Startup Cafe: Finding Familiar Spirits: Turning Fandom Into A Business
Host & KINN member Hollie Stenson spent the first chapter of her career in entertainment, building a body of work across film and television before turning her focus toward investing, philanthropy, and impact — a shift that included serving as Director of Impact at Participant Media, the studio behind socially driven films like Spotlight and An Inconvenient Truth.
Since then, she has backed founders and causes at the intersection of purpose and profit, drawing on a storyteller's instinct to spot the ventures — and the people — worth betting on.
Agenda
8:45 - 9:30 am • Coffee and Socialize
9:30- 10:30 am • Conversation in the Clubhouse, Brief Q&A
11:00 am • Space closes to public
October 21st, 2026
About: Justin Ware
Justin is the co-founder and co-CEO of Find Familiar Spirits who came to the spirits industry after more than two decades as an accomplished writer and producer in Hollywood. His still-active screenwriter alter ego’s current projects include a stoner comedy with Snoop Dogg, an action comedy for Sony Pictures, and The Unbroken Line, a sports drama based on the true story of the 1982 NFL strike. His produced movies range from Cloud 9, a Disney Channel movie about snowboarding, to Bloodsucking Bastards, an indie horror comedy he co-wrote, produced, and starred in alongside Fran Kranz, Joel Murray, and Pedro Pascal. Justin has also written and produced several projects for television including Hell Den, an animated series for SyFy, where he also voiced the mutant cyborg BET-C.
Justin lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife Valerie, dog Cholula, and daughter Eowyn (in case his fantasy bona fides weren’t already clear). A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, this is his first foray into the spirits industry, though he has done extensive market research as a consumer. As much as he loves film and TV, Justin has absolutely adored creating this company with his partners and the rest of the growing FFS team and he’s managed to justify the whole endeavor to his wife as a comparatively healthy mid-life crisis. She mostly buys it.
His favorite drink is a Manhattan with good vermouth and better whiskey.
🔗 INSTAGRAM | 🔗 LINKEDIN
About: Matthew Lilliard
Matthew Lillard is an actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur with a remarkable presence spanning more than three decades in the entertainment industry.
Matthew’s notable roles in blockbuster hits like Scream, Academy Award-winning The Descendants, both installments of Scooby-Doo, and the highly popular Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise have solidified his position as a versatile and celebrated actor in global box office successes exceeding $1.9 billion. He has also remained a vibrant figure in independent cinema, with acclaimed performances in films such as SLC Punk, Hackers, David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return, and Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck. Most recently, Lillard reprised his role of the iconic Stu Macher in Scream 7 and portrayed Principal Grayle in the Prime Original series Carrie as well as Dennis Glenn in Behemoth!. His upcoming films include the highly anticipated Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, Rot, and Let Them Die.
Beyond his multifaceted acting career, Lillard is a founding partner of Beadle & Grimm's, an innovative enterprise crafting immersive gaming experiences for renowned franchises like Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Critical Role. He’s been incredibly excited to expand his entrepreneurial efforts and love for fantasy, horror, and fandom into the world of premium craft spirits with Quest’s End Whiskey and Macabre Spirits, and to have built an incredible team of kindred souls at Find Familiar Spirits.
Lillard's artistic journey began at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City. He also ventured into directing with Fat Kid Rules the World (2012), which earned the Audience Award at the South by Southwest film festival.
Lillard has been married to his wife Heather since 2000—which is 103 years in Hollywood years—and they have three children together. His favorite cocktail is a vodka cranberry, but he prefers to call it The Diablo because it sounds cooler.
About: Hollie Stenson
Prior to founding WOOMIR, Hollie was the Director of Educational and Community Outreach on the Students Stand With Malala team at Participant Media. SSWM is a collaboration of the Malala Fund and Participant Media. Before that, she was the Director of Change the Course, also at Participant Media, a national water conservation and restoration initiative that is a collaboration with National Geographic.
She co-founded The FILManthropy Society, an organization that creates awareness for social issues through the medium of film. As President / Executive Director of The FILManthropy Society and it’s primary initiative, The FILManthropy Festival, her direct involvement benefited several nonprofit organizations whose missions varied widely. She has produced TEDxVenice Beach in 2015, and was on the team for TEDxLA in 2016 as well.
Hollie has a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Texas Tech University and a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship & Change from Pepperdine University.
ABOUT The KINN
The KINN is a membership network, accelerator, and collaborative workspace for conscious entrepreneurs, based in Venice, CA. Running tailored inner development and business accelerator programs for startups, providing executive coaching, accountability, and access to a top-tier LA-based community of entrepreneurs, creatives, intrapreneurs, and investors. If you're interested in learning more about KINN Membership, please visit http://thekinn.co/apply
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