Daily Inspiration: Meet Jennifer Holland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Holland.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Eleven years ago, Building Heights® formally known as, Building Rox, began as a committee of the Roxboro Elementary School PTA. The mission was to raise funds to help fifth-grade students attend a local summer camp called the University Circle Sampler Camp. After supporting more than 20 students, our vision grew into creating accessible programming for students throughout the Heights, and we became Building Heights®.

We launched Heights Performing Arts Camp (HPAC) a three-week theater program, which we ran in partnership with Ensemble Theatre for four years until the pandemic. Seeing how young people were increasingly using digital platforms to tell stories, we evolved again and created Heights Middle School Shorts (HMSS®), a three-week mixed-media film arts program where students take the lead in creating their own films and we produced them along side professionals in the film industry and entering them into local film festivals like the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival.

Six seasons later, HMSS® has served more than 100 students and produced at least 50 short films, including 4 short film documentaries—one selected for the 2026 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival and another selected for the 2026 SHECreates Short Films Expo. What started as a small parent-led effort has grown into a nonprofit 501(c)3 dedicated to giving young people a platform to create, collaborate, and tell their own stories.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our path hasn’t always been easy. That’s the reality of building and sustaining a young nonprofit. Funding has been one of our biggest challenges, especially after a substantial grant allowed us to produce 20 films over two years, support a large portion of our film professionals and HMSS® staff, and give students the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles and experience the film industry firsthand.

When grants conclude, raising the level of funding needed to sustain that momentum can be particularly challenging, especially for a young nonprofit who’s developing those new relationships with funders. We quickly realized how many organizations were competing for the same resources. But those challenges pushed us to adapt, think outside the box, and get back to basics. Despite limited resources and a small crew, we stayed focused on our students and worked hard to produce a meaningful HMSS® Season 6. It reminded us that sometimes less forces you to be more intentional about what truly matters.

We always say, “When you know better, you do better.” Most importantly, our students keep us moving forward and remind us why this work matters. Season 6 reaffirmed our purpose and helped reveal the path we want to continue taking moving forward. We look forward to a great Season 7 in summer 2027!!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Building Heights®, and co-creator of our flagship program, Heights Middle School Shorts (HMSS®). I oversee our operations and programming, creating meaningful, hands-on opportunities for students interested in film and the arts.

I’m most proud of HMSS® because we created something truly unique to the Heights—giving students the opportunity to experience filmmaking from concept to completion while building creativity, confidence, collaboration, and storytelling skills. Partnerships are also central to our work and we hope to expand our programming to other areas of Northeast Ohio in the near future.

By collaborating with organizations, schools, businesses, and community leaders, we expand opportunities for our students while giving our partners a platform to showcase their work. When we partner, everyone grows—our students, our partners, and our community.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Yes! We invite community members, organization leaders, artists, filmmakers, families with students in the arts, and young people passionate about film arts from near and far to join us on October 16, 2026, for our 6th Annual Building Heights® Benefit.

This year’s celebration is a private, invitation-only event as we come together to celebrate our students, partnerships, and the future of Building Heights.

To inquire about the event and receive more information, click here: Purchase Benefit Tickets

Contact Info:

• Website: https://buildingheights216.org, https://heightsmiddleschoolshorts.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057050897465
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/osnCofHQ2RE?si=ag9kUlan4RC_ci58

Image Credits
Kamron Khan Photography
Carlson Jones
Jennifer Holland