Women are an intrinsic part of Fort Collins Entrepreneur ecosystem
Women are an intrinsic part of Fort Collins Entrepreneur ecosystem. Women of film and media are helping to shape an active, creative arts community. Get to know three women who strengthen the voice of the media: Dawn Duncan, Windy Borman, and Julie Sutter.
Dawn Duncan
CEO, Yellowbright, Inc.
Fort Collins, Colorado
Speaking on: Your Creative Advantage, Tuesday, February 28 @ 4:30pm
Dawn Duncan is an entrepreneur, published writer, celebrated speaker, and music industry executive. She is the founder and CEO of Yellowbright, Inc., an agency dedicated to consulting the “creative class,” and works with individuals, groups, and companies to take them to the next level of professional growth. She has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, writers, and designers, including in her former career life of owning two boutique executive search and training firms (Creative Career Connections, Broadreach Recruiting and Consulting). Additionally, she is the founder and CEO of Sugarfox Records, an indie label founded in 2014 that was designed to co-brand between companies and bands as a way of cross-marketing and also funding album recording and promotion.
In 2015, she assumed the role of Managing Editor of Scene Magazine, a 28-year old music, nightlife, entertainment, and lifestyle publication for the Front Range of Colorado.
She has been a Fort Collins resident and entrepreneur since moving to Colorado in 1994 from Minnesota and is a graduate of the University of North Dakota. During her 22 years in Fort Collins, she has served on numerous non-profit boards of directors, co-founded Emerge Colorado Young Professionals Networking Club, co-founded the first alumnae chapter of Delta Gamma for Northern Colorado (of which she serves currently as Chapter President), and is a Charter Member of WomenGive, a division of the United Way of Larimer County. Dawn and her husband, Michael, reside in Old Town and love the recreational lifestyle of Colorado, the music scene, and our thriving entrepreneurship-based community.
I love the mountains, our active community, how dog-friendly FoCo is, and the weather! Being from N. Minnesota, this is quite a refreshing change in winter. I love to cross-country ski, snowshoe, and be outside, in addition to going to shows.
I hope I can inspire people to feel good about their creative gifts and use these talents to become strong entrepreneurs who are successful.
Be really open to new ways of thinking, look for inspiration, and trust your gut. You’ll meet a lot of people and hear loads of advice, but not everyone or everything is right for you. Figure out what you need BEFORE you come and you’ll find answers a lot faster and more easily. Have fun with this as it’s designed to motivate you and also provide a glimpse into the fun side of business.
I’d like to meet a lot more creative entrepreneurs like myself, in order to do collaboration, projects, and brainstorming. Of course, it’s great to meet people who can become clients, too, but I am mainly focused on just networking with like-minded individuals.
My vision is that in 5-10-+++ years Fort Collins will be even more of an entrepreneurial powerhouse than it is today. I want our city to be known as a fun, collaborative, intelligent community that makes it easy for people to start businesses. We will offer the right resources, connections, and education tracks for people to really gain their footing and know how to navigate the world of business.
Windy Borman
Board Chair, Women in Film and Media Colorado
Colorado
Speaking on: Fine Art Film: Video and Film-making in Colorado, Friday, March 3 @ 3:00pm
Windy Borman, MST is a multi-award-winning director and producer, as well the founder of DVA Productions. She is currently the Executive Producer and Director of the groundbreaking documentary, “Mary Janes: The Women of Weed”. Prior successes include directing and producing the 10-time award-winning documentary, “The Eyes of Thailand”, narrated by Ashley Judd; and producing “The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia”, which premiered at Sundance and on HBO.
I asked the Universe for a sign and she gave me a rainbow. I accepted the job offer and moved 2 weeks later.
I hope people are given some tools to produce film and media in Colorado and beyond.
I’d like to encourage female attendees to join Women in Film and Media Colorado (WIFMCO). We are dedicated to the advancement of all women working in the film, television, multi-media, web and video game industries in Colorado. Through educational panels, networking events, a newsletter, contests and more, we hope to connect, empower, educate and support all female mediamakers and help to elevate the Colorado media industry overall.
Julie Sutter
Owner, Unconventional Ink
Fort Collins, Colorado
Speaking on: How Coworking Can Save You From Destitution with Angel Kwiatkowski • Sara Durnil • Logan Hale • Julie Sutter • Aaron Todd, Monday, February 27 @ 9:00am
and: Sourcing and Valuing Local Marketing Creative with Peggy Lyle • Tom Campbell • Jesse Elliott • Logan Hale • Kerrie Luginbill • Kendra Spanjer • Julie Sutter • Paul Wozniak, Tuesday, February 28 @ 1:30pm
Julie Sutter is a: Writer. Reader. Meeter-greeter. Bike liker. Arts and culture advocate. Helicopters, sushi, documentary films, live music, dead poets, public radio, college basketball, kittens, puns and televised awards shows. Not necessarily in that order.
I’m a Colorado native and moved to Fort Collins 13 years ago with the intent of being a little closer to my family. I also got closer to community, and ended up staying in Fort Collins far longer than I ever thought I would — and that makes me happy. As a freelance writer and content creator, I started a business, Unconventional Ink, 6 years ago. Family brought me here. Community keeps me here.
A sense of involvement, inclusion, and inspiration. Entrepreneurship can feel like a lonely bit of business sometimes. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Reach out, introduce yourself (not just to panelists, but to the people around you). Share what you know, which is a lot. If you want to be more involved but you’re not sure you’re invited … you’re invited. I’m inviting you to invite yourself. Find Perspective.
Even more connected as we grow and change, that’s what I’d love to see. Conscious of ethics as technology evolves. Using our collective power for collective good. Never afraid to invite one another out for a cup of coffee or an ice cream sandwich. Or a coffee ice cream sandwich. Yum.