Author: Briana M. Andrews

Creative thinking content creator, photographer and filmmaker. Staunch advocate for diversity and representation in television and film.

Selected BTS Photographer / Videographer, Upcoming NYC Women’s Weekend Film Challenge

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Personal

I am absolutely thrilled to share that I have been selected to work on the upcoming Women’s Weekend Film Challenge taking place April 4-7, 2019 in New York.  They fielded hundreds of applications, and I am happy for the opportunity to be a team player for the challenge.  This women in film initiative places professional female filmmakers on crews to write, shoot and edit a short film over the course of a weekend.   This will be highly collaborative and intense experience where we pool resources and talents to conceptualize and create a polished competition-worthy short-film in an incredibly tight time-frame.

Screening of the completed film will take place at The Museum of Moving Image on April 18, 2019.  Visit Women’s Weekend Film Challenge to learn more.

Women’s Weekend Film Challenge

New York City Based Female Filmmakers, Upcoming Events – Women’s History Month

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Women In TV & Film

There are several upcoming events in the New York City area that should be on the radar for all established and aspiring female filmmakers.  These events offer an excellent opportunity to network, learn and support fellow women in TV and film.  From festivals and conferences, to funding panels, round-tables and screenings – these are events you don’t want to miss!

On Sunday, March 17, 2019 at MOMA PS2, the inaugural Black Women Film Conference co-organized by The New Negress Film Society will take place. This is a treat, particularly for Black / African-American female filmmakers because this community-building event will feature an exchange of filmmaking strategies and offer a space for our voices and experiences.

Next up, on Thursday March 21, 2019, the NYC Women Filmmakers (NYCWF) will hold a Creative Financing Panel at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.  This is another opportunity for knowledge exchange, collaboration, resource sharing and support for female filmmakers.  This event is particularly useful for budgeting and learning strategies to fund your next project.

On Saturday March 23, 2019, the Girl Power Film + Media Summit curated by Imagine This Productions offers a day of discussions, panels, film screenings, workshops, and a dinner party.  This event celebrates Women’s History Month, and also serves as an inspirational launchpad for the future of women in the film and television industries.

[MAPR Blog Post] Gen Z Usage Evaluation | Social Media Strategy: Return of the MAC

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, Strategic Communication

There are many factors to contend with when developing an online presence, whether personally, professionally or on a client’s behalf.  Basic PR 101 prompts us to revisit the good ‘ole MAC Triad … MESSAGE, AUDIENCE and CHANNEL.  The first step in your social media strategy should be to determine your MESSAGE  Essentially, this is the WHAT and WHY of your page.  What is your page about?  What is your call-to-action or desired outcome?  Why would a visitor be interested in your content?  Next, you determine your AUDIENCE.  This represents WHO and HOW of targeted company messages.  Who are you trying to connect with?  How would they benefit from your product of service?  Last you have the channel, which represents WHERE and WHEN of message dissemination.  Where are you posting? Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? When are you posting?  Research should be conducted to determine optimal time for engagement and post frequency for each platform.

As many of you know, I manage the socials for BibbyFame Digital, LLC.  However, aside from my personal and professional usage, I was also elected to the e-Board for the Theta Mu Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.  As Epistoleus, I serve as the Chapter Historian, as well as the Social Media and Public Relations Chair.  I manage our social media accounts, with large premium placed on our Instagram and Rowan University ProfLink.  I write captions, design flyers, take photographs, produce social video etc.  In addition, I monitor engagement, use appropriate hashtags and respond to inquiries.  Since assuming the role in July 2018, I developed and implemented a strategy to foster organic growth.  Content is centered on the following objectives:

  • To promote events and programs
  • To visually document our sisterhood and the overall experience of being a Soror in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
  • To highlight chapter member achievements
  • To demonstrate chapter participation in volunteer and community-serving activities
  • To raise awareness for select causes

As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  All Theta Mu posts are planned in accordance with the Chapter events calendar.  Some of the accounts followed include @SGRhoUpdates @SGRhoNER for our organization headquarters and region. Last summer, when working as a Photo & Video Intern for Jill Lotenberg, I filmed and edited an interview with Ryan Serhant from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing.  During the interview, he summarized their social media strategy and explained the importance planning out company posts in advance for each week.  He also shared how he uses analytics to steer activity.  For instance, based on statistics for his company and industry, posts are primed for the most impressions and engagement during the workday.  He mentioned aiming to post around 2pm EST. 

