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Krista is an actor, writer and producer and stars in the webseries she created, “Wholesome Foods I love you….is that OK?” Originally from Canada, she has done many things in her life from synchronized swimming to a masters in visual anthropology. She is a true Californian at heart though, as you will hear in our conversation.
Find her webseries here.
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For this episode I got to interview Nell Scovell. Nell wrote JUST THE FUNNY PARTS ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club. This is an hilarious must read. I read it twice and ate it whole. In addition to that gem of a book, Nell Scovell is a television and magazine writer, producer, director and collaborator on the #1 New York Times bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.
She is the creator of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her TV writing credits include The Simpsons, Coach, Monk, Murphy Brown, Charmed and NCIS. She has directed two movies for cable television and an episode of Awkward.
She has contributed to Vanity Fair, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. This was very exciting for me, and hopefully for you too.
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Sara is the co-author, with Linda Babcock, of two groundbreaking books about women and negotiation, Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation—and Positive Strategies for Change and Ask for It! How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want.
From Sara’s bio, “Whether they want higher salaries, better career opportunities, or more help at home, women are much less likely than men to ask for what they want. When women do ask, they tend to mimic the forceful, competitive negotiating style favored by men, which often backfires. Sara looks at why women feel reluctant to ask for what they need and deserve—and reveals the shockingly high price paid by women, their employers, and the economy as a whole if they don’t address this persistent phenomenon. She shows women how to recognize more opportunities to negotiate, manage the anxiety they may feel when they approach a negotiation, and employ negotiating strategies that have been shown to work especially well for women.
Sara lectures widely and teaches workshops about women and negotiation and women’s leadership challenges for organizations in the U.S. and around the world.”
We are very lucky to have her on the show for a very delicious conversation. We NEED THIS!
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Chelsea and Taylor have a series on Seeka TV called Female Friendly, about two unemployed friends who decided to start a female friendly porn production company. They are Writers, Producers and Actors, and we had a great time chatting at my table. They tell me all about their journey finding their way in Hollywood and all the creeps that have offered to sleep with them to help their careers. And spoiler alert, you don’t need to sleep with creeps to make it in Hollywood.
And what does sexy mean, anyway?
You can find their series here: http://www.femalefriendlyseries.com/
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Terri is a Creator, Executive Producer, Showrunner and Director. Watch her season finale of Take Two tonight on ABC (9/13/18). She was also the executive producer of the award-winning hit ABC series “Castle” for its first seven seasons.
Terri is an award-winning writer and director of numerous shorts and documentaries. Her films have appeared worldwide, including top Sundance and International Film Fest favorite “DysEnchanted,” starring Alexis Bledel, Sarah Winter and Jim Belushi. She has developed features and television pilots with DreamWorks, NBC, Disney and ABC. Miller serves on both the executive committee of the board of Young Storytellers and on the board of the Writers Guild Foundation.
Miller and her producing partner, Andrew W. Marlowe, first met when they both won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Under the MilMar banner, the pair has developed projects for ABC, Endemol and CBS Studios. Their productions have garnered honors from the People’s Choice Awards, Imagen Awards, ALMA Awards, PRISM Awards, TV Guide Magazine and the Primetime Emmys®.
We had a great conversation about her journey as a writer, her thoughts about leadership, and the state of women in this moment.
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Maura is an actor, singer, producer, writer and entrepreneur. In addition to her plentiful film, TV, theatre and commercial credits, she has written a hilarious musical tv show based on her very tragic life experiences, called Insult to Injury. As everyone knows, tragedy + time = comedy. You will be able to see her soon on the beloved Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where she recently shot an episode.
