The District of Columbia Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) is pleased to honor filmmaker Jessica Stuart, founder and award-winning producer at Long Story Short Media, as the August 2013 Filmmaker of the Month. Jessica has developed extraordinary short form content for NBC, The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC News, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2008 Jessica launched Long Story Short Media, an independent creative consulting and producing firm, specializing in short form, multi-use content production and consulting. Her video work and live productions have been seen around the globe and her short form projects have earned a number of awards including an Emmy nomination and 5 Golden Cine Awards. Long Story Short Media also has earned a Webby Award and a People's Choice Webby, 7 Silver Telly Awards, 4 Bronze Telly Awards, a gold and silver Davey Award, a Platinum MarCom Award, and an AEGIS Film and Video Production Award. Additionally, her work with The Gates Foundation’s “Living Proof Project” earned 2 Webby nominations.
Jessica has prepped and interviewed thousands of individuals, from every living US President and international heads of state to celebrities and citizens. She has written a variety of content styles for audiences ranging from hundreds to millions. Additionally, Jessica uses her production skills to bring editorial context and flow to live events. Her work has taken her throughout the United States and a variety of countries including Ghana, Brazil, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, India, Tanzania, Mozambique, Burundi, Thailand, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Malawi, the UK, and Canada.
Jessica and her team most recently produced the multi-platform campaign “Empowered with Alicia Keys”, along with the Kaiser Family Foundation and Griffin/Schein, to bring awareness to the issue of HIV/AIDS and women across the country, including Washington, D.C. In April, Long Story Short Media filmed Ms. Keys’ visit to Washington as part of a major policy launch with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the White House, members of Congress, and local HIV organizations and activists. LSS Media also filmed Ms. Keys’ visit to local hospital and clinic in Anacostia to meet with women in the District living with HIV, and to discuss the challenges and successes of accessing care and fighting stigma.
Other local projects include the “Unsung Heroes” video series and the “Making The Difference” video for Communities in Schools, the nation’s largest dropout rate prevention organization, based in Washington, D.C; the Washington Lab school gala videos; and content for the National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial. Jessica currently resides in Ward 3 of the District of Columbia.
MPTD launched the Filmmaker of the Month initiative to feature a District-based filmmaker who exemplifies the vast amount of talent and creativity based here in the nation’s capital. The Filmmaker of the Month initiative is part of its mission to elevate the national and international profile of the city’s most talented filmmakers. Previous filmmakers honored include documentary filmmaker and founder of redfitz productions Nick Fitzhugh; filmmaker and screenwriter of Kettle of Fish Claudia Myers; Park Triangle founder Gemal Woods, and creator and director of web series Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden Otessa Ghadar
You can visit the Filmmaker of the Month section to learn more about Jessica and previous Filmmaker of the Month recipients.