Meet Stephanie Lilly Smith | Co-Founder, COO – Creatricity & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Lilly Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The short answer to this question is that I pursued an artistically creative career because my parents gave me the space to explore any and everything creative. Growing up, I played the piano, I danced, I sang, I did theatre and along the way I began helping my instructors put plans together for the recitals and showcases that we did. I was afforded so many opportunities to travel as a result of my artistic choices. By the time I had to make a choice about what I would study in school and later go on to pursue – it was already a matter of fact that I was going to be going after something in the performing arts.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Creatricity is an invitation-only network of the world’s largest collective of diverse entertainment professionals and artists. Our selected members have access to a curated community of high-level Industry peers and exclusive resources. Creatricity is connecting community, culture, and industry. We stand out because as members of the entertainment industry ourselves, we recognize what the largest pain points are and address them head on. We are organically connecting entertainment professionals to create a fully integrated and inclusive industry for all.

This has really been a passion project for my co-founder Cassandra Freeman, and me. In 2020, I joined Cassandra in hosting a gathering for a group of black actresses. The idea was to simply have a celebratory moment with a few of our colleagues that wasn’t in a professional setting. What we learned in the room that day, was that not only were these women amazing actresses, but they were also already building something outside of their primary artistic modality. These women were budding multi-hyphenates and each one of them had a unique insight or resource to share with their fellow colleagues. So as the event drew to a close, Cassandra and I realized, there’s something to this, and while we started with women of color — how much more effective would this be if we all joined in?! The journey to get there was not a straight path, we definitely overcame challenges and learned the power of pivot. We are now in the beta phase of our company and doing a series of invitation-only events to educate folks about what we’re up to and it’s been pretty amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish already. Our official launch will be in the spring of 2023.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Favorite spots in LA: 1 – Gracias Madre in West Hollywood for delicious vegan mexican food and amazing craft cocktails. Their brunch menu is amazing.
2 – BOA also in WeHo, for an amazing steak and girls night or date night out.
3 – The top of Runyon Canyon is one of my favorite places and will remain nostalgic for me as I used to hike it daily when I first moved to LA in 2013.
4 – Malibu Beaches…they’re just so peaceful when you go first thing in the morning.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shoutout is dedicated to my family and my loving husband, Cornelius Smith Jr. It is also dedicated to all the artists and creatives who’ve been told to wait your turn, there isn’t space for you, you can’t ask for that — I’m here to tell you that your time IS now, you DON’T have to wait for anything, there IS space for you and you CAN ask for whatever you need. We are changing the narrative. GO. GET. WHAT’S. YOURS!

Website: creatricity.io

Instagram: @creatricity

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creatricity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creatricityofficial