If all that weren’t enough, Maura a.k.a, Mo, the Morselist, is also an Integrative Certified Health Coach and professional recipe developer. As a Key-note guest speaker and writer, Mo has taught workshops and classes focusing on topics such as, Immune Boosting, Eating a Rainbow for both kids and adults, Detoxing with Real-Whole foods, Eating Clean and Green, A Morselicious Lifestyle and Morselifying or modifying recipes, encouraging her Mo’s 85/15 Rule; 85 % of the time, eat clean-real, low-sugar, low-sodium foods, get plenty of exercise and allow yourself 15% wiggle room. Mo does not believe in deprivation or fad diets. Maintaining a sustainable, clean, green and MORSELICIOUS Lifestyle-diet is her mission. She is an Expert in low-sugar, low-sodium, gluten and grain-free (unprocessed), REAL FOOD, plant-rich, non-GMO foods.
And here is something we have in common that we share on the episode – tap dance audition horror stories. You're welcome.
You can find more about Maura on her websites: mauramknowles.com and macnmos.com
Photo by Howard Wise
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Marie Cantin is a Producer and Educator, having worked in independent and studio film and television productions. She was an Associate Dean at the AFI Conservatory, and in 2017 was the recipient of the Frank Capra Achievement Award from the DGA – a very big deal. Some of her many credits include, Torch Song Trilogy, Save the Last Dance, Dante’s Peak, and Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead.
We talked about her long and circuitous journey into the business. At one point she was rumored to be a nun. There’s a story.
She says it is important to figure out who you are and how you want to be in the world. This will inform your path. I think she’s right.
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Layne Marie is a Director and Filmmaker in Chicago, the Founder and Executive Director of Women of the Now, a media and production company, and the Co-Founder and Director of Development of the Women’s Film Festival in Philadelphia. And she’s not yet 30. This woman makes things happen.
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Tricia is a Canadian film Director, who earned her US Green Card as an Artist of Extraordinary Ability. She has 3 award-winning feature films, 2 webseries and 11 shorts under her belt which can be found on various digital platforms. Meeting Mommy, for example is a moving and powerful film about a father and daughter coping with a life twist they didn’t expect. Find it here.
We talked about finding your voice as a director and an artist, learning to write your own stories, and Tricia’s upcoming projects. She is very disciplined in her process.
Also, Tricia's short film Affection will be having its world premiere at the Oscar-Qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival on July 29, 2018.
You can learn more about Tricia here: wwwtricialeedirector.com.
Carrie and Nina are Producers and Founders of the production company called Heart Headed Entertainment. They came up through talk shows and unscripted and then took their careers into their own hands to both have more meaning in their work and to create a more manageable work and life model.
We talked about working in “talk” – you have no idea how much teeth come into it - and how complimentary medicine and healthy living has influenced both their company and their desire for a sustainable life inside of this business. This hour flies by…
You can find Carrie and Nina in all of these places:
https://www.facebook.com/heartheadedent/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartheadedentertainment/
https://www.instagram.com/heartheadedentertainment/
Carina is a Writer and wrote the book called You Play the Girl - On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, train wrecks, and other mixed messages. Carina has written for tons of magazines and was a film critic at the LA Times, Entertainment Weekly and Salon.
She is whip smart and we had a fiery conversation about feminist cultural theory. We deconstructed the system that promotes discrimination, and the subtleties that make us question ourselves for decades before looking outward. Hold on to your hats.
After all, if you can't talk about the system without getting offended or taking it personally, how are we ever going to talk about anything?
Kayden is a filmmaker – Writer, Director, Producer. Kayden is a native Angelino, Chicana, activist, storyteller. She is all about diversity and inclusion. A passionate and prolific filmmaker (6 shorts just last year), she hires female crews, and believes in a rising tide raising all boats.
Kayden is currently working on a series of films about Latina superheroes, which sounds like something you have not seen before. She’s not describing her characters as "strong" female leads because that should be inherent.
I know I say this a lot, but Kayden is another one you should be watching.
Sujata is an Actor. She is known for her roles as Sarah on HBO’s Insecure, and as CeCe in the precursor to that show, Awkward Black Girl. She is also a Writer, Producer, and Director and has several other shorts and series produced as well as more projects in development.
