Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ray.
Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was baptized into science fiction with classic movies like: the Alien franchise, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing! Marketing and promoting everything from international sci-fi cult classics like Timecrimes and The Wandering Earth to homegrown cerebral hidden gems like Dark City and Predestination, to culturally diverse shows like The Expanse and Westworld isn’t hard work when you love what you do.
Science fiction has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. The seeds were first planted by my mother who was a huge Star Trek fan and I quickly developed my own insatiable appetite for the genre and turned it into a career. Now I’m the Founder/CEO of the Multicultural Sci-fi Organization and organizer of The Atlanta SCI-FI Film Festival.
While living in NYC in 2013, I joined a sci-fi Meetup group. Although I enjoyed dissecting our favorite sci-fi movies and shows with the guys, I was almost always the only black female at the meetings. After relocating back to Atlanta in 2014, I envisioned a community center where people from all ethnicities, genders and sexualities can come and share their love of the genre. Quickly realizing a physical location would be too arduous for me at the time, the idea turned into the Multicultural Sci-fi Meet-up Group! There weren’t many all inclusive sci-fi groups at the time, so membership grew quickly.
As the science fiction genre grew and small amounts of diversity started trickling in, I noticed a lot of shows and films were not being marketed to people of color, even though there was a large and growing number of us watching them. I also began to understand that science fiction is one of the most powerful tools you can use to help broaden people’s understanding of the past, the present, and how we perceive and conceive of our future! It’s a perfect playground to explore and challenge theories in science, technology, social and political issues and understand who we are as an evolving species. All of this led me to a greater calling, to market and promote diverse science fiction content with representation in the script and on both ends of the camera! At that time, there weren’t enough films and series like this getting greenlit by major studios, so I decided to focus on supporting independent filmmakers by producing The Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival!
Creating a platform where talented filmmakers from around the world can showcase their work on the big screen and encourage more diversity in the genre was the best decision I could make! The Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival is an event where people can see pure creation on screen without constraints from Hollywood execs; to be transported into a future with relatable characters of all genders, sexuality, ethnicity and culture; engaging stories that’s both entertaining and challenge us intellectually! Being the first festival in the country to screen and promote the Afrofuturism film, Crumbs and the first film written by an Artificial Intelligence, Sunspring, was confirmation I was in the right space! Supporting female-directed films like Heartland by Jahmil Eady and Andromeda by Emily Dean, who went on to direct an episode of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots Vol 3, was even more rewarding! Producing the Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival opened doors that would’ve been harder under the then-unknown MCSFO, and I was able to land title sponsorships with companies like IMAX and partnerships with Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media and Communications. The Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival will be returning this Fall 2023! I’m so excited to announce an exciting new lineup of Indigenous sci-fi films and Afrofuturism categories, and our first 48hr Sci-Tech Challenge this year! And we’re still working on a lot of other fun surprises that will be announced on all socials.
In between the annual festivals, I wanted to explore other ways I can market and promote science fiction content. The opportunity came after working with HBO on the film festival when we partnered with them again, but under the newly rebranded Multicultural Sci-fi Organization – MCSFO, on an experiential event for season 2 of Westworld. MCSFO is now a boutique marketing agency that markets and promotes science fiction intellectual property from an international perspective. In a short period of time, I had the pleasure of working with several studios, networks and marketing companies to promote some of the best sci-fi films from: KEN, The Shape of Water, Aquaman, Alien Covenant to the more recent Nope, and the predicted Oscar winning film, Everything Everywhere All At Once!
I love working with the studios and learning about the business from their perspective, but as a sci-fi geek myself, it’s equally as important that MCSFO stays connected to the all-inclusive sci-fi community! Our MCSFO Youtube page is where our followers can enjoy live audience reviews from advance movie screenings, our list of top mind-bending and international sci-fi films to watch, and several podcast shows with movie reviews and interviews with indie filmmakers and producers working on larger projects like Hulu’s PREY!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m so proud and happy to see Atlanta become the Hollywood of the South and production companies continuing to relocate here. I would like to see other aspects of the film industry like marketing and distribution grow here as well. Due to its long filmmaking history, most of these companies are currently still based in LA. Trying to find other industry professionals with experience in marketing films to join our team has been challenging. I totally understand the lure of working for a big network, studio or a well-established agency in LA, and thought about doing so myself! But after years of working in corporate America, I know how challenging it can be to get things done and I needed the freedom to create new marketing strategies that can make a real difference in how science fiction is being marketed to a diverse audience.
Like most small businesses starting out, the amount of sacrifices I’ve had to make for the company over the years and are still making, can be extremely daunting and downright depressing and would force anyone to give it up! Being a woman in a male-dominated industry is hard enough, but being a Black Woman requires a certain amount of gaul and a dash of crazy in order to pull it off! When I first started, someone told me I may be the first African American Woman to head a science fiction genre film festival, possibly putting me into an even smaller group. I just try to stay focused on the goal and enjoy the fruits of my labor along the way. Generating consistent income has been challenging, so like most entrepreneurs, I’m always working on multiple projects and exploring new ways to be of service in the film industry. The pandemic created challenges, but I turned those into opportunities and we started interviewing directors and actors on youtube and created a new line of merchandise on Redbubble!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Multicultural Sci-fi Organization?
While waiting for the other events and aspects of the company to become sustainable, I produced a small children’s film festival called, Kids with S.T.E.A.M. in Atlanta area public schools. This came out of my personal desire to encourage kids to go into the field of STEM and spark interest in filmmaking. Again, using the genre to incorporate all of these elements was perfect. Like with the main film festival, we had to cancel the children’s events due to COVID, but we’re gearing up to bring it back as soon as possible! In addition, I’m currently working on a unique regional film touring event that will work in tandem to support filmmakers and both MCSFO and the Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival.
As the film industry is in constant flux, I’m constantly finding new ways to promote diverse content while staying true to the brand and what we speak, One Language: SCI-FI!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m always looking to cross-promote and collaborate with a company that is compatible. I especially love working with companies to find ways to integrate their product or service into the film festivals or other events. People in this business are always moving and growing, so I like to keep a list of experienced independent contractors that I can call on at any moment when I need: social media manager, graphic designer, content creator, video editor, festival event photographers and event planners. I welcome creative professionals with a passion for the business side of the film industry, as well as freelancers to reach out through my Linkedin profile. We’re also about to launch a new membership program where our sci-fi community can get discounts on festival tickets and invitations to advance screening events, discounts on merch and more! More information will be posted on our FB and IG pages.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atlantascififilmfestival.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlantasci_fifilmfestival
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASCIFFF/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mcsfo
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mcsfo
- Other: https://www.multiculturalscifi.org
Image Credits
Amanda Ray