An important takeaway from my Epistoleus work and internship experiences which include socials / digital / interactive is to maintain professionalism in the online space.  Something as simple as a spelling error can negatively impact company credibility.  If the company uses specific styling, colors and fonts, it is imperative that consistency is maintained without deviation.  The logo, crest and artwork must have the correct sizing and proportion.  We’ve all observed images that are stretched and can agree that isn’t the company impression you’d like to leave.  Social media revolutionized the way we share and distribute information; proper usage can provide tremendous value. 

International Women’s Day and Women In Film 2019

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Women In TV & Film

I’d like to start off by wishing all of our female readers a Happy Women’s Day / International Women’s Day!

You may ask, what is the specific correlation between Women’s Day and Female Filmmakers? However, there is much to celebrate, and 2019 has been a great year thus far for women in film above the line and below the line.

To name a few examples, this year was historic with a record number of women winning Oscars. Also, for the first time in history, each of the major movie studios have at least one female-directed movie slated for release this year. Many are stepping up to the plate with the 4 Percent Challenge and we’ve seen both France and the City of New York issue grants or subsidies to female filmmakers.

There were notable milestones and I am excited for what’s in-store.  As women, we need to continue to find our own voices. We also need to push to control both the narrative and our portrayal in film.

Introducing “To Each, Her Throne” – A Female-Centric Docuseries

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Women In TV & Film

I am pleased to introduce you to “To Each, Her Throne,” a docu-series with an all-female cast and crew.  The Director, AD, Producer, DP and even the studio-owner are female. Visit to contribute and find out more. You can donate to obtain merch and/or tickets for the upcoming screening in New York. 

We are on the heels of Black History Month and now Women’s History Month is underway.  This project was conceptualized by black female filmmakers with the goal of breaking the ice on societal mandates. Women from different ages, backgrounds, sexualities, religions, races and ethnic groups will come together for judgement-free discourse on the female experience. Be on the lookout for details.

  • Director: Danielle Privat
  • AD / DP: Alecia Allen
  • Producer: Briana M. Andrews

Read more about the TEHT project, cast and crew => #ToEachHerThrone

Female Filmmakers Community | Women in TV & Film | Female-Centric Creators

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Women In TV & Film

This page is for ANYONE in favor of a more diverse and inclusive film community.  We are here to showcase women in television and film.   Female directors, producers, writers, editors, camera-operators, DP, cinematographers, photographers, sound designers, graphic designers, composers AND everyone in between.  We’d also love to see professionals in marketing, digital media, distribution, casting, higher education, gear and festivals. 

Celebrating our second year of operation, BibbyFame Digital LLC founder, Briana-Makena Andrews expressed the desire for a renewed vision, with operation as a purpose-driven company.  For her New Media Practicum at Rowan University, she proposed the creation of a blog and forum dedicated to female-centric creators, with an emphasis on film and TV.   

Women In TV & Film – New Media Practicum Proposal [Submitted]

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, Women In TV & Film

We need film more than ever!  Film connects people through the art of storytelling.  Much of what we see in film has roots in our backgrounds, upbringing, demographic area, socioeconomic status, cultural norms and gender.  The film industry cannot be a monolithic arena and expect to be relevant with diverse communities.  Film has to serve our communities, and reflect it.  For my New Media Practicum project, I will create a forum for diversity and inclusion in film.  Read my full submitted proposal here, and view the associated presentation here.

There is value in each of our experiences; women need to find our own voices, control the narrative and take ownership of our portrayal in film.