We talked about what it’s like to be a woman of color in Hollywood when you don’t really fit into other people’s preconceived notions. We also talked about this year’s very promising pilot season that features many characters of color that are not caricatures, but rather real people. Things are looking up!
Laurie is a Creative Producer. She is a producer on the shows “The Magicians,” “Aquarius” and “Trumbo.” She is a self-described schtunk from northern Indiana who can’t believe her luck in being completely in the action in Hollywood.
Be grateful, work hard, get involved.
You can find Melissa here:
Instagram: @francescanatalephoto
Twitter: @darkheartwriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkheartfilms/
The Sound of Settling: https://www.facebook.com/soundofsettlingmovie/?ref=bookmarks
Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/b3ct39
Heidi is an actor, director and producer, and is currently releasing her feature film called “Darcy,” that is making its rounds on the film festival circuit and will be screening at the Socially Relevant Film Festival in NYC as the Closing Night Film on Thursday, March 22nd, 8 p.m.
Heidi has a very interesting story that takes her to Germany after college, where she got her start in television before coming back to the United States. Now a gentle word of warning. We do talk about adult themes in this episode in the #metoo genre, so if you usually listen in the car with your kids, perhaps you listen with your headphones in.
To find out more about Heidi:
Lily is a Writer. She started out as an actress in the theatre, is a fellow Violet (NYU) and runs a female writer’s group called Bechdel Babes Writing Partners.
Her group is putting on a FREE industry only showcase welcoming Producers, Directors, Showrunners, and Literary Managers/Agents on March 22nd and 23rd. I’m going, meet me there. Get your ticket here: http://www.bbwritingpartners.com/showcase.
We talk about Lily’s mid-career change (a familiar theme in my circle), a bit about ‘kids these days’ and the importance of keeping arts in schools, and the vital need for women to be front and center in telling the stories.
And this career changing moment: “How are the kids? Pass the salt.”
And I had a big sense memory while I was editing. Voices are distinct.
Lisa is an Actor/Writer/Producer and Amy is a Writer/Producer/Actor and together they are creating a film and multimedia project called “Freelancers Anonymous.” These women are super smart and have their eye on the very big picture. Lisa was in the much-acclaimed web series called Easy Abby and is an accomplished voice over talent, among many other credits. Amy’s credits include CollegeHumor.com, An Emo Bromance, Break In, and a children’s book series called Jenny Morgan: Certified Genius.
They tell us as much as they can about their project and their process. Any more and they’d have to kill me. That’s fair, I guess.
Come listen and have a laugh with us. We cracked up a lot.
You can follow Freelancers Anonymous and find out more here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FA_themovie (@FA_themovie)
IG: https://www.instagram.com/freelancersanonymous/ (@FA_themovie)
FB: https://www.facebook.com/freelancersanonymous/ (@freelancersanonymous)
https://www.freelancersanonymousmovie.com/
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Christina is a Writer, Director, and a Professor. Her latest film The Rainbow Experiment recently debuted at Slamdance to much acclaim. Her first film, 42 Seconds of Happiness won numerous awards, including Best Feature Film at WTxFF in Texas, Best Ensemble Cast at Harlem IFF, Indie Spirit Award and Best Ensemble Cast at Princeton IFF, just to scratch the surface.
She has been teaching at Columbia University’s and Barnard College’s Film Programs since 2011, and is the author of six books, including Creative Screenwriting: Understanding Emotional Structure and Inside the Writers’ Room (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2010 & 2014).
She has a unique perspective on the writing process, actors, and multi-protagonist filmmaking. She has the voice of an artist.
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Lynelle is a Writer and Director, whose first writing job was on Army Wives. Her first actual job was as a pilot in the Air Force. She flew the plane that refuels other planes while IN THE AIR. She is currently one of six participants the Film Independent Episodic Writers Lab.
Originally, she wanted to be a space pirate. Like Han Solo.
She has a BS in Engineering and an MFA in Screenwriting.
She was already a grown up while the rest of us were trying to figure out who we were in our 20s.
Not to brag, but this is a really good conversation.