There’s an old adage that when life gives you an opportunity, you take it. Or something like that. Regardless, when the chance to speak with our next guest came our way, we said yes immediately. Roxanne Messina Captor has literally done it all and seen it all. Let’s run down the list shall we?
Child performer, Professional Ballet Dancer by age of 12, Broadway musical Performer: Fosse shows, Juilliard Theatre School, and Gene Kelly protégé. Emmy nominated Producer/Director, one of the founding original programming executives for Turner Network Television. Executive Director of the San Francisco International Film Festival and Film Society. Director/Producer of numerous TV movies and independent features. Created and wrote first ever series on a Latin Family, “The Trujillos” for ABC. Numerous Off-Broadway and Regional plays, Shakespeare, musicals and operas as director/choreographer. And let’s not forget she is a protégé of Francis Ford Coppola. Wow is right!
One of California’s most influential cultural leaders, the Emmy-nominated writer, director, and producer has shaped the creative landscape of film, television, and theatre for decades. Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as Chairperson of the California Arts Council, Messina Captor plays a pivotal role in advancing arts policy and ensuring that creativity remains at the heart of California’s identity and economy, including being part of the conversation for the tax incentive for productions in the state.
A tireless advocate for California’s creative workforce, she has worked to expand film tax incentives, serves on the Creative Economy Workforce committee, and is an appointed board member for the California State Summer School for the Arts at CalArts—mentoring and empowering the next generation of artists. From Broadway to Hollywood to global festivals, Messina Captor has elevated California’s cultural presence on the world stage. Her leadership, vision, and passion continue to ensure that the arts thrive as both a powerful storytelling force and an essential driver of the state’s creative economy.
With a lifetime’s worth of incredible stories, chance encounters, accolades/accomplishments and more, it’s hard to know where to begin when chatting with Roxanne. Well, I guess the beginning is as good a place as any. Welcome this titan of stage and screen to the site, and enjoy this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience!
Photo credit – Joy Daunis
Roxanne will be at the Newport Beach Film Festival where she has two films premiering: A Dickens of A Christmas, a narrative film about a lawyer haunted by Christmas memories, and a documentary called Stanley Clarke: Rhythm and Harmony which is an in-depth look at the life and career of four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, composer, and Jazz musician Stanley Clarke as he begins his term as an Artist in Residence at BroadStage in Santa Monica, California.
