By Scotty Stieber

How do you utilize your past experiences while still pushing yourself to learn something new?

Betsy Steinberg, who stopped by to speak with MSLCE students in Professor Dan Gruber’s Business Models in Creative Enterprises class, found herself asking this question when transitioning from her vital position as Managing Director with the Illinois Film Office to her current role as Executive Director for Kartemquin Films, a not-for-profit documentary production company based in Chicago.

As a mission-driven company, Kartemquin is a full media arts organization that prides itself on staying true to its core values and motivations where the story always takes center stage. Unlike Steinberg’s eight years with the Illinois Film Office, where her work often revolved around the state’s economic and political landscape, she is free to explore her creative passions to provide a voice to the stories that might otherwise go unheard. The people at Kartemquin understand how difficult it can be to find an appropriate balance between funding their documentaries and fulfilling their basic mission. (more…)