Source: Sacramento Business Journal
By Adam Steinhauer – Editor-in-Chief, Sacramento Business Journal
Dec 8, 2023
Heading into a new year, new leaders are stepping up in the Sacramento region.
On Nov. 14 at Ella Dining Room & Bar, we hosted the latest in our quarterly series of dinners with new CEOs of Sacramento area companies and nonprofits. Our discussion that evening was off the record, but as is our usual practice, we circled back later with a series of questions on the record.
Here are the responses from Robert Craig Films CEO Jennifer Stolo, edited for length and clarity.
Jennifer Stolo
CEO, Robert Craig Films
What is your biggest challenge as a new CEO and how are you navigating it? Having served as a president and CEO for the past 10 years in a different industry, this new role as CEO and producer of Robert Craig Films challenges me simply for the fact that it is my first time in the film business. While running a company is not new to me, I am navigating my way through the film world by spending time with other producers and watching more movies than I ever thought I would!
What’s your biggest goal or opportunity for 2024 for your organization?
Robert Craig Films will be the first Placer County-based film company to release a feature film in theaters nationwide. The movie is called "No Address," starring William Baldwin, Ashanti, Xander Berkeley, Beverly D’Angelo, Lucas Jade Zumann, Ty Pennington, Patricia Velasquez and Isabella Ferreira. This compelling drama is about a group of individuals who fall into homelessness unexpectedly and bond together as an unconventional family while they navigate the challenges of not having a physical address.
"No Address" is due to release summer of 2024. I hope for it to not only have great success, but more importantly to showcase the human side of this crisis in America, thus inspiring compassion and empathy.
How are you navigating the recent inflation in the economy and higher expenses in your business?
Like all businesses, Robert Craig Films is feeling the impact of inflation and the downturn in the economy specifically as it relates to postproduction costs of the movie "No Address." Having 28 years of experience in the nonprofit industry, it is important to me to support nonprofits now more than ever as they struggle with loss of revenue. Therefore, Robert Craig films is pledging 50% of the net profits of all 2024 productions to nonprofits that are addressing homelessness. Nonprofits that meet that criteria can apply at https://www.noaddressmovie.com/the-big-5-giveback.
How are you navigating the tight labor market?
Robert Craig Films has a small but mighty team of seven, but contracts out to hundreds for resources needed for each production. This helps to combat the tight labor market, but also supports numerous small businesses.
What’s something you want others to know about you?
Married to an amazing man, mother of six children, cancer survivor and bourbon lover!