Today we’re excited to be connecting with Jodi Cilley again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Jodi, we are so thrilled to be connecting again and can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you have been up to. Before we jump into all of that, some of our readers might have missed our prior interview, so can you take a moment to reintroduce yourself?
Teaching and filmmaking has been a passion turned career of mine for the past 20 years. In 2012 I started the Film Consortium San Diego as way to support our local film community and provide out of the classroom opportunities for the many students in my film classes who did not have access to real-life hands-on experience on film sets. The Film Consortium was met with thunderous applause from the community, and it has continued to grow and evolve ever since. What started as a monthly networking event evolved into a series of events and servies that support San Diego’s independent film community including San Diego Film Week, San Diego Film Awards and Film Summit.

Awesome, so we reached out because we wanted to hear all about what you have been up to since we last connected.
Since we last connected, a pandemic rocked the world and had a major impact on our ability to do the work we do in the community. Despite that huge hit on our business, we were able to create a few highly successful projects during the pandemic and have been able to rebuild our live events after the pandemic. We created the Quarantine Film Challenge during the pandemic which attracted 1200 submissions from over 70 countries. We also had to entirely reinvent our live awards show to a format that turned out to be much more entertaining and sustainable than the one we had before: resulting in 7 Emmy nominations to date.

We also want to give folks a chance to get to know you a bit better so we’ve prepared a fun lightning round of questions. Ready?

Favorite Movie: This is a very long list.. but favorite most recent movie I’ve seen is Wicked! Loved it.

Favorite Book: Jitterbug Perfume

Favorite TV Show: Seinfeld never gets old, but lately I’ve been enjoying “The Boys”

Favorite Band or Artist: Again, endless list but my playlist usually includes classic artists like Tupac and Bob Marley.

Sweet or Savory: Savory

Mountains or Beach: Beach

Favorite Sport (to watch): Football

Favorite Sport (to play): Kickball

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Track and Field

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: A writer or a Spanish teacher.

French Fries or Onion Rings: French Fries

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Favorite Childhood movie: Point Break

Favorite Breakfast Food: Eggs and bacon

When you look back on your life, what are three things you expect to be proud of?
When i look back on my life, I am going to be proud of several things.

First, I was able to travel and meet people from all walks of life, and understand and empathize with them. This is important as those years I spent traveling and leaving my comfort zone to be in what to me were unimaginable situations have made me resilient, allow me to thrive in almost any social setting, and have given me incredible access to the wonders of the world including a wide variety of customs, landscapes and foods.

Second, I followed my own path and lived my life the way I wanted to-mostly unaffected by other’s opinions of me. This is important because I followed a very non-traditional trajectory, and that trajectory led me to the amazing and successful life I live now.

Finally, I spent my professional and personal life in service to the community. As a teacher, community organizer, and even animal rescuer, I get immense joy from helping others thrive and grow. I can feel good about everything I do, even if I do it in an imperfect way. My intention to support and help allows me inner peace that I treasure.

Website: https://filmconsortiumsd.com

Instagram: filmconsortiumsd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-cilley-39149b14/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=jodi%20cilley

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FilmConsortiumSanDiego

Image Credits
I will send you a separate list of credits for the photos, I will need to confirm a few.

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