Stephanie L. Jones
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S. L. Jones – Executive Producer, Writer and Director

Stephanie first began her love affair with movies at the age of six when she began watching Shirley Temple films every Sunday morning. The Little Princess and The Secret Garden, with their lavish set designs and sweet, romantic stories, became her favorites. These wonderful films ignited her curiosity to see more classic films. She became a student of the classic film genre watching the movies of the screen legends: Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Edward G. Robinson, and Spencer Tracy, just to name a few. She would often ask herself when seeing a great camera move or an amazing special effect: How did they do that?

The pivotal moment, which sparked her true desire for filmmaking, occurred when she was eight years old and saw Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve, at the neighborhood theater. The flying title sequence dazzled her and watching Superman in all his splendor affected her very deeply. Looking back on it, Stephanie realizes Superman symbolized to her the goodness of people, their true beauty. Today, her stories always have to, in some way, touch on how to make society, people’s lives better. Even though Stephanie had a fascination with film, she was determined to make a career in business. She attended the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and majored in marketing and entrepreneurial management.

Her experience at Wharton and in the corporate arena gave her the skills needed to produce films. After graduating from Wharton, she was hired by consumer products giant, Procter & Gamble, as a brand manager. After only six months in her first position as Marketing Associate, she was promoted to Assistant Brand Manager and HR representatives were sending new hires to speak with her on how to achieve outstanding results quickly. After working for two years, she left to accept a Marketing Manager position at Invacare Corp, where she managed a $90 million power wheelchair business. While there, she launched three new products and revamped the brands marketing and advertising campaigns, helping the line to increase market share in several key markets. The skills she learned as a Marketing Manager are crucial to her success as both a film producer and director.

Stephanie attended the USC Cinema-Television graduate film production program. After graduating, her film, Gabrielle, which she wrote and directed, won several awards including the 2002 Showtime Filmmaker Showcase, 2001 Best Short – Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, 2002 Best Short – Reel Sisters Film Festival and 2001 Honorable Mention Best Screenplay – Damah Film Festival. The film continues to win fans through the DVD collections distributed by the Spiritual Cinema Circle, the Damah Film Collective, Inspirational Films Project and the Global Film Network. Gabrielle was selected as a finalist for the 2007 BET J Best Short Film Award. In 2003, Stephanie won the 2003-2004 ABC/Disney Fellowship Grant to write the feature film version of Gabrielle. The writing of the feature script has led to the development of several feature film projects. She has also been hired as lead producer on several short films, saving many of them from cancelling principal photography due to poor organization. Stephanie’s passion and love of filmmaking led to the formation of Asili Films.

Stephanie's responsibilities include writing and directing selected properties, deciding which films will go into production and negotiating with all outside entities including investors, distributors, production companies, actors, agents, producers, etc., and overseeing Asili's team. Stephanie will approve all trade, legal and fiscal commitments and obligations.