Wells Fargo, Leslie Odom, Jr. Celebrate Diverse Small Businesses in “We Made a Way” Short Film Series
August 17 2021 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Four up-and-coming filmmakers shine a spotlight on the grit
and resiliency of small businesses since the start of the pandemic,
with a series of short films to raise awareness of the resources
available to entrepreneurs who still need support
Wells Fargo is collaborating with award-winning actor and singer
Leslie Odom, Jr. to present the “We Made a Way” Summer Short Film
Series, featuring four films that shine a spotlight on the
resiliency of racially and ethnically diverse small business owners
during the pandemic. The four featured businesses — Le Printemps, a
floral shop in Washington, D.C.; Tay Ho, a Vietnamese restaurant in
Oakland, California; Gibson School of Music and Arts, an artistic
learning center in Philadelphia; and Dulan’s, a Los Angeles-based
soul food eatery — represent the millions of small businesses that
had to pivot in order to survive one of the largest economic
downturns in history. The series of short films premieres today,
now streaming at www.wellsfargo.com/together.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005696/en/
(Wells Fargo photo): Gibson School of
Music and Arts
“I’ve seen firsthand the impact that small businesses have made
on helping local communities this past year. I’m thrilled to
collaborate with Wells Fargo to share the stories, made by four
diverse filmmakers, of some exceptional small business owners who
made their way through the pandemic with passion, resiliency, and
dedication — and to help other business owners connect with
resources and information to help them not only survive, but
thrive,” said Leslie Odom, Jr.
The “We Made a Way” Summer Short Film Series is part of Wells
Fargo’s continued commitment to offer small business owners access
to resources — including financial grants and loans available from
nonprofits and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
via the Open for Business Fund. The fund is a roughly $420 million
small business recovery effort including racially and ethnically
diverse entrepreneurs hardest hit by the pandemic.
Diverse voices in film meet diverse small business
stories
The pandemic forced Tay Ho owner Denise Huynh to pivot her
business model quickly, yet she still gave back to her local
community during these tough times. Filmmaker Rafael Gomez, of
Diptongo Media Group, captured the story. “I was inspired by the
unique anecdotes and magical moments that propelled Tay Ho through
challenging times,” said Gomez. “Denise did it all and had an
unwavering commitment to frontline workers.”
After a Pennsylvania statewide shutdown in March 2020, Gibson
School of Music and Arts owners Randy and Wilhemina Gibson were
forced to close their doors for the first time in over two decades.
The Gibsons worked tirelessly to implement safety protocols and
recently welcomed back students for the first time in months.
Filmmaker Vanessa Briceño-Scherzer of Bowstring Studios shared,
“Businesses in music and the arts were hard hit during the
pandemic, so we were very excited to help tell the story of a music
school that has been an institution in Philadelphia for more than
25 years, and how the owners rallied to continue to serve their
community.”
When the pandemic hit, Dulan’s, a soul food eatery owned by Greg
Dulan, quickly added food trucks and a commitment to feed those in
need to its menu, serving up to 1,500 meals in just one evening.
Already a fan of the restaurant, independent filmmaker Marcus J.
Thomas shared, “I was honored to capture Dulan’s story. Before I
even signed onto this project, I had eaten multiple times at
Dulan’s and I knew firsthand how important the restaurant is to the
LA Crenshaw community.”
Le Printemps business owner Suha Kaidbey went from working for
hotels, politicians, and celebrities to a dramatic decline in
business due to the pandemic. Filmmaker Andres Paredes Arroyo
Martinez of POGI Studio shared, “I’m excited to share an amazing
comeback story from a flower shop in D.C. that survived through
resilience and commitment, but most importantly, through a truly
inspiring mother and daughter relationship.”
The “We Made a Way” Summer Short Film Series presented by Wells
Fargo is part of the company’s “We Made a Way. Together.” campaign,
focused on helping entrepreneurs connect to resources and learn
from peers about new ways to evolve their businesses. Each short
film was produced by a small business for the small business
community, aiming to inspire other owners to stay open and support
each other.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial
services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets and
proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of
all middle market companies and small businesses in the U.S. We
provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage
products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance,
through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking
and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking,
and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 30
on Fortune’s 2020 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In
the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on
building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting
housing affordability, small business growth, financial health and
a low-carbon economy. News, insights and perspectives from Wells
Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.
Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com |
Twitter: @WellsFargo.
News Release Category: WF-SB
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005696/en/
Media Amanda Howard 617-833-9167
amanda.howard@ketchum.com
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