Today we kick off Season 3 of the 624 Podcast with Lauren Concar! Community & cultural activist, filmmaker, visionary & heroic leader extraordinaire. A producer, director, editor, tireless champion of the arts in New Jersey, fearless leader & Executive Director of the Garden State Film Festival, relentless fundraiser for numerous causes, & recipient of prestigious awards, Lauren’s trove of accomplishments is as big as her heart. Lauren's work has been showcased in major international media outlets such as Variety, Vogue Global Network/Condé Nast, People Magazine, Deadline, IndieWire, ET Canada, News Entertainment and others.As a filmmaker with a long, passionate history in the Television & Film industry, Lauren has written, executive produced, directed & edited award winning content for Bloomberg TV, SAG-AFTRA & other high profile clients. She is a Television Academy Member, New York Women in Film & Television, past president of the Brookdale Alumni Association & serves on the Advisory Council for The Arts for Cardinale Enterprises. She is also the first woman to run Brookdale TV, a channel operated by Brookdale Community College that broadcasts to over 626,351 homes locally. But Lauren wanted to do more. She turned her passion for the arts into a lifelong labor of love through the Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) by providing novice & aspiring filmmakers & others interested in careers in the film business the opportunity to meet & network with industry professionals in an atmosphere conducive to learning and mentoring. GSFF is presented each spring in Asbury Park & Cranford, NJ serving as an added engine for the cities vitality through arts, commerce & culture. Determined to bring equal access to arts programming to New Jersey’s underserved and diverse communities, Lauren created and designed programs that bring the world of art and film directly into the classrooms of underprivileged youth throughout the state through workshops, panel discussions and outreach programs. Each year, proceeds from the festival enable the GSFF to continue its community outreach as well as to expand its educational programs for seniors and current and former military personnel serving in the United States armed forces. Lauren is an advocate of showcasing films worldwide and highlighting work created by women. She is steadfast in her dedication in building communities through video partnerships, empowering youth and communities to tell their own stories. Her unique story and the incredible change she’s helped to facilitate in her community & worldwide is remarkable. Lauren is magnetic, fun-loving, hilarious —& as kind as they come.
