Meet Kristina Sutton Lennon | bilingual Latiné Media Executive & Literary Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristina Sutton Lennon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristina, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My work life balance changed tremendously when I became a mother. Putting my family first doesn’t align with the 24- hour media cycle haha There was definitely a learning curve and period of adjustment when both of my kids were born. I think about the balance now carefully in terms of time commitments, energy, financial rewards, and benefits for my family and community. For example, in addition to being a mother, wife, and the CEO of my business, I’m involved in community organizations, producing, managing clients’ artistic pursuits, and scouting new talent. So when a new opportunity presents itself in front of me, such as a potential new project or client, I weigh the benefits more before saying yes. Will this new collaboration improve my community in some way? Does it require me to spend too much time away from my children or can much of it be handled during hours they are a school? Is this going to help put food on the table soon or down the line? I’m just now starting to make it a priority to work out again as my physical fitness took a back burner to other things for a couple years. It’s a constant readjusting of the balance.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Focused Artists is a literary management and media company championing inclusive representation on screen and on the page, particularly amplifying Latiné voices and narratives. What sets us apart from others is that we are in the literary worlds of both publishing and entertainment. We represent authors and screenwriters. We have co-agents in other countries and have a global approach to content.

Living outside of the literary hub of New York City and the film/tv center of Los Angeles proved challenging, but I was not deterred. And as so many of us learned, growing a business during the pandemic proved difficult. Being the founder of a boutique size business without anyone to cover my business full-time so I could go on maternity leave and nurse my children uninterrupted was challenging. Not having Latiné mentors in publishing or entertainment who I could turn to when I launched and scaled is also something that I faced, but I want to help change for others.

I learned that the ability to pivot is vital for your business. What is the saying about life? The only constant is change. Recognizing that phrase applies to business as well has been a key factor in our growth.

I’m most excited about seeing on screens and bookshelves, content that I wished I’d had access to growing up, but didn’t really exist, like bilingual and bicultural content, or books and films that communities felt were missing from their bookshelves, and helping to fill that void. My client, Bonnie-Jill Laflin, has an exciting title published February 20, 2024 by Rowman and Littlefield, entitled, In A League of Her Own: Celebrating Female Firsts in Sports. Some of the most influential women in sports tell their stories of courage, adversity, and triumph to Bonnie-Jill Laflin, who is a trailblazer in her own right as the first and only female NBA scout. Legends like Billie Jean King, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Danica Patrick, and Laila Ali are interviewed for the book, as well as sports journalists, team owners, coaches, agents and more. It’s an inspiring book not just for those interested in sports or history and I’m thrilled to have been a small part of bringing it into the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I went to nearby Brenau University, so I would try to go see my old stomping grounds.

I try to always stop by The Varsity to grab a bite! The Fox Theatre is one of the most breathtaking venues I’ve ever seen. Atlanta is such a film hub now, but it’s a great theatre town too! The professional regional theatres there have top-notch programming, so you’ll likely have a memorable experience if you go to any one of them to see a show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m grateful to the Stitch Crew program for including me in their Latino Accelerator Program, which gave me the tools to grow my business exponentially,

Website: https://www.focusedartists.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focusedartists/