GET TO KNOW US
Our mission and passion has always been to inspire and promote the work of passionate storytellers and artists around the world through cinema, and by providing a platform to celebrate their contributions to the world of film.
It all started when Rent-A-Studio opened back in 2008 as a place to facilitate mentorship and hands-on experience to film students and aspiring filmmakers alike, while also providing film equipment and production services in the process. With approximately 40 students who have completed their mentorship with Rent-A-Studio, we decided to start our first film festival in 2018 to showcase short films produced in-house by the students in the program. And, with the success of our first year, we’ve decided to showcase films produced by filmmakers from around the world for our second annual film festival this year!
Here at PressPlay, we like to approach both our work along with our challenges with the following core values in mind:
DILIGENCE
Hard work pays off, hard work beats talent any day, but if you’re talented and work hard, it’s hard to beat.” – Robert Griffin III
INTEGRITY
“Managers are people who do things right. Leaders are people who do the right thing.” – Warren G. Bennis
HUMILITY
Ask yourself “Is this decision in the best interest of our team or the individual making it? Does it reflect our core values or does it only serve to advance
CONFIDENCE
Limitations live only in our minds. The minute you choose to believe in yourself, the sooner you inspire others to believe in you.
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
Growing up in one of the most underprivileged areas in Nigeria, my parents worked hard to give my siblings and me the best education by sending us to the best school despite our circumstances. Because I’ve witnessed life in both poverty and wealth, it’s caused me to push myself harder in everything I do. It not only fostered the drive I have, today, to succeed, but it also offered me a new perspective on circumstances and opportunity.
Because I was fortunate enough to be given the best education that eventually afforded me the opportunity to pursue my dreams in America, I’ve created our nonprofit Every Story Begins with PressPlay. The mission of our nonprofit is to provide the opportunity and resources for aspiring filmmakers to pursue their career in the world of film regardless of age and/or experience, and despite their circumstances.
Opportunity should be created for those who have a hunger to feed their dreams. Our mission is to provide scholarships and mentor aspiring filmmakers by walking them through each process of filmmaking, to equip them with the necessary tools to help make their vision a reality, and to provide an outlet for those who want to showcase their independently produced films at our annual film festival.
As a nonprofit organization that’s operating by the unwavering passion, dedication, and time of our volunteers, we are proud of the quality of work we achieve now and are excited about the work we are committed to do in the years to come. With your support, we can help make so many dreams come true – together.
Warmest regards,
Tola Olatunji
EVERY STORY BEGINS WITH PRESSPLAY
Our nonprofit, “Every Story Begins with PressPlay”, gives back to the film community by helping those who want to pursue a career in filmmaking, but who may not have the means to do so. That’s where Every Story Begins with PressPlay comes in – it functions as a traditional 501 (c ) (3) nonprofit that works to fulfill those needs. With film equipment and production costs as being high and often unattainable, our nonprofit would provide those resources as well as offer mentorship from experienced filmmakers, screenwriters, directors, and producers that we consider invaluable.
We believe that opportunity should be created for those who have a hunger to feed their passion, and we believe that both our nonprofit organization and our film festival work well together to serve that special purpose – but we can’t do it alone.
We need your partnership to help us execute and deliver those goals. By becoming one of our sponsors, you’ll be able to ensure that aspiring filmmakers of any age or background will be equipped with the right tools, software, on-hands experience and mentorship from our seasoned staff who share a broad range of experience in the filmmaking space. They’ll be able to learn, from beginning to end, what it takes to produce a film, music video, commercial, TV show – anything you can imagine in the area of film.
If you would like to know more about our nonprofit or would like to become an official sponsor, please reach out to our Director of Sponsorships, Kim Lam, by emailing her at: Kim@PressPlayFilmFestival.com
Team Members
Please contact for all inquiries regarding any festival operations, nonprofit inquiries, logistics, and partnerships
Please contact for all inquiries regarding media (social media/PR), event information, and sponsorship opportunities
Please contact for all inquiries regarding Rent-A-Studio operations/bookings
Please contact for all inquiries regarding film submissions, submission waivers, film submission guidelines, and judging panel applications