San José Is Not For Sale

We are excited to officially introduce to you the creative community project we have been diligently working on since April 2021. It all started with the FIRM Podcast, where host and #SJNFS director, Michael Cabana, sits with BIPOC San José entrepreneurs and creatives to share their come-up stories. The stories of our community members who bet on themselves and are now making a living off of their passions were moving and inspired Mike to film a documentary that truly represents the city. 

San José Is Not For Sale: A Community Project will display a combination of storytelling, cinematography, inspiration, and the talents cultivated in the city. This project will share the stories of BIPOC San José entrepreneurs and artists and will be 100% curated by San José creatives. It’s only right.

Entrepreneurship, art, and community is the soul of San José and that can’t be bought. As the city faces a global pandemic and the fearsome topic of gentrification, we can all use some inspiration to get through this trying time. This community project will embody resilience, culture, and passion for a city that is rapidly changing. We would like to shed light on these members, as well as uplift our communities to advance San José’s rich, cultural history. Our aim is to visually archive and preserve people, places and spaces. 

Our hope is that with the support of our community and other local entities, our story can inspire other filmmakers, entrepreneurs, and artists of color to continue to use their passion to create meaningful content. We believe San José Is Not For Sale can serve as a tool that will assist San José residents, both old and new, in understanding the historical context of the city as well as inspire deeper dialogue and a commitment to innovation and community engagement. Although our aim is that the movie will be watched by entrepreneurs and artists young and old, we hope that city leaders, San José Public Schools, and all of San José’s community members will benefit.

So, what exactly have we been up to this year? Beyond building our storyline, we’ve been filming of course. We are so thankful for all the individuals in our community who have supported our vision and allowed us to interview them and shared their unique stories. Here are some behind the scenes shots of our sets at a few local businesses:

We’ve also filmed several community events over the summer. We’ll share more of our work in upcoming posts.

We couldn’t do this without the support of our community and appreciate everyone who has showed up for us already. We hope you continue to follow along with us on this journey.

Special thanks to all the local organizations, artists, and businesses that we have partnered with thus far. We still have a lot of work to do and are excited to collaborate with more of you in the near future.

- #SJNFS Team