MOXIE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS | Application Preview
Moxie Media Productions is seeking government funding to elevate the representation of Latinos and women of color in media through impactful audiovisual projects. The company aims to showcase the historical and contemporary stories of these communities, fostering greater awareness and understanding of their cultural contributions and societal challenges.
Founded in 2019 by Alison Sotomayor, an experienced filmmaker and producer, Moxie Media has made strides in creating culturally relevant content and addressing the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Despite being a growing demographic that constitutes 18% of the U.S. population, Latinos remain significantly underrepresented in the media industry. Current statistics reveal that women and minorities hold only a small percentage of directing and writing roles in top films, highlighting the need for more equitable representation.
The funding will be utilized to create opportunities for marginalized voices in media, provide mentorship, and facilitate community engagement through educational initiatives. Moxie Media plans to implement a timeline for its projected projects, including producing short films for Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert Cedillo, focusing on civic engagement and community education.
Throughout its five-year strategy, Moxie Media will work on enhancing its visibility, forming strategic partnerships, and improving its operational processes. The company recognizes that investing in Moxie Media Productions not only supports social change but also offers potential returns and meaningful involvement in the filmmaking process.
What sets Moxie Media apart from larger competitors like Netflix and Disney Plus is its authentic storytelling from a Latina perspective and its commitment to pushing boundaries within the industry. By leveraging her unique experiences and insights, Sotomayor aims to craft narratives that resonate with audiences and contribute to a more inclusive media landscape. In summary, Moxie Media Productions seeks funding to advance diversity in media, enrich community understanding, and offer valuable storytelling that impacts lives.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 8 4 3 8 8 4 7 8 4
Location: ANAHEIM, CA, United States
Length of Operation: 3 (but I have been i
Number of Employees:
Annual Gross Income:
Annual Gross Expense:
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
Moxie Media Productions’ mission is to increase public awareness of the unique, rich, and critical stories of Latinos and women of color - historical and contemporary - through audiovisual and new media projects, as well as education, preservation, and community engagement. Moxie Media’s films bring to light the complexities of Latino arts and culture, history, racial politics, identity, and civil rights at a time when our nation’s demographics reflect unprecedented growth in the Latino community and relevant, thoughtful, and diverse storytelling from diverse voices should be told. Moreover, Moxie Media firmly believes that representation in media matters because that is where people get their beliefs as to who Latinos are, what they are, and how much they are worth. It also understands that Latinos can only thrive in a society in which they are authentically, honestly, and three-dimensionally represented in media. Film, television, radio, digital media, and newspapers have a profound impact on how people think and behave; inclusion, racial justice, and progressive social change are impossible in the absence of accurate and equitable media coverage. Media companies must serve the public. Current research shows the opportunity for Latinos and women of color to be hired in media productions has never been better: ● American Latinos make up 18% of the U.S. population. ● Women make up about 50% of the U.S. population. ● A majority of the nation’s population will be minorities by 2050. ● American Latinos buy 24% of all movie tickets purchased at the box office. ● American Latinos have $1.5 trillion in consumer purchasing power. THE NEED & USAGE OF FUNDING: Yet, given these striking numbers above, Latinos and other people of color in Hollywood remain under and misrepresented in front and behind camera relative to their white counterparts. According to the most recent UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report published in 2019: Only 7.1% of the directors of top-grossing films were women and 19.3% were people of color. In 2019, women posted slight gains to reach 15.1%, but minorities directed just 14.4% percent of the top box office movies. Women earned only 14.8% of writing credits on the films analyzed in 2018, and minorities claimed only 10.4%. Both figures slightly improved for 2019, with 17.4% of writing credits going to women and 13.9% to people of color. To help move the needle in the right direction, Moxie Media does its part by providing opportunities for Latinos and women of color to create and contribute programming that is culturally relevant and free from anti-immigrant and anti-Latino hate speech. Moxie Media Productions was founded in 2019 by Alison Sotomayor, a 30-year independent producer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and Latina-owned small business owner. Over time, Sotomayor has earned multiple Emmy, Golden Mike, and Telly awards has produced critically acclaimed films for national PBS broadcast, as well as short films for Latino advocacy and civil rights non-profit organizations across the U.S. Sotomayor is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, California Chicano News Media Association, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UCLA. MOXIE MEDIA GOALS AND IMPACT: * To help increase the numbers of Latinos and women of color above and below the line in media production, and to assist in landing and sustaining work in key film and television roles by employing and mentoring them through the preproduction, production and post-production stages of filmmaking. * To engage professional community members with student and public audiences in meaningful conversations surrounding the issues and themes from Sotomayor’s films that are relevant today. * To partner with educational institutions and community organizations to create opportunities for discussion, learning, and content sharing in the classrooms and on the streets. * To provide Latinos a deeper understanding of their history and its importance in the larger historical context of the U.S. * To drive awareness, education, and discussion about the rich and diverse community of Latinos across the United States. * To invite Latino audiences to learn about new, diverse programming being created about their community and raise awareness for the organizations bringing this work to them. * To maintain a long-term presence online to bring heightened awareness to all projects in development and production.
