Sofia Stefou - Chief Storyteller and Producer.
- Isobel Arden
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
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Meet Sofia Stefou.
In this interview, Mark invited Sofia Stefou to create her own fantasy cultural year from the answers to some easy questions where there are no wrong answers. Enjoy her journey below.
Most CEOs don’t begin their careers on Bollywood sets, juggling production calls and costume fittings, but Sofia Stefou has never been one for conventional paths. Today, she is the CEO, Producer, and Chief Storyteller of VidaCher, a Los Angeles and Toronto-based creative studio that produces entertainment, branded content, and original IP, helping brands, creators, and audiences connect through compelling narratives.
Before founding VidaCher, Sofia Stefou cultivated a multi-faceted international career across marketing, acting, improv, producing, and production management.
She earned a Marketing Management degree and an MBA in Technology & Innovation — the perfect tools for understanding business strategy — but quickly realised her real education came from producing content on film sets in India and North America, working with directors, actors, and crews to make stories come alive under pressure.
At VidaCher, Sofia combines her producer mindset with her CEO responsibilities, ensuring every project meets both artistic and strategic objectives. She produces original entertainment, oversees branded content campaigns, and develops story-driven experiences that are emotionally resonant, culturally literate, and commercially viable.
Her dual perspective — as a creative producer and a business leader — enables her to guide teams seamlessly from concept through execution while keeping the audience at the centre.
Sofia’s work continues to span corporate brands, live experiences, digital content, and original productions, blending strategic thinking with artistic curiosity and a touch of humour. Her career path — from boardrooms to Bollywood soundstages to LA comedy clubs — has given her a unique lens on how stories succeed across media and markets.
Sofia's Fantasy Cultural Year ... with a magic wand and time machine to hand.
Mark introduced the idea of a “ fantasy cultural year” - a way to get to know each new full member that's far more spontaneous than a traditional interview — allowing imagination, travel, culture and Sofia’s creative vision to collide.
Mark kicked off by asking Sofia her favourite building. She chose the Flatiron Building in Toronto, which became the anchor for their imagined journey.
Arts Education Dream Scenario
Together they pictured a scene in a Toronto café: Sofia sipping a Pim’s Cup, reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and listening to George Michael on Spotify. In the fantasy, she’s approached by a wealthy Canadian family foundation interested in funding her work in arts education for children.
The offer? A year-long role travelling the world to study storytelling traditions and creative education.
Amazon Family Project
They then imagined developing a project exploring families and generations in less developed countries — something that could become a TV series, book, TED Talk, and global university lecture tour.
They chose to launch it in the Amazon region of Brazil, starting in Rio and eventually heading deep into the rainforest.
For fun, the imagined Family Foundation challenged Sofia to restrict her playlists for 12 months to a single genre: pop rock.
Rio Plans
The Rio portion came with an itinerary:
being hosted by literature students
attending a Capoeira performance (part martial art, part dance)
dinner at a traditional Brazilian steakhouse
Sofia, clearly enthused, mentioned wanting the full all-you-can-eat churrascaria experience à la Fogo de Chão.
More Fantasy Travel: Ethiopia → Japan
Next they headed to Ethiopia (in theory), inspired partly by Sofia’s sister’s travels. They pictured:
lush green landscapes
attending a football match in Addis Ababa
experiencing local music and culture
From there, they leapt to Japan, imagining a digitally-enhanced art gallery in Tokyo, with Sofia expressing a desire to experience Monet’s garden in VR.
London Cultural Year
The pair closed by imagining a cultural year centred on London, packed with performances and iconic moments:
George Michael headlining at Glastonbury
Romeo and Juliet at the Globe
Wicked in the West End
La Bohème at the opera
The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Las Vegas (a brief detour!)
Hero Lunch
During the journey, Sofia attends Hero Lunch, where she can invite anyone - living or not - for a 2 hour leisurely lunch. She chooses tea with Audrey Hepburn at the Ritz.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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