Daily Inspiration: Meet Stacie Capone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacie Capone.

Hi Stacie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was in second grade, my teacher gave us all oval sheets of construction paper and told us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew myself on a stage with red hair…the red hair didn’t work out, I tried it! I stuck with the stage though and went to Fordham University at Lincoln Center for college.

Then in the early 2000’s I co-founded The PROfessional ACTors collectIVE (or PROACTIVE for short). We had all started as theater actors in NYC and became interested in filmmaking. We decided we would make a short film a month for a year….12 months and 11 films later we learned what we were good at and what we all hated to do – SOUND! But seriously, I learned that I was great at putting teams together, keeping people on track and getting a project to the finish line. Also, it allowed me to do more of what I love – acting and creating art with friends.

My production company was born out of that experiment – 4 of us really clicked and decided to make it official with Small Media Extra Large.

We began working together both creatively and on client work . We created one of the first interactive web series, podOpera Brooklyn, which was featured on the home page of the iTunes store, made some satirical political videos in the style of the iconic, “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” commercials, and were commissioned to make a web series for Nickelodeon. My husband and I continue to run Small Media Extra Large to this day. We have clients in the tech, media and culture space. We had childhood dreams come true when producing a season of interstitials for Sesame Street, laughed our butts off when producing the award winning branded comedy special, Un-Apologize with Whitney Cummings, and even got to meet Thor when producing a project with TEDX.

After many years in NYC my husband and I decided to take the leap and move to LA. I wanted to see what that would be like for me as an actor.

The first year we were here, my company booked client work and I booked a commercial spot that would have me traveling to Tel Aviv.

I continue to act in film and television and just did a reading of a new play at The Pasadena Playhouse. You can see me in a recurring role on season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy and I also produced and starred alongside Alexa Swinton in the short film, “Loves Baby Soft”. The short was sponsored by the iconic 70s brand of the same name and is a proof of concept for a series that is like “The Wonder Years”, but for girls.

I’m also attached as an actor / producer to multiple features including “The Spirit of Detroit”, a 2024 Academy Nicholl Semifinalist and “The Only Uber in Nebraska”, a 2025 Austin Pitch Finalist.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While being in NYC for college was one of the best experiences, Fordham itself was not the most supportive school for me. However, I would not be deterred from my dream. I ended up taking outside classes at HB Studios. I also studied with the SITI Company and learned Viewpoints. Those company members were such an informative part of my theater training and I definitely credit them with teaching me how to stand on a stage and be in my body.

While studying at HB, I was paired up with a young woman who was a recent immigrant to the US and was still learning English. She invited me over to work on our scene together and help her with the translation. From there we became friends and she even ended up going to Fordham with me. This was one of my earliest experiences of creating community through women helping women.

That fellow student became a lifelong friend and ended up playing a pivotal role in my filmmaking career by introducing me to people that would go on to hire my production company still to this day. So you never know…sometimes what you think is a bumpy road can lead to a beautiful vista!

It’s also taken me a long while to grow into the actor I am today. When I was younger I did not fit neatly into the boxes that are expected in theater, film and tv. Casting did not know what to do with me then. But now I feel like I’ve grown into the characters that I’m meant to play and casting can see more easily where I fit into a story.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an actor / producer and a community leader. As an actor, I specialize in playing women that are messy but strong, grappling with the cards life has dealt them, but never giving up. (Think Jenny Slate in Dying for Sex, Claire Danes in The Beast in Me or Kathryn Hahn in Tiny Beautiful Things). People have described me as an “unexpected leading actress with a strong sense of humor and palpable vulnerability.” I’ve been told I have a rare mix of warmth, authority, and comedic edge – what I like to call my “whip with a smile” personality.

I’m also the founder of The FilmmakeHers, a bicoastal women in film salon started in 2014 in my Brooklyn apartment with just 10 women. We’ve grown to a group of over 400 women+ multi-hyphenates who actively spearhead projects in the film / tv and digital space. I bring in monthly speakers who are experts in their field and moderate a candid conversation with them about the industry. We meet both virtually and in person in NYC and LA.

The mission of FilmmakeHers is education and collaboration. Community has always been important to me – I truly believe that we need a support system to make it in the film industry and stay sane and healthy. I love when I get to hire from all the amazing women I’ve met over the years of running FilmmakeHers. And it’s always a joy to work on one of their sets as an actor.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My close friends know this and you might be able to tell if you look at my instagram, but I’m quite a good baker and home chef. We pretty much always have homemade english muffins in our house with homemade nut butters and homemade jams to put on them. I’ve been making my own “nutella” for years. I love Scandinavian pastry and I recently made my own cardamom buns, next up are saffron buns! My husband even got me a Swedish cookbook for my birthday this year – and yes, it’s actually in Swedish. So maybe by this time next year, I’ll also speak a little Swedish.

I’m Italian and food has always played a large role in my life – we sit around the table for hours when visiting family, sharing food and wine as well as stories. I’ve brought that connection between food and loved ones to my home in California, where I love to host dinner parties for my chosen family of fellow artists and like-minded humans.

And I’m working on my first writing project – a feature that centers around an Italian family and the estranged daughter that is forced to come back home after a death in the family. There will be lots of food, yelling and laughter.

Contact Info:

• Website: staciecapone.com, smallmediaxl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staciecapone/ https://www.instagram.com/smallmediaxl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallMediaXL

Image Credits
Photographers names are also included in the photo name:
Stephanie Girard
Paul Kowalski
Matt Simpkins