Lucah Rosenberg-Lee

This weekend I was on a panel at the Making Waves Festival in Halifax talking about how the strongest films are made with a clear audience in mind. When you make a film it’s so important to think about the audience. Even if it ends up evolving. Katie McCulloch on the panel mentioned that she makes her films for millennial women but that Dads also tell her how much they love her movies. Lots of Creatives go into a project thinking their work is for everyone but that’s rarely the right approach. When we made Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story our first target audience was music lovers. And people who watch films about musicians. But we also wanted to make a movie that worked for a trans audience, a black audience, a white audience, a queer audience, a straight audience and an American South audience. Nearing the end of the edit we decided to push ourselves even further and make a final film that would land with both a young audience and an old audience. This ended up being a highly intentional curation. And it won us a Peabody for storytelling. This still does not mean that the film is for everyone though. If you don’t like documentary it’s not for you. If you don’t like music it’s not for you. If you don’t like black excellence it’s not for you. It’s never been more important to have an audience-first approach to your work, whether it’s a film, a logo, an event or a commercial. If you don’t have a full grasp on your market distribution, the market-ing part gets a whole lot harder.

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My completely unplugged Saturday story.

Guided Conversation and Q&A with Filmmaker Lucah Rosenberg-Lee @mntntp 🗣️✊🏿🎥 📣Free workshop series: Combatting Anti-Black Racism in Film 🫶🏽✨ With the support of the Government of Canada’s Department of Heritage, we have developed a series of free workshops that bring the values of community, creativity, and courage, directly to the film industry - because we recognize that film has the power to shape culture! 🎥🎬 Workshops available in this series: • Interactive Workshop • Guided Conversation and Q&A • Interviews with Black Canadian Filmmakers & Creatives Each session blends powerful personal stories, film-specific case studies, and interactive activities to deepen understanding of anti-Black racism—on screen, behind the camera, and within production spaces. No matter your role or experience level, if you care about creating film spaces where everyone can thrive - these workshops are for you! 🖤✊🏿 Email us at [email protected] to book yours! Hurry - limited FREE spots are available! 🏃🏾‍♂️ #GetsREAL #BlackExcellence #Support #BlackExperience #Film #BlackCreatives

I used to wish I lived in a world where, if I told someone I was trans they’d automatically just know what I meant. That day came. But it turns out, knowing what something means, does not equate to acceptance. The political climate has gotten so brutal in the last 12 months that I rarely talk about this part of myself because I just don’t know how people will react… But today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Which means taking a moment to honor the thousands of trans people who were killed this year, simply for living outside what current society sees as “acceptable”. Personally, I was adopted from the Dominican Republic into a white family, so I knew what it was like to be different from day one. But around 5 or 6, I started asking my parents why I wasn’t born a boy. It took me years to realize that I wasn’t just gonna outgrow this feeling. I spent years trying to fit in, but I was miserable. Anxious. Angry at a world that felt fundamentally unfair. Then YouTube started and I saw for the first time in my life, trans people who were truly happy. And that changed everything for me. It’s been almost 20 years since I transitioned and I’ve seen culture & opinion shift and change. As the old saying goes, first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you (we are here now), then (ideally), we reach a place where we all just live without fear. The biggest reminders for me today are, being a trans person is a not political opinion or ideological device. Despite what the news might say. It’s simply an experience on this earth. One that’s existed for centuries. And this ongoing war on gender polices all of us. harms all of us. Boxes in all of us. And your trans coworkers, friends, and family members are just trying to find fulfillment, just like everybody else. We’re business owners, creatives, parents. And your neighbors. Understanding doesn’t require agreement. Compassion doesn’t require total understanding. Just the willingness to see each other as human.

2 years married 🥂❤️ Yesterday we went to Canada’s Wonderland for one of our anniversary activities 💍🎢 Personally I don’t really like amusement parks and haven’t been to one in over 15 years… Mostly because I hated my body growing up which meant I hated summer. (You couldn’t catch me in a t-shirt & shorts no matter how hot it was out.) I also didn’t like being in the water or swimming or rides. But sometimes being married means doing stuff your spouse wants to do despite our own fears, insecurities or anxieities. Plus I got to learn more about her childhood as she recounted me with her own memories of fun and adventure. Trips with her grandma, and funnel cake with strawberries. This is not the first time my marriage has pushed me outside my comfort zone so ultimately I’m grateful. Not only because I healed a part of my younger self being there but I was reminded why I married Leanna in the first place. She started us on the kid coasters. She held my hand. And reassured me that everything was gonna be okay! I love that my wife still makes me feel safe, how she respects my limits, but also knows when to push them. Happy anniversary babe @leannamariarlee 💕

WE WON A PEABODY! What an honour! What a night! Thanks to @peabodyawards , @bangerfilms @onf_nfb @mntntp the entire AOW team, Jackie’s family and above all the incredible Jackie Shane! Special thanks to @indyamoore for their gracious and loving presentation! And thanks to @gettyentertainment and Charlie Gallay & Emma McIntyre for their gracious pics!

@peabodyawards actually was a total vibe. Also LA is so “LA”.

Celebrating my bday with a Beyoncé concert 🎤🤠🇺🇸. Growing up I used to think a lot about my birth parents on my birthday and whether or not they were thinking of me too, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve been learning to shift my focus… My 30s are flyingggg, so my intention is to savor every possible moment I can these next few years & continue rewiring my brain away from negativity bias, and towards a more grateful heart. This time last year I was still very much stuck in past pains - Lost deals. Frustrating friendships. Disappointments. Even though I was working on a dream film project, I couldn’t help but focus on where I was letting myself down. The hundreds of thousands of dollars I let slip through my fingers the year prior, and how disconnected I felt from my self worth. But one thing I’ve learned is, just because something feels bad, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Without lows we’d have no highs. Without mistakes we don’t build vision. And if we never got lost, we’d have no reason to outstretch our hand to meet the universes infinite embrace. In a recent meditation the instructor asked, when was the last time you thanked your cells? Never I thought. But it’s time I started. Started to see what’s working for me, instead of automatically defaulting to what’s working against me. If you’re up right now - enjoy it. If you’re down right now - enjoy it. I’m not chasing a perfect life anymore, just peace. P.S. Writing this from the depths of seat 17C, @lisabarlow14 - I get it now. This is humbling.