In Episode 97 of the Charity Charge Show, Stephen talks to John Lux, Executive Director of Film Florida, a not-for-profit entertainment production association for Florida’s film, TV, production & digital media industry.
Stephen and John Lux talk about John’s unique career path, Film Florida’s mission to support the film industry in Florida, and the challenges in showing value to individual members in a large membership based organization.
John has been the Executive Director for Film Florida since June 2016 and manages the day-to-day operations of the organization after spending 20 years working in the industry.
John is responsible for Film Florida operations, marketing, membership recruitment and finance. In addition to his other responsibilities for Film Florida, John is a social media enthusiast and has been handling the Film Florida social media strategy and day to day management of the website since 2014.
In previous roles John has been responsible for operations, finance and marketing positions including day-to-day operations (including all project proposals and budgets), finance (POs, APs, ARs, cash flow planning, etc.), and marketing strategies (social media, award submissions, press releases, communication with media, etc.).
John started in operations for the Walt Disney Company and helped Orlando-based IDEAS transition from Disney to an independent corporation and was instrumental in the transformation and growth of the company for 18 years.
After graduating from Purdue University, John worked in the live entertainment industry managing a staff of 300+ for an outdoor music and entertainment venue in the Chicago area before moving to Florida to join Disney where he received Disney’s rare and highly respected Partners In Excellence award.
His strong Chicago roots are reflected in his undying passion for college football, especially his alma mater, the Purdue Boilermakers and his home town teams, Blackhawks, Bears, Bulls, White Sox, Cubs and Northwestern University.
John Lux on providing value to members of Film Florida:
I always want to show our members that we’re adding value.
Sometimes that can be very difficult, because when you have an entire organization made up of people that are paying membership dues, to show each individual member value that makes them want to renew their membership each year can be a challenge, because it’s very hard to touch each one of those members individually to make sure that they see the value in what the organization is doing.
I think there’s a balance of, doing enough things on the big scale, that individual members will look at and say, “Well, that might not directly impact me. But I see that they’re working very hard to help the industry as a whole and in turn, that will help me.”
This resonates with some members as opposed to, a member that wants something very tangible out of their membership, so there is a balance we try to hit and sometimes we are more successful than others but that’s all part of learning and growing as an organization.
About Film Florida?
Film Florida is a not-for–profit entertainment production trade association run by volunteer members that represent all sectors of Florida’s film, TV & digital media/tech production industry.
Our members include a who’s who in the Sunshine State’s film and entertainment industry – whether making things happen at a local film commission, representing a labor organization, educating tomorrow’s industry leaders, laboring behind the camera, developing the next great video game or app, providing equipment or working behind the scenes as the glue that keeps a project together.
Film Florida values leadership, collaboration, diversity, courage and informed action and has a mission to provide a true focal point for Florida’s entertainment production industry, enabling the implementation of powerful economic policy, effective worldwide marketing, positive economic impact, and professional standards of excellence.
Film Florida’s vision is to help create and maintain a sustainable, professional and productive entertainment production industry in Florida with an international reputation for excellence.
Diversity and Inclusion
Film Florida is committed to cultivating an industry that is inclusive and provides equal opportunities to all members of the industry without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.
The organization is committed to nurturing a culture of greater respect, inclusivity, empathy, and transparency by listening to those with different experiences and backgrounds. The strength of our organization and our industry is in our diversity.
