Name: Mignon Gould
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mignongould
Twitter: @mignon_media
Facebook: @mignonmediahq
Instagram: @mignonmedia, @fashfilmfete
Website: https://fashfilmfete.com
Age: 21+
Title: CEO of Mignon Media and Founder & Executive Director of FashFilmFete
Married/Single: Single
Kids: None
City you live in: Phoenix in the Arcadia area.
A typical day in my life includes… working as associate editor for Phoenix Business Journal by day and organize FashFilmFete and other projects through my company Mignon Media in the evenings and on the weekend.
I was born… to make a difference. (I’m also a native Arizonan)
My favorite thing about Arizona… is our winters.
I’m listening to… jazz artist Samara Joy, who won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
My family… Inspires everything I do, from my mother and grandmother who taught me perseverance and cultivated my sense of style to my great-great-granduncle who traveled from Texas to California in the late 1870s, in his late teens, to start one of the first Black newspapers in the west called The Eagle, which ran for 85 years.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… just one more dinner with my mother and grandmother, who passed in 2019 and 2022, respectively. I would let them know how much they are missed, and that all the love and knowledge they imparted, is still with me.
One thing I cannot live without… is cute, embellished flats. My phone is a runner up.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… an architect. I even went to camp one summer with ASU and Taliesin West. I loved physics, calculus and art, but when it came time to take engineering, I changed my mind.
I’m inspired by… creativity. The mind is capable of so much and when creativity is put into action, we can use our mind to solve problems on a global scale. Don’t underestimate the power of creativity.
The one person who motivates me is… the life-long learner. People with an insatiable appetite to learn and think outside of the box, motivate me to do the same.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… for people to respect one another and appreciate each other’s differences; also, that we could communicate better and get to know each other beyond what is on the surface.
The perfect day would be… any day I wake up and still have all the people in my life that I love and care about.
My first job was… organizing and creating a new filing system at an adoption agency one summer while I was in high school.
My favorite escape… is watching fashion films.
My life… has just begun!
I’m currently working on… FashFilmFete. Get your tickets! I’m also working on an interactive streaming platform.
Always… be true to yourself.
Never… give up on yourself.
Favorite Quote… I have two favorite quotes!
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” – Ida B. Wells
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” —Helen Keller
Biggest Dream… is to accomplish what I set out to, and along the way to make a positive impact in the work and lives of others.
My Pet Peeve(s)… ignorance.
Bio on yourself/company: Mignon Gould is the Founder of FashFilmFete, a premiere film festival celebrating the history, and future, of fashion storytelling, which is being held at Phoenix Art Museum on Saturday, September 23, 2023. She founded the festival in order to curate a selection of Hollywood, indie, experimental and documentary films to not only showcase the significance of fashion in filmmaking but to also bring together a global community of fashion and film aficionados to explore style in cinema and its influence on pop culture, fashion design, contemporary art and beauty standards. This year’s event is extra special, as it will be honoring two icons in the costume design field, including Ruth E. Carter and Patricia Field, whose new documentary “Happy Clothes” will be screened (for the first time since its premier a the Tribeca Film Festival).
Prior to founding FashFilmFete, Mignon’s career began as a style and fashion writer at the Gannett daily newspaper, The Arizona Republic (azcentral). After which, she went on to found TheChicSpy.com, a now archived online style and entertainment publication featuring interviews with filmmakers and designers, including the likes of Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Selma Hayek, Jodi Foster, Kevin Hart and Idris Elba; filmmakers Carey Fukunaga and Tate Taylor; and award-winning costume designers Michael O’Connor and Madeline Fontaine.
She is also currently the associate editor at Phoenix Business Journal, where she works on special publications and writes profiles on business leaders and owners, as well as topics surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.