Happy Anniversary BibbyFame Digital! | Reflection & Expansion

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in business

TIME – CERTAINLY – FLIES.  BibbyFame Digital is a boutique photo and video production company that was started in February 2017.  During that month, I produced a comedic short named “How to Watch.”  It was completed on a shoestring budget; I conceptualized and wrote it, handled casting, location scouting, shot some scenes with an iPhone, others with a DSLR, edited in Final Cut and presented the project to my Digital Video Editing and Multimedia Imaging class at Union County College.  For me, this course was a game changer purely for CONFIDENCE reasons.  Prior, my focus was solely on securing a job and finding a place on someone’s set.  Afterward, I embraced my skill-set and was comfortable in my ability to take a project from concept to completion.

Since then, I have been blessed to work with numerous clients for both photography and video production; all while developing my film concepts, furthering my education and taking advantage of internship opportunities, freelance gigs and flex-schedule jobs in creative services.  This website was created one year ago, primarily to build a presence that didn’t rely solely on word-of-mouth marketing and social media. 

Over the next year, there is a lot in store for BibbyFame Digital:

  • Provide the company with its own socials, branding and identity (that isn’t merely an extension of the company owner).
  • Seek volunteers and an intern to assist on-location with set-up, lighting, BTS shooting and socials.
  • Update the website to list service offerings, service areas and availability.
  • Add secondary blog to this website dedicated to female-centric creators with an emphasis on film.

These are exciting times and I am excited for what’s in store.  I appreciate you and THANK YOU for your continued support and patronage.

2018 Recap – The Art of Sales for Creatives

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in business

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season. I wish you all a successful, healthy and prosperous 2019.

In recent weeks, I’ve been going through my interview footage to create a supplemental reel.  I filmed a lot of interviews and documentary-style videos, however, I never include it in my reel because I don’t want to blend it with narrative works.  This is just my preference … I like a cohesive reel with comparable footage.

Nonetheless, I came across one of the videos I completed over the summer for Jill Lotenberg.  I provided her with the footage and won’t repost the interview here but it was an interview with Ryan Serhant from Million Dollar Listing: New York which airs on Bravo.  He is a famous real estate agent, also an actor and producer.  This interview had so many business gems with the art of sales, and how this can be beneficial for creatives. 

As creatives, we work on building and strengthening our craft, expanding offerings and further skill development.  With 2019 on the horizon, I also plan to put my best business foot forward.   I figured I’d share some of the golden nuggets here, both for myself and for the benefit of others since “sales are sales” and this information is easily transferrable and applicable to various industries.

Ryan Serhant pitched Bravo at least 50 different shows, some of which admittedly weren’t that great, but he continued to try.  You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!

  • Be consistent, never give up, refine your strategy
  • Reach out, “put it out there” – send personal emails and constant reminders
  • Create industry list, maintain contact, offer incentives, adjust rates as needed
  • Use networking, email solicitation, advertising, social media

Serhant opened up the discussion by stressing the importance of creating a niche and finding what works for YOU. 

  • “Look for clues, find your inspiration”
  • “Find what works and milk it, exploit it”
  • Assist with branding, solicit business

Another important item addressed in the interview is GROWTH.  Serhant stated he would not be where he is today if he insisted on doing everything by himself.  He values a strong team and makes a point to hire type-A people who are better than him. 

  • Collaborate, offer opportunities, share responsibilities

Research and planning are also important factors.  Those who “fail to plan, plan to fail.”  Social media activities should be planned out for the week and posted during optimal times based on analytics.  For him, around 2pm on weekdays works best.

DEAN’S LIST: Cheers to the Fall 2018 Semester

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Personal

Winter break is in full swing, grades were finally posted today and YAY, I made the University Scholar list again – Dean’s List, Fall 2018.

This academic achievement feels extra special since this semester was so tough.  With hands-on production courses, all of the REAL work takes place outside of scheduled class hours.  Essentially, it’s a full time job!  But you know me … I was also volunteering, booking freelance projects, taking hours at the portrait studio and I’m also on the Theta Mu chapter’s executive board.  I was “booked and busy” but on top of my game in all respects.