B. She's from Mike Bloomberg's philanthropies office. I called her up and I

I called her

of this? And she said, call me. This is like on a Saturday.

a Saturday.

And so she loved it. She said, let me make a couple phone calls. By that Monday, Bloomberg Philanthropies and TRO Price Foundation together provided me with the funding to.

To do this contest. And so I was able to create a website. The website actually still exists, so you can go there and watch some of these

there and watch some 

Um, 

Um, 

put it out there on social media. And then next thing you know, educators from all over from New Jersey and Delaware we're like, can my kids do this too?

do this

And so since I made up the game rules, I said, sure, if you're in US territory, your kid can participate. And we, we ran the contest for like three, four weeks. Um, and then we let the, the public vote on the videos. And then we pulled together an incredible lineup of judges that included T Row Prize, Goldman Sachs, um, Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Uh, we had Time Kids Magazine. Ann, Nat Geo Kids Discovery. Kids like these were the judges that judged the videos and, um, we gave out cash prizes. We did it for elementary, middle school, and high school, three grade bands, three, um, uh, app prizes, $500, 2 50, 100. But here's why this was also so important.

was also so

Our parents.

Our

losing their jobs and they were all at home. So families literally needed money. So I was like, guys,

money. So I was like,

we can't overcomplicate it. So whoever won, I literally was like, kid, gimme your mom, dad Cash app. And we just sent them the money. Like it wasn't this overly drawn out, you know, issuing the funds process, you

process,

and we really put cash, real cash in the hands of these families.

And one of our judges.

of our judges.

Loved it so much. Loved watching the videos that their company gave $25 gift cards to every single student who participated in the contest. I mean, it was just, all of

mean, it

and then the, the whole TV show thing happened with all the episodes. So it was just, the pandemic was just a whirlwind.

just a whirlwind. It sounds like everybody was a winner in that situation. Yes. Um, I wanted to ask you, so last month you received not one, but two honors. So you were named to the list of Marilyn's top 100 women, and then you were Yes.

Also with named you a woman of vision winner. So what does it mean to you to be named a woman of vision winner?

Listen, like I,

like

it's like people jokingly say Your life is like a movie, but I really feel like my life

really

movie right now. Um, it is such a high honor. When you all sent me the letter in the mail, which I thought was amazing, it was a, it was a real letter, guys mailed,

guys 

and so, because I was in the middle of moving between our old building and a new building, I don't even know how long it was in the mailbox, but when I opened it,

but when I

I was sitting in my car.

I remember it was at night and I, I read the

I, I read

said I was getting an award and I was like, wow. And I said, well, let me get home because I'm sitting in my car at night in a parking lot reading a letter, so that's not probably the best idea.

the best idea.

And so when I got home though, and I pulled the letter out and I kept reading the letter and I saw that.

Prior, you know, recipients were Gwen Eiffel, Ruby d Sicily, Tyson, penny Marshall. I was floored. And I was like, in Vane, Petre,

group,

like, wow. Wow, wow, wow. So, um, I've won many awards for different things, but this is truly

but this is

a high honor. I mean, I look up to women like Gwen Eifel and Ruby d I was likely Tyson, as in Miss Jane Pitman.

Come on.

Come on.

So truly, um, it's been an incredible honor. I, I can't even express enough, you know, my gratitude and how humbling it is to receive this honor from you all.

this honor from you all. Well, we feel very fortunate that you're gonna be one of this year's honorees, so thank you Vane, a woman of vision winner, and thank you for joining us on Media Monuments. To learn more about her work, go to www root branch mediagroup.com. With's Women Vision Awards event will be Friday, May 12th. For tickets, go to www whiff.org and to see a list of previous winners that Vane was just talking about.

You can go to W I fv.org/women of Vision Awards. Thank you Vane for

Thank you again so much.