Stacy Spikes
PreShow & MoviePass
New York City, NY USA
"You have the opportunity to be the one who walks through doors first. If you get to that door and keep it open, other people can run through it behind you."
Career Roadmap
Stacy's work combines: Film, Business, and Problem Solving
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I got this response a lot when confronting studio execs I worked for about the lack of diversity in the films we were producing. The prevailing opinion was that films by diverse filmmakers were not as good and, thus, not worth showing. Instead of just accepting the status quo, I decided to take action and started my own film festival that would showcase the work of diverse filmmakers. Due to my position in the industry, I felt a responsibility to ensure those stories got told.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Born and raised in Texas.
2.
From the time he was young, has always been motivated by curiosity and his desire to solve problems.
3.
After graduating high school, he was supposed to go to college, but ended up joining a band and moving to Los Angeles—says it was like “he ran away with the circus.”
4.
He always had an interest in the film and music industries, but eventually realized that he wasn’t interested in being the “artist” and was more intrigued by the business side of things.
5.
In order to pay his bills, he got a job at Motown Records working in the marketing department—by the time he was 21, he was managing artists like Boyz II Men, Queen Latifah, and Eddie Murphy.
6.
He went on to work as the Vice President of Marketing for Sony, Miramax, and Focus Features.
7.
In 1997, after noticing the lack of diversity represented in film, he founded The Urbanworld Film Festival, one of the largest internationally competitive festivals showcasing diversity in film.
8.
In 2011, he co-founded Movie Pass, a subscription service that gives you access to movies in theaters nationwide for a monthly fee, and has recently launched a new company, PreShow, on Kickstarter.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
If the work (by diverse filmmakers, actors, etc.) were good, then we would show it. Things are fine the way it is and nothing needs to change.
How I responded:
I got this response a lot when confronting studio execs I worked for about the lack of diversity in the films we were producing. The prevailing opinion was that films by diverse filmmakers were not as good and, thus, not worth showing. Instead of just accepting the status quo, I decided to take action and started my own film festival that would showcase the work of diverse filmmakers. Due to my position in the industry, I felt a responsibility to ensure those stories got told.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
The film industry is notorious for its lack of diversity and representation. When I tried to confront those issues working for different studios, I was always ignored or turned down. That's why I started the Urbanworld Film Festival.
Working in the entertainment industry is always a challenge. You deal with a lot of resistence from people that don't want things to change. However, odds are you aren't the only person who feels a certain way, so support is out there to help you.
Being a minority, I don't have the same access to capital as others do. When I was starting Movie Pass, I couldn't raise money to get it off the ground for 5 years. I worked two jobs just to fund it.
I never went to college, but that gave me a four-year jump on the job market. I don't know how to code, but that lets me look at problems without thinking about what I can't do. Turn your weaknesses into strengths.