Sarah Rossmann: Paving the Way for Inclusive Storytelling in Film and TV

Sarah Rossmann, the CEO and Founder of A Rebel Artist LLC, is a screenwriter on a mission to dismantle stereotypes in entertainment by creating female-driven, diverse, and inclusive content for film and TV. Inspired by her family’s arthouse movie theater in Germany, she infuses her work with a cinematic allure, attending prestigious film festivals like Cannes and Berlin to gain invaluable insights into the art and business of film. A member of Women in Film and The Gotham Film & Media Institute, Sarah aims to champion historically marginalized voices and drive positive change. 

Embracing the Magic of Creative Storytelling 

From her early years growing up around an independent cinema, Sarah’s love for film and storytelling became an integral part of her identity. “Seeing movies on the big screen in theaters still has a certain magic to it and provides an experience for audiences in the age of streaming, as the recent success of movies like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie shows,” she shares fondly. “In fact, Barbie has become the highest-grossing film to be directed solely by a woman and is expected to break $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue.”  As a co-owner of the family business for the past five years, Sarah has a unique perspective on the entertainment industry’s power to influence culture, which laid the foundation for her journey as a screenwriter. 

After spending over a decade working in social impact, gender, diversity, and inclusion, Sarah felt a longing to return to her roots and explore a more creative role. “I wanted to combine my passion for TV, film, social justice, and women’s rights with creative storytelling to drive meaningful conversations,” she explains.  

Sarah’s commitment to her craft led her to complete professional courses in Film and TV Producing at the New York Film Academy and Marketing Entertainment at UCLA Extension. Equipped with an array of skills, she now approaches her work with an astute business sense and an understanding of the marketing strategies necessary to elevate inclusive content to new heights. 

The world of fiction screenplays beckoned, and though initially daunting, Sarah found herself exhilarated by bringing stories to life on the page. Drawing from her family’s movie theater background, she began envisioning scenes that would captivate audiences on the big screen. This passion led her to establish her production company, A Rebel Artist LLC. 

Championing Diversity and Inclusion in Film and Television 

Through her company, A Rebel Artist LLC, Sarah is on a quest to address Hollywood’s inclusion gap and create more opportunities both in front of and behind the camera for artists who identify as women, disabled, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC. 

While A Rebel Artist LLC is still in its early stages, Sarah is already using her creative prowess to craft award-winning screenplays with diverse cast and crews in mind. In the future, she aims to collaborate with like-minded organizations, recognizing that partnerships are essential. 

Redefining Hollywood’s Narrative 

Hollywood’s progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion has been commendable. However, there is still a long way to go, as data from respected sources, such as the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and others shows. 

The Celluloid Ceiling Report, which tracks women’s employment in the top 250 domestic grossing films, found that women accounted for only 19% of writers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films of 2022, 18% of directors, 25% of executive producers, and 31% of producers. On the other hand, data also shows that diverse representation on screen drives moviegoers.  

At the core of Sarah’s vision is her belief that storytelling can challenge norms and drive positive impact at this point in history. Sarah’s dedication to using her voice as a screenwriter to give underrepresented communities a seat at the table is with fierce determination. In the grand tradition of rebel artists who have come before her, Sarah’s goal to create a more inclusive and representative Hollywood is not just an aspiration—it is a call to action.