Polaris founders and Buffalo Roam partners used the inaugural Film Summit to explore technology, recurring production and what it takes to build a lasting independent film economy in Oklahoma.
The inaugural Black Wall Street Nation Experience gave Polaris Films its clearest public proof point yet for the Oklahoma-based creative and production ecosystem it has been working to build, bringing filmmakers, producers, educators, entrepreneurs and emerging talent together in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District September 25-27.
Co-founded by Polaris founder Marc Benjamin and Tulsa educator and community builder Lincoln Cochran, the three-day event combined the inaugural BWSN Film Summit with music, workforce development, entrepreneurship and professional training, putting into practice a shared idea at the center of both Black Wall Street Nation and Polaris: lasting creative economies require ownership, infrastructure and opportunities that continue after any single event or production ends.
For Polaris, the weekend also provided a public forum for the company’s growing Oklahoma strategy, with founders Mark Harris and Kristofer McNeeley joining Buffalo Roam Studios leadership for conversations around new production technology, recurring independent-film production and what it takes to build a sustainable film economy in the state.
Filmmakers, producers, educators, artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders gathered at OSU-Tulsa and throughout Greenwood for programming spanning the Film Summit, live music, professional training, student-athlete entrepreneurship and pathways designed to turn creative talent into sustainable careers and businesses. The weekend’s public programming included performances by MC Lyte, Aluna, Buena Vista Orchestra, Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, Lena Byrd Miles, Carson Barnes and Lisa Page Brooks, among others. Severe weather forced scheduled Saturday headliner Wale to cancel his appearance, but programming continued across the weekend.
For Benjamin, the significance was less about any single performance or panel than seeing the larger ecosystem take shape.
“Black Wall Street Nation was never meant to be three days of programming and then disappear,” says Benjamin. “The idea was to put people who make things, finance things, teach skills, hire talent and build businesses in the same place, and create relationships and opportunities that continue after the stages come down. Seeing that happen in Greenwood reinforced exactly why we believe so strongly in Oklahoma.”
Polaris is building an independent film company around original, character-driven stories and a repeatable production model designed to carry relationships, infrastructure and financing from one film to the next. Oklahoma has become central to that vision.
The Film Summit was the clearest point of connection between Black Wall Street Nation and Polaris, bringing filmmakers, executives, educators and emerging talent together around both storytelling and the infrastructure needed to sustain a creative economy.
Screenings included Jay Duplass’ See You When I See You, Alex Stapleton’s The Brittney Griner Story, Dreams of Violets and the Oklahoma premiere of the American Red Cross documentary Iconic Excellence: The Legacy of Dr. Charles R. Drew. The premiere was followed by a discussion moderated by DeMarco Morgan with Dr. Yvette Miller, Dr. Janel Pasley and Hannibal B. Johnson. The American Red Cross later highlighted the event in its own coverage.
Polaris was also directly represented at the Summit. Mark Harris joined Buffalo Roam Studios CEO Jeff Smith and Film Summit Director Spade Robinson for a discussion on virtual production, generative tools and the changing filmmaking workflow, followed by a special, private screening of Harris’ award-winning short film The Platform, currently making the rounds at top festivals. Kristofer McNeeley joined Buffalo Roam President Kassie Gann for a conversation on building the next independent studio model – one centered on repeatable production, disciplined economics, local infrastructure and a pipeline designed to carry talent, relationships and resources from one project to the next.
Those discussions built on Polaris’ recently announced partnership with Buffalo Roam in Bartlesville, where the companies are developing a recurring production base around Polaris’ development-to-market model and Buffalo Roam’s Oklahoma infrastructure, relationships and technology.
“What happened at the Film Summit is the same question we’re trying to answer at Polaris: how do you turn creative energy into something durable?” Benjamin says. “Oklahoma already has talented crews, filmmakers, institutions and people committed to growing this industry. What we want to help add is continuity – a business model where one production strengthens the infrastructure for the next.”
That same focus ran through the broader BWSN weekend. The TV Writers’ Room Bootcamp, a tuition-free beauty entrepreneurship pathway led by LAMIK Beauty founder Kim Roxie, and NIL and financial-literacy programming featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer Will Shields were all designed to turn talent and interest into real pathways to work and ownership.
Polaris sees a similar opportunity in Oklahoma film: building a model where crews, production resources, technology and relationships remain connected between projects. The company is developing an initial three-film slate while expanding its footprint in the state through its Buffalo Roam partnership and its developing relationship with Cherokee Film.
“Greenwood was built by people who created opportunity rather than waiting for it,” Benjamin says. “For Polaris, the next step is taking the relationships, talent and momentum we’re seeing across Oklahoma and helping build the machinery that keeps people working, keeps projects moving and allows an industry to grow.”
ABOUT POLARIS FILMS
Polaris Films is an independent film company founded by media entrepreneur Marc Benjamin, producer Kristofer McNeeley, and writer, producer and development executive Mark Harris. The company develops character-driven films designed for broad audiences, combining creative ambition with disciplined production economics and a growing focus on Oklahoma.
Polaris is developing an initial three-film slate alongside a modern production model incorporating regional incentives, virtual production and ethically used emerging technology. Polaris Films is part of Polaris Media Lab, Benjamin’s media and entertainment company built around storytelling that can reach across cultural and demographic divides.
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