Stephanie Allain

Stephanie Allain’s not your average behind-the-scenes Hollywood type. She’s the force that gave us some of the freshest, boldest films out there—especially if you care about voices that actually sound like real people, not just another cookie-cutter script. Homegrown Pictures? Yeah, that’s her baby. She kicked it off back in 2003, and since then, her fingerprints are all over movies like Hustle & Flow (that one nabbed an Oscar, remember?), Something New, Beyond the Lights, Dear White People... the list just keeps rolling. She doesn’t just stick to movies, either—she’s made her mark in TV with projects like Dear White People (again, but the series this time) and Life-Size 2. From 2011 to 2016, she basically flipped the script on the LA Film Festival. Instead of being another run-of-the-mill festival, she brought in a crazy amount of diversity—artists you actually want to see, and crowds that looked like the real world, not just a bunch of industry insiders. She’s not just stacking up producing credits either—she’s in the Academy (you know, the Oscars folks), plus the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, and the Dramatists Guild. She’s on the board for Women in Film, helped start ReFrame, and somehow also squeezes in time to teach at USC’s Peter Stark Program. Bottom line: if you’re looking for someone who opens doors for new voices and keeps Hollywood honest, Stephanie Allain’s name better be at the top of your list. She’s out there shaping the culture, not just following it.