BraveMaker is founded by Tony Gapastione with monthly film screenings and an audio podcast. Feature Film Collisions premieres starring Jesse Garcia and Izabella Alvarez. Offices are headquartered in San Carlos free for one year thanks to Rescue Air (a fire safety company). Our vision? To educate, entertain and create community with film.

We continue hosting monthly film screenings and have our first summer festival May 31st-June 2nd. Watch the recap video below. We then relocated to offices in Redwood City with Sequoia Church at a very affordable rent. We screened the feature film MISS VIRGINIA directed by Daniel Hanna and starring Niles Fitch who were both in attendance.

In February we premiered Burden, a film starring Garret Hedlund and Forrest Whittaker produced by Robbie Brenner (who will go on to produce Barbie and run Mattel’s production company.) Because of the pandemic, we are forced online and our streaming show/live podcast is birthed.

During shelter in place founder Tony Gapastione writes and produces our first feature film: Last Chance Charlene. Our festival continues with online screenings June 5-30th.

We are able to be in person for our summer film fest and Premia becomes our presenting sponsor. Winners: Eli Vasquez, Shruti, and Felipe Barandiaran). Screenwriter/showrunner Jeffrey Lieber is our VIP guest of honor. We premiere Last Chance Charlene.

Prince Street Partners becomes our presenting sponsor and commits five years of seed grants for our pitch contest. BraveMaker Academy Acting school began, training actors by writing and producing original short films four times a year. Actor Lodric Collins is our VIP guest. We celebrated five years for educating, entertaining and creating community with film.

BraveMaker takes ten people to Sundance for inspiration and film scouting. We make four short films with our BraveMaker Academy. BraveMaker Impact Honors are created and awarded to Avril Speaks (producer) Ken Whittingham (director), Leah Knauer (comedian), Nadine Crocker (writer/director), Olivia Allen (actress/podcaster) and Lauren Wells (screenwriter). Sundance double award winning feature film documentary Daughters, premieres on our opening night. We celebrate 250 podcasts. Partners included Shot Deck.

October we start monthly meet-ups in Los Angeles to build community with our film fest filmmakers and makers craving authentic relationships.

BraveMaker takes twenty-five people to Sundance for inspiration, parties and film scouting.

April: We relocated offices due to loss of lease (new owners of building). Where? We don’t quite know yet.

We spend the summer in the new, short term art space called the Center for Creativity in downtown Redwood City

July 10: Marlee Matlin is our guest of honor and we award her with our first ever: BraveMaker Legend Award.

We celebrate 300 podcasts with a live show at our opening film fest day.

Our monthly events in the Bay and in LA continue.

We travel once again to Sundance for the last festival in Park City, Utah, before they relocate to Boulder, CO.