Today we’d like to introduce you to Janeen Sara.
Hi Janeen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve lived in St. Augustine all my life. I’ve always been interested in the arts and majored at Flagler in Communications / Broadcasting. I applied for an internship at the newly established Universal Studios Production in Orlando during my senior year. There were only two spots in the entire country. I got one of them. That internship catapulted me into a career in production for over a decade in Central Florida. After I had children, my husband Matthew and I settled in St. Augustine again to raise our family. It didn’t take long for me to want to work again, and I opened a cupcake shop in St. Augustine called LuLi’s Cupcakes. It won the best dessert and bakery in St. Johns for 8 years. I owned it. When you work in the arts, you must know how to hustle. You have to have some entrepreneurial spirit and cannot be easily deterred. So in that spirit, after I sold my cupcake shop, I decided to get back into production.
I worked in the Jacksonville area for a few years and became the branch chair of Women in Film and Television (WIFT). During my first month as the chair, Covid hit, and we went remote for two years. That was a challenging time to create and grow a WIFT branch. But today, our branch is thriving, is the second largest in the state, and has partnered with UNF, JU, Douglas Anderson, and Flagler College. I am also leading the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Young Filmmakers Competition and have my own business as an art dealer specializing in 19th-century and contemporary art. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to surround myself with everything I have passion for. I am fortunate that I can do so and hope to continue for many years.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I started working in production, I had to let go of some naivety about what I thought film and video would be like. It was different than the glitz and glamour you see. It was a lot of grunt work and faking it till you made it. Often, you were treated like a pion and knew there were 100 other people to take your place if you failed. It made me more challenging and more resilient. When I opened my cupcake shop, many people said I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have a business degree or baking experience. But working for yourself in production made me more confident and stubborn. The business was successful from day one because I never believed it could be otherwise.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I have been known for owning a successful cupcake shop for years. But now, I am probably known for building an incredible program with Women in Film and Television in Jacksonville. I have met many amazing people and businesses and hope to be part of film growth in our area. I also freelanced in video and film production for years, but I now focus on my work with WIFT, JASNA, and screenplay writing. I am also an art dealer, but for me, that part of my life is nothing but fun. I love discovering new art and could look at paintings all day!
What does success mean to you?
I define success as being able to surround yourself with things you love and making a living at doing something that incorporates that.
Contact Info:
- Website: lilusartandantiques.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087831860925
