Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
One of the great pleasures of my career decision to become an entrepreneur and start Mighteor has been meeting amazing women who were also driven to get out of their 9 to 5s and build their dream. So when we began working with Women Who Startup on their various video needs, I was excited to see what might come of the collaboration.
One of the amazing things that has come from it? Being able to learn from other women about their dreams and passions and their REASONS for doing this incredibly hard thing. Don’t let anyone fool you: deciding to start a company is a challenging journey that has extreme highs and extreme lows. Weathering these challenges is key to long-term success and happiness in your work.
For Denver Startup Week, the Women Who Startup Crew + Mighteor collaborated on this animated video which we curated thanks to the #WhyIStartup hashtag. Each of the tweets comes to life thanks to the women who shared their inspiring stories in 140 characters or less.
For me, the answer was simple:
I startup because women are under-represented in production AND tech.
We are never going to change those numbers if there aren’t more female leaders in both those industries. They also happen to be the industries where my passions align.
If you’re a woman who has thought about starting up, works for a startup or has a startup of your own, I really encourage you to become a member of Women Who Startup. It’s completely free and it’s for any woman, anywhere.
This whole thing started with a mission: support female led films on opening weekend whenever possible.* If you want to read more about why, you can read that post here.
September is the first post-summer blockbuster month of the year and it means that the movies that tend to come out are more thinky-feely than explosion based.
So without further delay, here are your September movies with ladies opening:
SEPTEMBER 11th:
Paul Taylor: Creative Domain (Directed by Kate Geis)
Logline: Paul Taylor is one of the dance world’s most elusive and respected choreographers. For over 50 years he has only given glimpses into his creative process, this film is an unprecedented exploration of how Mr. Taylor creates a single dance. The dominant voice is Paul’s, between the guarded and unguarded moments we see him with new eyes and new understanding.
SEPTEMBER 18th:
About Ray (Directed by Gaby Dellal, written by Nikole Beckwith and starring Elle Fanning)
Logline: A teenager transitions from female to male, and his family must come to terms with that fact.
SEPTEMBER 25th:
The Intern (Directed and written by Nancy Meyers and starring Anne Hathaway)
Logline: 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.
Mississippi Grind (Directed by Anna Boden)
Logline: Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry teams up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis, in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what’s been lost.
The Keeping Room (Written by Julia Hart and starring Hailee Steinfeld)
Logline: Left without men in the dying days of the American Civil War, three Southern women - two sisters and one African-American slave - must fight to defend their home and themselves from two rogue soldiers who have broken off from the fast-approaching Union Army.
I love my job. And I know I am on a very short list of people who feel that way. So when people tell me that they’re not inspired by their work or just don’t care as much as they should, I truly KNOW that it can be different.
We released our reel for Mighteor over the weekend and I wanted to share it with you because I think many of our clients know this too. And it shows in their vision and HOPEFULLY how we made it come to life visually at my company.
The companies in our reel this year are all from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common: they LOVE what they’re doing. They believe in it. And they are willing to stretch the traditional norms of how things get done in order to build their company. I try to learn from them all the time.
If you don’t love what you’re doing, you don’t necessarily need to go get a new job right away. I promise. So much is about perspective and latching onto the things that make us happy in the day to day. That can be turning your morning meeting into a once monthly breakfast with the team. Or doing walk and talks with your colleagues so you keep moving.
Have a little love for your day job. After all, we spend most of our lives there. We should at least make the effort to make it worthwhile.
If you’ve read my Twitter feed at any point in the last year, you’ve probably noticed that there is one hashtag I use more than any other.
#GIRLBOSS
And it’s for good reason. As a female CEO of a tech company, I spend a lot of time trying to run my business. And I am really damn proud of that fact. It’s not easy. But it’s also SO MUCH EASIER because of the amazing women in my life. And a lot of times, those women are clients who are also Girl Bosses.
When I met the women behind iBesties, I was impressed by two things: first, they were trying to tackle a market that is full of problems. I could write a novel about the problems with Bratz and Barbies, but I will spare us all. Second, they weren’t just trying to make dolls, they were trying to tell a story and really bring little girls a new perspective.
Obviously, it was my honor to do the video for their Kickstarter campaign. During the shooting days, I honestly found myself thinking: would I have become a CEO sooner if I had something like this when I was a little girl? I didn’t know my dream was possible until I met other women who did it. And that’s why we need this. And I’m happy to report that their campaign is now live.
If you have a daughter, cousin, niece or just know an amazing little girl - please go check out their campaign and consider pre-ordering an iBesties book or doll or both.
The world needs more future Girl Bosses. The best way to do that? Help little girls see that it’s possible.
Twitter is for news. For celebrity bashing and loving and loathing and celebrating. For blabbing your emotional baggage. And for spreading your irrational rage. And if you’re me, it’s also for dealing with your randomly onset insomnia.
I have been having sleep troubles. And for whatever reason, when I can’t sleep, I find myself turning to Twitter for emotional support. I don’t know what it is, but something about being in the throws of wanting to sleep SO BADLY and not being able to makes me even more desperate to tweet. But lately, I’ve been trying to stop myself from tweeting and instead turning to YouTube to get caught in a ridiculous video vortex of giggles and silliness.
Here are my top 5 favorite videos for my especially sleepless nights:
The Brain Scoop with Emily Graslie
This channel is super new but super awesome. It is hosted by Emily Graslie, who is a scientist at the Field Museum and she talks about all kinds of weird science-y topics that have to do with the brain. It tackles all kinds of crazy things you didn’t even want to know about brains, with the occassional taxidermy thrown in for good fun.
Graham Norton Show
Ever since being introduced to Graham Norton while in London a few years ago, I have been addicted. This show makes night time talk shows in America seem utterly pathetic. Something about putting a random bunch of famous people on a couch together is so much more entertaining.
Karl Pilkington
I just love Karl Pilkington. And his new show The Moaning of Life is no exception. His particularly negative candor about life always gets me. Whenever I feel like something randomly terrible happens, I can pretty much always find a Karl Pikington quote that is relevant.
Laci Green
Super candid sex talk from an adorable woman who isn’t afraid to be really freaking honest? Yeah, that’s damn cool. I bet you’ll even learn something you never knew before!
Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer
There is obviously nothing else to say about Amy Schumer. Her videos say it all. She’s fucking awesome.
