Background
In the past couple years, UPS has been heavily investing in the art, culture, & film fest space with ABFF (American Black FF), VFF (Venice Int’l FF), & TIFF (Toronto Int’l FF). In 2022, UPS launched the Be Unstoppable Film Project (BUFP) to uplift Small/Medium Businesses (SMBs), giving 2 finalists a platform to tell their stories w/a $100k grant each to produce 2 short films. The 2023 focus at ABFF is uplifting underserved Black/Brown SMBs & highlighting the need for diversity in film.
The Idea
The hardest thing for a small business to do is gain access to big business opportunities. Sometimes all it take is being at the right place at the right time in front of the right people.
We have long heard from people of color that lighting, hair, makeup, and photographers don’t get them. We will take that barrier away and give everyone what they deserve and more.
To uplift small businesses in the film community and help bring more diverse voices into the spotlight, we created The Unstoppable Portrait Studio at The American Black Film Festival.
Our activation featured a photographer, hair+makeup team, and lighting that specifically understand people of diverse skin tones, and how to best showcase them in their best light.
All the vendors used were also diverse-owned small businesses, and we highlighted their businesses as well, making this entire activation a great networking opportunity as well.