The Honey’s Are Soaring to New Heights with CEA Award Win!!!

Filmmakers Erika Edwards and Kristi Ray are the cofounders of award wining Honey Head Films, a female owned film production company in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Genesis Block is proud to announce that Honey Head Films is the recipient of the 2022 Coastal Entrepreneur Award in the film category. The dynamic duo are receiving yet another accolade to add to several awards and recognition the company received in 2021.

The Coastal Entrepreneur Awards recognizes up-and-coming ventures in the Wilmington region as well as established companies that keep innovating. The CEA’s are a joint effort of UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Greater Wilmington Business Journal to shine a spotlight on entrepreneurs in the Cape Fear region. The winners will be featured in a special issue of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and honored at an awards ceremony on May 24th at UNCW’s Burney Center.

Honey Head has a radically inclusive company culture which has opened unconventional doors as the company continues to build the region’s first female-led independent film studio

We had the opportunity to catch up with the 2022 Coastal Entrepreneur award winners.

GB: What a journey for Honey Head Films and what an honor to receive the 2022 Coastal Entrepreneur Award, what would you like to share?

Honey’s: It feels incredible to be fully embraced by the Wilmington Business Community and recognized for our mission-driven high growth. As Demo Day winners at Genesis Block, WILMA’s Women to Watch Winners, Cape Fear CREW Nominees and now CEA Winners — we are extremely passionate about “lifting while climbing” and keeping the gate open for women in film who come up after us.

GB: Is there anything we should be on the lookout for in 2022?

Honey’s: Honey Head is now the parent company to two other business ventures, most recently — our Female Filmmaker Summer Camp: Shoot Like A Girl, LLC. (shootlikeagirl.info). This year our brand is expanding to further our impact, feed into the ecosystem of developing and recruiting rising talent in the film industry while continuing to focus on our scaling model. We move into principal photography for our feature film A Song For Imogene next month after a successful seed financing round and securing adequate capital from prolific Wilmington investors partnering with Honey Head in pioneering independent film financing in our region.

Honey Head Films founders, Kristi Ray and Erika Edwards, launched the film production company in 2016, inspired by a vision to empower female filmmakers and level the playing field for underrepresented stories.

GB: What advice would you give to local entrepreneurs working on growing their business?

Honey’s: Feed the focus, starve the distraction. This was the biggest takeaway from our mentor, Girard during our business accelerator at GB. Carving time each week to work on your business, not in it. And prioritize your networking. Tracey is the queen bee when it comes to working the room. We’re lucky to live in a small city and the business community is even smaller. Getting the word out about developments and milestones, sending out press releases, activating your community to champion your work and keep up with the buzz in your business is crucial to high growth at an early stage. Celebrate the wins, however big or small.

Congratulations to Honey Head Films!

For all the latest on Genesis Block companies, follow us on these platforms.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/genesisblockilm

Twitter https://twitter.com/block_ilm

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/genesis-block-ilm

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/genesisblockilm

Medium: https://genesisblkilm.medium.com/

Greater Wilmington Business Journal: https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/insights/girardnewkirk/237