Vinca Jarrett '85, Founder and CEO of Filmpro, Blends Creativity and Finance
Vinca Jarrett '85 started out as an Environmental Litigator working against large companies like Exxon and Texaco. She had always been interested in the entertainment industry and after some time she decided to make a career change and become an Entertainment Attorney. It was from here that she decided to take her experience as an Entertainment Attorney and use it to start her own company called Filmpro Finance LLC. Filmpro Finance, founded in Boston in 2001, is a financial consulting service that connects A list film producers like Cosmic Entertainment, APG, and Icon with large investors such as Focus Films, Magnolia Financing, and Price Water House Coopers to help fund production. Full story...
Filmpro is now working with Focus Films, a UK based company. Vinca is consulting them on the best way to make and sell films in the United States and speaking with Price Water House Coopers about being a potential investor. Deals between producers and investors are in the 250 million dollar range and take years to complete, but Vinca hopes to be in the middle of this deal with Price Water House Coopers and managing the funds in the near future.
Besides working at Filmpro, Vinca has traveled around the world giving speeches at conferences where she taught producers how to sell their films and how to network with investors. She had so much success giving the speeches that she had to open a subsidiary in Los Angeles. Filmpro Finance Events and Conferences coordinates, organizes, moderates, and hires appropriate speakers for events for the entertainment industry. These seminars about film finance issues can last anywhere from two hours to two plus days. Vinca has organized events like these at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, and Turks and Caicos Film International Festival.
Vinca is also a Chairperson of the Boston Bar Association's Arts and Entertainment Committee; raised money for the Coolidge Corner Theater; and is a patron of the Boston Underground Film Festival and Woods Hole Film Festival, just to name a few other accomplishments. To say she is extremely involved in the financial film community is an understatement. Having no background in business, Vinca has done a tremendous job for herself and most importantly she loves what she does. She believes that most important thing that anyone can do for their career is to pursue what you want to do and the success and happiness will follow.