History

“I try to betray theater everyday”

Strong Branch Productions is a media production company. This you know. But what makes us different from every other production company? Well, I’ll tell you. It all started with a phone call to one of my professors soon after I had graduated. I told him that I was feeling guilty that I had studied live theater in college for four years, and now that quarantine had hit and everyone was doing remote shows, I was really beginning to wonder if live performance was even what I wanted to do anymore. I told him, “I feel like I’m betraying theater.” And he responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “I sure hope you are. I try to betray theater every day.”

So here we are, doing just that, trying to find new and innovative ways to break theater. Whether that’s in the form of a podcast or a game or a web series, we’re looking to make media that makes you say, “Hey! I’ve never seen that before.” 

But you have another question, I can just tell. Why the name? What does that? That, too, has an answer. “Strong Branch” is the English translation of my grandmother’s family name, Branciforte. Jessie Branciforte, the woman who gave birth to the woman who gave birth to me (Alex), is the most badass person I know. She helped raise me, so I was lucky enough to grow up with not two but three parents. My grandmother is the kind of person who never stops moving, like a shark that loves Hallmark movies. She is always working on some new project, whether it’s learning French or reading a new book series or making her way through a crossword puzzle book or learning tai chi or playing mahjong. And not because she thinks she has to– because she knows that life is more fun when you’re learning and creating. That’s a lesson that she taught me from a young age, and I truly believe that I have her to thank for all the passion I have for the work that I do. My grandmother taught me that the best approach to life is the one where you say, “fuck it. New project.” 

So I named this production company after her to carry on the family legacy of being a bad bitch. 

For more information about the company’s values, check out the Strong Branch Productions Manifesto.