Movie Stars and Startups

As Louisiana tries to grow its workforce we hear a lot about the
energy industry, healthcare, and the food and hospitality sectors
for which the state is so well known. Today we’re visiting with
two guests who are creating opportunities in two other areas –
tech startups and film acting - helping budding entrepreneurs and
aspiring actors create companies and film careers. It might not
sound like these pursuits have much in common. You might be
surprised.


Stephen Loy is Executive Director of Nexus Louisiana, parent
company of the Louisiana Tech Park, which is located in the old
Bon Marche shopping center on Florida Boulevard. The tech park
was created more than 20 years ago to drive economic development
and job creation by providing tech startups with resources to
bring their products and services to market faster and more
effectively.


Stephen has been executive director of the tech park since 2011
and has been with the organization since 2004, when he was hired
as their Director of Communications. Today he oversees day to day
operations, develops strategies to attract early stage companies,
and manages one of Nexus' signature programs : Tech Park
Academy. 


While Nexus Louisiana is growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem,
Jency Hogan is helping to grow the local cultural economy through
the drama school she and her husband, Aaron Hogan, founded and
run. It’s called Love Acting and it’s specifically focuses on
teaching film acting, as opposed to stage acting. The Hogans are
both professional actors, who founded the school on returning to
Jency’s native Baton Rouge after eight years in Los Angeles.
Jency has produced short films, co-directed a western epic, was
on the producer team of a biopic directed by Ethan Hawke, and is
currently a recurring character named Vera Minder on the TNT hit
Claws.


Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the
Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Analise Gonzalez
 at itsbatonrouge.la.


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