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Business Plan
After 20 years of successfully operating her media consulting business in Southern California, winning top industry awards, and earning film festival honors, Sotomayor secured an impressive consulting/independent contractor job for Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert Cedillo in early March 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the United States a few weeks later, Moxie Media had to immediately stop operations. The job consisted of producing, writing, and directing the following six short films: 1) The State of the Council District 1 and, 2) Six video biographies of Councilman Cedillo. (Sotomayor was to hire a diverse crew and staff to assist with these projects). The goal of these films was to better inform, educate, and engage District 1 residents about the progress and key activities of the District, to better understand the process of city government, and to recognize what impact engagement can do for the community. As the pandemic slows down and is under more control, Councilman Cedillo’s Chief of Staff has confirmed that Sotomayor will be assuming her job as a filmmaker for this project this year. THE FOLLOWING TIMELINE INCLUDES THE CONFIRMED CEDILLO PROJECT FOR 2022 if a grant is awarded: MOXIE MEDIA TIMELINE Q1 Jan-March 2022 Q2 April-June 2022 Q3 July-Sept. 2022 Q4 Oct.-Dec. 2022 Write & organize 20 years of media for a new website; negotiate bids & hire web designer; select design & rewrite website text; create company logo; update resume & bio; launch website; send a mass email to former and new clients about the company; begin creating social media content for company promotion & via direct mailings. X Scout for the crew, narrator & composer; research, write & submit various local & national funding proposals for projects in development; continue creating social media content for company promotion & via direct mailings. X Begin research development for Cedillo films; supervise production; hire crew, narrator & composer; prep & schedule interviews; complete call sheets; research archival footage & visuals; conduct archival licensing & music clearances; film interviews & b-roll; oversee accounting & expenses; work with a composer on the score; write a press release; continue creating social media content company promotion & via direct mailings. X Transcribe interviews & b-roll; write scripts, record & edit narration; supervise post-production; work with an editor to mix, color correct, quality control; oversee subtitles English & Spanish; delivery of master films with/without subtitles; distribute press release; continue creating social media content for company promotion & via direct mailings. X FIVE-YEAR STRATEGY FOR MOXIE MEDIA BUILD OUT: * Continue to get my finances in order * Locate the right crew members and talent * Continue to purchase and/or lease the right equipment for each project * Continue to build my portfolio * Continue to be visible offline and online, including updating my website * Continue to research the competition for online strategies and ways to scale my business, such as digital marketing * Utilize a customer management system for all transactions. - QuickBooks for accounting - InfusionSoft for marketing * Continue to build my email list Constant Contact or GetRepsonse for building and managing the list * Continue to form strategic relationships and partnerships * Contact complementary partners and propose opportunities to work together * Continue to market my film campaigns on social media, building my followers/fans * Continue to define my goals and audience; plan to create marketing content; host screening parties; write strong press releases; locate alternative coverage; * Continue to research extraordinary film festivals and awards for submissions * Continue to position my company as a credible and reputable one, and go after the right clients in film production * Continue to aim high, trust in me, swallow my apprehensions, and do an excellent job no matter the size or type of project WHY INVEST IN MOXIE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS: * Leaving a print in history by supporting social impact films that help make the world a better place, bring hope, and bridge communities * Investing can be investing in your own legacy, too, something that you can look back on with your family for years * Offers an investment opportunity with a return that can last a lifetime. (A film doesn’t need to be a large success at the box office in order for an investor to receive a return on their investment. That’s the benefit of investing in independent film. Also, filmmaking as a whole remains resilient and consistently in the black, despite a history of economic instability). * Developing useful connections, enjoying the experience of being part of the business, and accessing the incredible world of filmmaking * The investor can have their name in the credits at the end of the film as an Associate Producer or Executive Producer * The chance to be involved with the production of the film * The chance to meet the cast and crew backstage and/or on set * The chance for the film to be part of your financial portfolio * An invitation to attend red carpet events including the film premier VIP opportunities to attend special events such as festivals * Can receive merchandise, signed script and set stills, posters, DVDs, and BluRays * Potential tax relief benefits
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Self Identified Competition
As a small business owner operating a small production company in the big and competitive land of Hollywood, the three top competitors are the major production companies that have the funding in place (and their own entities to stream) to produce independent films, such as Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney Plus. * I am a Latina and a minority small business owner - something that is almost invisible in the film industry and in Hollywood as a whole * My life experiences as a Latina growing up in East Los Angeles have greatly informed my work. Given most of Hollywood is made up of people who are not of color, my storytelling is authentic, true, and accurate about my community, and cannot be told from another person's non-minority perspective. * I am not satisfied to do the same things others are doing just because “that’s the way they’ve always been done”. I take some risks and push boundaries, cultivating a unique artistic voice and perspective, and I have the courage to infuse my work with that voice * I am not particularly concerned with what audiences and critics think because my source of validation isn’t external. I’m a filmmaker seeking to express something personal and intimate, yet universal and profound. * I practice not only courage, but vulnerability, and put very real pieces of myself out into the world. * I am resilient and I also am brave enough to admit that, at times, I fail. But like the world of entrepreneurship, failure in the pursuit of great filmmaking is an honor, and a symbol of being one step closer to making something incredible and lasting, and my unique fingerprint on the entire craft.
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