For Lisa Cortés sustainability in her career means producing and directing her own work but continuing to produce other filmmakers – and why not? She is so, so good at it! 

With a career spanning from the iconic Def Jam label to founding the Loose Cannon label, Lisa brings a wealth of experience and insight. Lisa executive produced the Academy Award-winning film Precious (2009). Her productions have earned over 100 international awards, a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence in both documentary and narrative. 

Lisa’s film, Little Richard: I Am Everything (CNN Films) was co-produced by CNN FIlms and HBO Max and executive produced by Rolling Stone Films and Dee Rees and released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures. Little Richard premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, has earned 5 awards & 27 additional nominations, including a Grammy nod for Best Music Film. She produced Invisible Beauty (2023), about Black fashion industry pioneer Bethann Hardison, directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng, which premiered that same year at Sundance, winning multiple awards and is streaming on Hulu. Other director/producer titles include the multi-award-winning, The Space Race (2023) and All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) with Liz Garbus, an Amazon Studios Original Documentary. 

Join us in this one-of-a-kind conversation to glean Lisa’s insights to a sustainable and fulfilling career.