Meet Jessica Cribbs of BurbankMom.com

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Cribbs.

Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I migrated to Los Angeles in 2002 from Michigan. Wanting to pursue a career in entertainment, I did the acting thing for a while and ended up getting a job at Hallmark Channel in Studio City to help pay the bills. It was at Hallmark where I discovered my love and talent for writing and producing.

My husband and I started our family in 2005, and I had a strong desire to stay home and raise kids but also figure out how to stay creative. I started BurbankMom.com in 2005 out of a desire to connect and share things to do with kids in the area. There weren’t the Facebook groups as there are now and I found an audience. I actually had to put my website on hold as I had more kids…life got too busy!

During this time, I co-created and produced a theater show with my closest girlfriend, Lindsay Kavet. We created Expressing Motherhood to help share the stories of motherhood that help us all feel normal. I also wrote, directed and produced a short Documentary about my grandfather’s ship in World War II, called ‘Laffey Men.’ I was able to share my grandfather’s story with a few film festivals and more importantly, our entire family.

I stepped back from producing Expressing Motherhood shortly after I lost my mother to breast cancer. The show is still running and highly successful with Lindsay still at the helm.

I went on to start a non-profit organization, Strength of a Rose Foundation, to raise money in honor and memory of my mother, Rose.

Through my non-profit, I created a charity 5k run, The Rose Run, in 2009 and we’ve been able to raise over $200,000 for breast cancer patient care and research.

Currently, I’ve been married for 14 years, have three kids and am publisher and editor of BurbankMom.com, which has become a passion project for me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth…but full of blessings and friends and networking and others helping me forward.

Staying creative through the natural difficulties of marriage, raising kids, living far away from family, losing a mother to breast cancer and all the crazy things that come with life…well, it’s not smooth.

I think the biggest struggle I’ve had is in the balance act.

Trying to balance my self-care, my family, my creative dreams, my responsibilities and priorities…it’s all very difficult. I’m sure many would agree.

But I truly do believe that the struggles I’ve been through only help make me a stronger, more mature person. I never like the difficulty when I’m in it, but I do see the bright side once I’ve stepped through it.

And having a solid group of friends and family you can confide in, run to, vent to, go for a walk with, etc…These are the things that help me get through.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about BurbankMom.com – what should we know?
BurbankMom.com is ultimately a hyper-local website that has slowly changed from one thing to another since I created it in 2005. I have always loved the city of Burbank and the area where I live, so sharing fun things to do, boasting about really awesome people and mixing entertainment and food reviews in there, well, it’s pretty much a perfect fit for me. I think I managed to find a way to incorporate my love of writing, entertainment and family in one spot. I think it’s great because as I change in life, my site can too. I love people and I think I’m really known for making connections with others and having opinions that my audience trusts. Because, they know I’ll be honest. I tend to look for the bright side of anything, and I truly think that’s important in our current day and age.

I can’t stand reading about all the ugly. I’m not naive to think it’s not there, I just want to choose to focus on the really great things around me.

Today, my site is shifting to a bit more about me, my personal experiences, our travels as a family while still sharing what I love about living in this part of Los Angeles. I think that’s what sets me apart from others, my personality and how I chose to look at my circumstances.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am a firm believer that you just can’t do it alone. As I’ve gotten older, and dare I say, matured, I get better at asking for help where I know I am weak. Especially in running a non-profit, I know the power in delegating and hiring out for tasks or talents I can’t do or don’t have.

First and foremost, I thank God, always, for courage and strength to do things I didn’t think I had in me. I am who I am because of Him and I love who I am.

My husband and kids have always supported me. My husband works hard so I can stay home with the kids and be available for them here, all while pursuing my creative goals at the same time.

My Dad and brothers and sisters, Kelly, Jeff, Sam, Joe and Mandy. Family is everything. These guys are the biggest cheerleaders I could ever have.

My oldest friend in LA, Lindsay Kavet. She has always been there. She’s the very first person I met when I came to LA, and our friendship has been through it all. I’ll tell you what, no one makes me laugh like she can. No one. We need to laugh more! She’s as honest as they come and having straight up honest people around you, is very important.

Julia Danahey is my true mentor. She’s a beautiful friend I worked with at Hallmark Channel and she inspired me in everything I did to take the steps to become a writer and entrepreneur. She’s brilliant and funny and so incredibly inspiring.

My aunt, Mary Sweeny, is that one family member I’m more like than my own immediate family. She gets me. I look up to her for not just business advice, but life advice. She’s raised 5 kids a generation ahead of me and there’s nothing like having a strong, entrepreneurial woman sharing her successes and failures in business and motherhood with you.

Lisa Robertson has given me an enormous amount of support. Women pushing each other forward is a beautiful thing. Lisa has taught me more about marketing, PR and blogging than anyone I know. She’s an invaluable part in the success I have right now.

All of the women in the business who’ve gone before me…seriously, thank you for kicking butt, being encouraging and leading the way.

There truly is a list of people I could give that would take days to write! I’ve never done this alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.BurbankMom.com
• Phone: 818-681-2756
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @BurbankMom
• Facebook: @Burbankmom
• Twitter: @BurbankMom
• Other: www.linkedin.com/in/jesscribbs

Image Credit:
Jessica Cribbs

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