Reel Stories Planning Brunch
Authors: Paula Smith Arrigoni (Executive Director), Dawn Valadez (Director of Youth Programs & Artist Development), Penny Krueger (Board President) & Morgan Lewis (Project Manager, Reel Stories)
On October 18th, BAVC Media’s Reel Stories team gathered with supporters of the program for brunch and strategic planning at our Oakland hub, Oakstop. Attendees included several former Reel Stories board members and foundational leaders, such as Penny Krueger (current BAVC Media board president), Niema Jordan, and Heidi Cregge Cabra, program alumnae and current interns, media teachers, parents, and women and gender-expansive filmmakers at different stages of their careers.
With so much change and disruption happening in the film and entertainment industry, the group set out to brainstorm key priorities and ideas for further development, as we get ready for Spring and Summer programming 2026.
Morgan Lewis, Project Manager, opened the brunch by thanking everyone for showing up: “Everyone is here today because we love and care about Reel Stories and we want to see the next 10 years stronger and sustainable!”
Conversation topics explored what has worked about Reel Stories and what needs improvement, how/if we should adapt to current technologies and forms, like AI (especially AI literacy) and the content creator market, how can we support women and gender expansive filmmakers after they’ve gone to college or launched their careers, should we broaden our lens to support “storytellers” rather than solely film and media makers, how do we expand our funder and community partnerships, and what could it look like to include boys in select aspects of Reel Stories programs, to help support “feminist boys”? The focus was on sustainability and making the programs relevant and desirable for young women, gender-expansive youth, and their families. What do students need and want? And how can the programs pay for that?
“Reel Stories is such a great program. I was so excited to bring our community together to hear fresh ideas on where the program could go and how to grow it for the next generation of filmmakers.” – Penny Krueger
Reel Stories student board members, Madeline (Maddie) Wilson and Amara Kapur, with Morgan Lewis, set the stage for the discussion by doing a landscape analysis of other media organizations and programs that serve girls, women, and gender expansive people.
We are so grateful to all of you who attended! It was great to see such incredible support for this beloved program. We are honored to steward an improved and more sustainable program in the new year. Thank you!
Reel Stories will be back in 2026 with the support and guidance of our community. Please complete this survey to add your voice to this process.
