San Jose filmmakers create space to support women

In a male-dominated broadcast industry, two people are working to shift the power dynamic by establishing a production and event space for women.

Farran Tabrizi Chevallier and Tricia Creason-Valencia are the co-founders of PowerHouse, a vibrant Victorian home in downtown San Jose that serves as a podcasting, co-working and community event space. The two have been intentional about creating a space for women to feel welcomed and empowered.

“We’re very, very clear and forward about this being women owned and operated,” Creason-Valencia told San José Spotlight. “Because what we have found as we’ve started doing this podcasting and production studio is people are coming in feeling traumatized from being in male-dominated studios.”

“It was a huge leap,” Tabrizi Chevallier told San José Spotlight. “We were also terrified, because we were taking on the cost. We’re starting to feel comfortable about it. There’s still a lot to do, but we also can step back and go, ‘There’s a lot to nurture that we’ve already built.'”

Partnership is central to their model. They convene women together through events such as movie nights, production workshops, monthly clothing swaps, mixers, panels and more.

PowerHouse operates like an incubator with a monthly membership fee for access to the studio, co-working space and social events.Creason-Valencia and Tabrizi Chevallier want women to feel empowered to own the space and use it to get their ideas off the ground. Women are encouraged to utilize their talents, teach workshops and host their own events.

Mia Perez, 48, was drawn to become a member because she felt PowerHouse’s mission aligned with hers. Perez is a transformational consultant who helps women master their confidence and step into their power. Perez wanted a space to produce and launch her podcast, “The Soft Power Life,” on how high-achieving women can succeed and avoid burnout.

It’s a joint effort with her 18-year-old daughter, who is helping Perez produce the show and other content for her consulting business. Having Creason-Valencia and Tabrizi Chevallier there as resources is a huge plus, she said.

“It’s very essential to have this space. And even more importantly, because it’s women doing it for women, there’s a comfort level there that you’re not going to get with a man,” Perez told San José Spotlight. “We need to express and we need to create because there’s so much going on in the world. There’s always a power behind being able to get your voice out.”