2025 Year in Review: Words, Films, and Creative Adventures

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on a year packed with storytelling, teaching, filmmaking, and a whole lot of words (both written and spoken). It’s been a year of long-awaited premieres, new adventures, and projects that continue to grow and connect with communities across Indiana and beyond.

(ID: Jessica Renslow standing with the Director of the Indiana State Library's Young Reader's Center, Suzanne Walker and the bicentennial celebration.)

Films and Screenings

Method: A Voice Actor Prepares finally went online this year, more than a decade after its initial production. Watching audiences laugh at our quirky, behind-the-scenes look at voice acting featuring Ben Diskin, Yuri Lowenthal, Wendee Lee, and more was deeply satisfying. This project was a labor of love, proof that persistence pays off, and a celebration of the unsung heroes of animation and dubbing. (You can read my full blog about it here.)

(ID: Method promo postcard with Ben Diskin in several ridiculous poses.)

Take Bike the Streets continued its journey, showing at community screenings, bike-centric summer film nights, and earning recognition for telling the story of grassroots activists making biking safer in Gary, Indiana. Documenting this community-driven change reminded me how stories can inspire real-world action. (You can read my full blog about it here.)

(ID: Take Bike the Street promo with neon lit bike on a black backdrop..)

Launching the Lagoon, a project capturing over a decade of advocacy and planning in the Miller neighborhood of Gary, Indiana, was seen across the world, nominated for several awards and even one a few too. From accessible kayak launches to sensory gardens, this film celebrates what happens when vision, collaboration, and community meet. (You can read my full blog about it here.)

(ID: Launching the Lagoon promo poster with film festival laurels.)

Silver Screen Filmmakers Club workshops allowed me to work with older adults across Northwest Indiana, teaching filmmaking, editing, and storytelling skills. Five cohorts, 25 weeks of classes, 30 short documentaries, 10 sizzle reels, and over 100 participants later, it’s clear creativity truly has no age limit. (You can read my full blog about it here.)

(ID: Jessica Renslow facilitating a film workshop as a teaching artist at The Center for Urban and Regional Excellence.)

Writing, Words, and Literary Adventures

This year was also a milestone for my writing:

• Completed the second draft of my speculative novel for adults (80,000 words), weaving generations of Hoosier women into a meditation on land, memory, and belonging.

• Added 11,457 new words and reviewed 92,845 words across various projects, from scripts to nonfiction to grant applications.

• Submitted work to 16 literary agents, received 9 partial requests and 7 full requests.

• Participated in 8 pitch contests, honing both the manuscript and my professional presentation and I received 18 agent/publishing house likes.

(ID: Indiana State Library logos for the escape room project.)

In nonfiction, my Indiana Aviation Escape Room launched fully in libraries and schools across the state, giving students hands-on historical experiences, connecting them with primary sources, and sparking curiosity about the Tuskegee Airmen, Octave Chanute, Willa Brown, and the Wright Brothers. There is over a year waitlist, but I’m happy to report that it will be coming to Gary, Indiana in the summer of 2026! (You can read my full blog about it here.)

(ID: Teens use teamwork to crack codes and solve the Hoosier Aviation Escape Room puzzles.)

Grants, Fellowships, and Teaching

2025 also brought continued support for my creative work:

• Applied to 11 grants/fellowships, receiving 3.

• Secured 2 Teaching Artist contracts, enabling workshops and mentoring in filmmaking, storytelling, and creative aging.

• Engaged in 8 community events where audiences could interact directly with my work and stories.

• Collected 11 awards for projects spanning film, writing, and teaching.

On a personal note, I celebrated the completion of Inktober for a fifth year in a row, trying all 31 prompts and enjoying the creative discipline it brings. (Practice over perfection is the name of the game!)

(ID: Jessica Renslow posing with two friends at the Gary International Film Festival.)

Amazing Events and Community Engagement

This year was full of incredible events that inspired and connected me to Hoosier creativity in new ways. Serving on the Area Career Center (ACC) Board for a third year allowed me to stay connected to young creators and mentor them. It’s remarkable to see students gaining real-world experience in media and storytelling right in Northwest Indiana.

(ID: Art deco inspired design in navy and gold announcing the Indiana State Library's celebration)

(ID: The Indiana Young Readers Center with books and resources for children/ young adults.)

I also had the honor of attending the Indiana State Library’s bicentennial celebration in February, reflecting on the deep history of libraries, literacy, and public service in our state.

(ID: A crowd listen too the keynote speaker.)

In March, I joined the Film in Indiana Advocacy Summit, connecting with filmmakers, educators, and producers who continue to make Hoosier filmmaking a vibrant community.

(ID: Filmmakers send paper airplanes sailing across the Stutz building.)

April brought the inaugural Dream Dox Conference at the Stutz Building in Indianapolis (a half-day gathering that brought together over 60 attendees and 12 incredible speakers). It was a whirlwind of inspiration, learning, and networking for documentary filmmakers, highlighting both industry expertise and fresh perspectives from outside the field. Huge thanks to Dream Dox partners, Indy Film Fest, Pattern, and Film Indy, for making it possible!

(ID: Blond brick exterior of the Lubezniak Center..)

Spring also included the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) Spring Luncheon at the Lubzineck Center, where I connected with fellow arts leaders and celebrated creative initiatives across the state.

(ID: red brick exterior of the Chesteron Center for the Arts..)

Later in the year, I participated in the Chesterton Arts Center Work in Progress (WIP) Lab, a monthly program designed to help artists develop new projects, advance existing work, and receive small support grants. Being part of these discussions and seeing fellow creatives explore, experiment, and grow was energizing and motivating.

(ID: Jessica Renslow posing with Gretchen Sipp at the Gary International Film Festival.)

Reflection

2025 was a year of persistence, growth, and community. From my films reaching audiences online and in-person, to workshops empowering learners of all ages, to moving my novel toward publication, the common thread has been connection: connecting people to stories, students to skills, communities to each other, and myself to the craft I love.

I’m grateful to every collaborator, participant, supporter, and reader who made this year possible. Here’s to carrying this momentum into 2026, exploring new projects, refining existing works, and continuing to celebrate creativity in all its forms.

My 2025 Stats at a Glance

• New Words Written: 11,457

• Words Reviewed: 92,845

• Agents Submitted: 16

• Partial Requests: 9

• Full Requests: 7

• Pitch Contests: 8

• Agent/Publishing House Likes: 18

• Submitted to Film Festivals: 35

• Screened at Festivals/Showcases: 22

• Grants/Fellowships Applied to: 11

• Grants/Fellowships Received: 3

• Teaching Artist Contracts: 2

• Awards: 11

• Events: 8

• Completed 2nd Draft of Speculative Novel: 80,000 words

• Inktober: Completed 5th year

• Nonfiction Projects: Used in libraries and schools across Indiana

(ID: Jessica Renslow teaching a Silver Screen Filmmakers Club Workshop.)

It’s been a full, challenging, joyful, and inspiring year and I can’t wait to see what stories, workshops, and adventures 2026 will bring.