Stacy Codikow: President and CEO, POWER UP “Challenging Perception Through Film”—that’s the mantra of Professional Women in Entertainment Reaching Up (POWER UP), founded by Stacy Codikow 11 years ago in Los Angeles. As the CEO of the only nonprofit educational organization that is a “teaching” film production company for women in showbiz, Codikow has blazed the path for successful feature films with lesbian themes, including D.E.B.S. and Itty Bitty Titty Committee. Recognizing that evolution begets success, the group’s famed annual “10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz” list went co-ed in 2009. Codikow has been honored by the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center for her contributions in the entertainment industry for the LGBT community and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has recognized POWER UP with its Leadership Award. Even with the accolades, Codikow’s focus remains fixed on helping young filmmakers hone their craft and advance their careers. “By far the most rewarding aspect of my work is creating and teaching future filmmakers through the POWER UP Filmmaking Mentorship Program. People come from all over the world to participate. On the GIRLTRASH: All Night Long set, POWER UP had 40 Mentees, some of whom came in from Singapore, Australia, Utah, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco,” Codikow tells GO. The program provides its graduates with the “opportunity of a lifetime: to succeed, to learn and to gain access to the most exciting industry in the world: Showbiz.”
What Do You Think?