Jennifer Vargas

Jennifer Josefina Vargas was born at Keiser Permanente on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, California. She is an independent filmmaker and behind the scenes photographer in Orlando, Florida. Moving from Los Angeles at an early age to Orlando, Florida, Vargas has always had a creative eye for images, a vivid imagination, and a passion for entertaining. Her earliest creative effort came in the form of a short play called, "Little Red Riding Bear," which was written, directed and performed by Vargas during her school's morning announcements when she was only 9 years old. Having been in Drama Club from kindergarten through high school, Vargas wanted to tell stories. She began writing scripts and piecing together musical shorts for middle and high school class assignments using footage from her favorite movies and television shows. Vargas credits her longtime association with Central Florida independent art house movie theater, Enzian Theater, and over ten years of volunteering at the Florida Film Festival as the precipitating factor in her eventually attending and graduating film school in 2006. After graduation, Vargas and fellow film school graduates kept honing their film making skills by making short films, music videos, commercials and other digital content. She also became an early adopter of and social media, tech, and what is now known as blogging. Technology has always been on Vargas's radar. In 2013, Google selected Vargas (one of a handful of Floridans) to be a Google Glass beta tester, (aka "Explorer'). As an online early adopter and social influencer, she has been honored both nationally and internationally; CBS Interactive's TechRepublic listed her as a Tech Hero alongside the likes of Amy Parnell from LinkedIn and Sheryl Sandberg from Facebook. The Shorty Awards, known as the 'Oscars of Social Media,' selected her as a finalist over thousands of entrants from around the world for their #KeepGoodGoing (social good) category. Vargas serves on Orlando Economic Partnership's Orlando Tech Council. Locally, Vargas was handpicked by Orange County Florida Mayor Teresa Jacobs' to be one of the County's original Social Media and Technology Ambassadors, and the City of Orlando has dubbed her Orlando's 'Glassbassador' for her use of Google Glass in the community. Orlando Sentinel named Vargas as one of their 'Central Florida 100' most influential Central Floridians, while Orlando Business Journal has recognized Jen as one of the area's Most Influential Twitter Accounts. She proudly serves her community on Orange County Florida's Disability Advisory Board, as well as on the Veterans Subcommittee. Along with her own popular online following, Vargas has helped local organizations and area non-profits with their social media including; The Maker Effect Foundation, Orlando Maker Faire, MakerFx Makerspace, Taste of Central Florida which benefits Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Central Florida Homeless Coalition, The Schwartz Tech Awards, Women in Film and Television Florida, Film Florida, Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, Orlando Economic Development Commission, American Cancer Society of Central Florida, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Orlando, Relay For Life of Hunter's Creek, and American Cancer Society's R.O.C.K. Camp. While many productions to date have been produced by Vargas's Purple Bunny Productions, she was itching to direct her own project, something closer to her heart; a documentary for the American Cancer Society. Having lost many family members and friends to cancer, Vargas has been a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society and its signature events "Relay For Life" and "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer." Her Relay For Life documentary short started out as an idea for a commercial to motivate others to get involved. Vargas's first on-screen directorial effort, "Relay For Life: St. Cloud," was filmed in April of 2007 during the 3rd Annual Relay For Life event in Saint Cloud, Florida. Vargas continues to support creatives in Florida. She is voting member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Suncoast Chapter, and is an active Board Member alternate of Film Florida, which provides a leadership role in Florida's Film, Television, and Digital Media industries. Vargas serves as part of Film Florida's Industry & Association Council and Marketing & Communications Committee. She also serves on Valencia College's Digital Media Advisory Board, Orlando NPR affiliate WMFE 90.7's Community Advisory Board, and is a member of the Florida Cultural Alliance. Vargas is also a lifetime member of the International Thespian Society. An open collaborator, Vargas collaborates often with local creative company, Creative Inlet Films, on short film projects specifically for the 48 Hour Film Project, and has won Best City Film multiple times. She is the current host and producer of FilmSlam, 16 year old Florida independent filmmaker screening series, whose new home is at the Orlando Museum of Art.