Meet Stevee-Rayne Warren | NOVAC Community Crew Up Manager & Warner Media Social Impact Recruiter
What’s a quote that fuels your passion?
“When I dare to be powerful — to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
— Audre Lorde
Stevee, your Humble Takeover is your story. Although one post could not tell your whole story, we are glad to highlight a few of your Great efforts.Tell the family where you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and graduated from Southern University and A&M College. I studied English and Liberal Arts in college and worked for the Bureau of Community Preparedness part-time. Since I wasn't able to attend film school I was always on the lookout for production related opportunities, which is where I came across New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC). The Baton Rouge Office had just opened and they were offering a number of free workshops for Baton Rouge residents. I applied for the first workshop coming up, which was Introduction to Cinematography. I knew then that I was not really interested in working in the Camera dept but I was very eager to learn. After taking the workshop I inquired about interning for NOVAC, which led to a position. I interned for a year and then I was promoted to Membership Coordinator. From the very beginning I genuinely enjoyed the workforce side, membership support, and community outreach. When it was announced that Queen Sugar would be filming in New Orleans, I dm'd Ava DuVernay from the NOVAC account that we had trained a local crew ready to work. The next day the Production Supervisor reached out, and that's where it all started! Still to this day we partner with the Queen Sugar team in some capacity. I was impassioned by the idea of community-based and inclusive hiring pipelines for production. After connecting a few shows with the crew, my boss at the time noticed how excited I was about recruitment and offered me the opportunity to manage our partnership program with HBO. This Production Assistant placement program led to relationships with other networks and studios and I have been blessed to recruit and liaise for HBO, HBOMax, Warner. Bros, Legacy Turner, FilmNation, and The Walking Dead.
Which chapter in your story inspired you to venture in the film industry?
As a kid I loved movies and television and I would always watch the behind the scenes. However, it wasn’t until highschool, after taking a video production class, that I started to feel like working in film was a reality for me. Our teacher, Mr.Kyle really pushed us and exposed us to various aspects of productions. I came up during the rise of youtube filmmakers and being able to witness people like Issa Rae's agency and creativity really influenced me. We made two feature length films that premiered at one of the AMC theaters and actually gained some local buzz. I loved the collaborative process and being a part of something that brought joy to so many people.
What keeps you Humble through your success and failure in Life?
God's timing keeps me humble. We place unrealistic timelines on ourselves so often and when I think about the things I have accomplished, a lot of times that success was preceded by a delay or rejection I considered a failure. For example, I gave birth to my daughter my sophomore year in college and had to sit out for a semester. When I returned to school I had to go back part-time because I had to work, which delayed my graduation date. However, when I started to recruit I learned about the American Black Film Festival's Greenlighters fellowship. Because I was still in school, I qualified. That fellowship led to so many lasting connections and resources and it put me in a better position to help others.
What advice would you offer our family who is writing their own story?
One thing that I think is really important and I still have to work at is, defining success for yourself, not trying to live up to other people's expectations or ideas of what success is. Lock in on what makes you happy and whole and immerse yourself in those things.
Do you have any upcoming events or projects you would like to share?
We have some exciting virtual workshops coming up late Summer and Fall at NOVAC, such as a VFX training in partnership with Crafty Apes and a Pre-apprenticeship program for Multimedia producing and Video editing. Check out https://novac.submittable.com/submit to learn more!
We’d love to hear more stories, please suggest 5 other persons writing their own story and Conquering the World.
Melanie Jones, @melanized
Angie Dyer, @angieworlddorder
Lori Vidure Bracy, @vinti.v3
Taresa Henry, @thenry_realator
Tayler Patrice, @_taylerpatrice
Contact Info:
- Website: http://novacvideo.org
- Email: stevee@novacvideo.org
- Instagram: steveerayne
- Facebook: Stevee-Rayne Warren
- Other Social Platforms: Twitter: @steveerayne
Stevee thank you for your support of the Humble Takeover and also your participation in our Campaign by sharing your story with the world.
Welcome to the Humble Takeover Family!