PRESS

PRESS

From VOYAGE LA,  December 2021

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Jill Calvert.

Hi Stacy Jill, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I’m originally from Chicago but have lived in Los Angeles on and off for 20+ years. In my early career, I worked in the startup world as a Producer for a few websites including eToys and Ticketmaster. During my time at eToys, I managed our UK and German producers. After my time in tech, I moved back to Chicago where I became involved with Queer community organizations including Gay Games Chicago. The Gay Games (much like the Olympics) happens every four years with athletes and attendees from around the world..

A few years later, I returned to  Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where I attended as an undergrad and earned both my Masters in Professional Media and Media Management Studies and my MFA in Media Arts degrees.

My wife and I packed up and headed back west and since that time, I have kept quite busy, working in the world of Post Production, and also producing digital and film projects. I also began working a few years ago as a volunteer for ClexaCon (a multi-fandom convention & film festival for LGBTQ+ women, trans and nonbinary fans and creators.). I became the Director of Programming for the ClexaCon Film Festival and as of 2020, I am one of the Executive Directors for the organization.

As with all live events, the pandemic kept us from having in-person events, thus we pivoted to holding online workshops and events and produced many events including ClexaCon Virtual, PubCon (which highlighted authors and publishers for the LGBTQ+ community. We also joined with three other organizations  SheFest San Diego, Las Vegas Womens’ Fest and Sum of Us Festival  to produce SQUADFest, a two day festival of artists, workshops, performances and more.

Our first live event since 2019 was this October and it was an absolutely amazing weekend of community and connections for everyone who attended. I can’t wait for our next event! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

My life, like many people, has had its ups and downs with both my personal life and career. I am very grateful that over the years, I have built an amazing support system of friends here in Los Angeles and across the world whom I have been able to lean on for advice and collaboration over the years.

I was diagnosed in my thirties with ADHD which to be honest, is a relatively new concept for many GenX’ers. When I was a child, all of the research geared towards male-identified children and there wasn’t a lot of research to support and provide information to the rest of us.

While there are times that my neurodivergent brain makes life tricky,  it has helped me adapt and grow within my career. In many ways, I see it as a superpower – being able to see the whole picture and beyond. I think that has helped me in both the business and creative worlds I occupy.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?

My wife and I created Oak Street Digital this year which will be the framework for both our creative and business projects. First up is Queerly Crafted, a small boutique that sells handmade items geared towards the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

The store is launching in November just in time for the holidays.

In 2022, we will be relaunching our website, Queerly Wed. The website which originally ran from 2008-2010 was a blog with tips and tricks and stories from couples across the world alongside a vendor directory. Our website was one of the few resources for queer-friendly vendors and information at that time since Marriage Equality was only present in a few states at that time.

In today’s world, there are many important relationships in our lives, thus we wanted to ensure that Queerly Wed 2.0 includes everyone under the rainbow and showcases their stories on our website.

Also – – I’m a filmmaker who released her first narrative short at the beginning of the pandemic! My short queer comedy, The Bra Mitzvah is a story about a young tween who is about to have her Bat Mitzvah when her Nana insists she gets a “real bra”. We have screened in 15 festivals in the US and around the world including LesFlicks in London, the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, Reeling, Chicago’s international LGBTQ+ film festival and more. If there is one upside to 2020, it is that we were able to participate in all of our Q&A’s and connect with both filmmakers and programmers from around the world.

My next big project is as Director for my first feature, HER CURVE in 2022. The film is based on the graphic novel GRACE by Eisner Award Nominee Kris Dresen and adapted by Lambda Lit & ALA Finalist JD Glass for the screen. I’m so excited about our cast including our leads, Tina D’Elia (Dyke Central, Assigned Female at Birth) and Dalila Ali Rajah (9-1-1, Greys Anatomy, Dyke Central)

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