Episode 41: Cady McClain, Director/Producer/Artist

Cady is an actor/producer/director/writer/musician….maybe it’s just easiest to call her an artist.  I know her best from playing Dixie Martin on All My Children.  If I couldn’t marry Tad, I’m glad it was she.

More recently, she directed Seeing is Believing: Women Direct – a documentary series that profiles female directors.  It premiers a week from today at the Newport Beach Film Festival.  You can get tickets here.  She is also directing and acting in Venice: The Series.

We talked about her journey as an artist, the heroine’s journey in life, and how women can uplift and support each other.  It was the very juicy talk of an artist.

You shouldn’t have to go deep into the woods, wearing a floral maxi skirt and smelling of patchouli in order to see and celebrate women’s contribution in storytelling. Although that's fun too.

Episodes 31 &33: The Women of Brothers and Sisters

This was my first panel, and I loved it.  I sat down with the following women who ran the show Brothers and Sisters which aired on ABC for 5 years:

Sarah Caplan – Executive Producer

Suzanne Geiger – Unit Production Manager/Co-Producer

Cynthia Pusheck – Cinematographer/Director of Photography

Sally Sue Beisel-Lander – 1st Assistant Director/Co-Producer

Denny Dugally – Production Designer

Ida Lee Henderson-Williams – Production Accountant

Melina Root – Costume Designer

We talked about everything from what it was like to work on a female team, the changing landscape of the business, sexual harassment, salary negotiation, and getting the band back together.  They were very forthcoming and I really felt like they let me in on something special.

And Sarah baked us a cake.  As you do.

It will be presented in two episodes. 

Episode 27: Penelope Spheeris, Director

Penelope Spheeris is a film Director. She is known for two parallel careers - one is of the Wayne’s World and studio picture variety, and the other is of The Decline of Western Civilization series about the Los Angeles Punk Rock scene. Basically, she is rock and roll. You can read up on her here.

We talked about her making omelets for Lorne Michaels as he told her about this live comedy show thing in New York he was thinking about doing. How she taught this kid Albert Brooks about filmmaking while he taught her something about funny.  How Richard Prior told her she was pregnant. You know, the usghe.

And, you can’t help who you fall in love with.

Episode 22: Liz Sayre, Production Executive

Liz Sayre is the Executive Vice President of Physical Production at Fox Searchlight Pictures. Catch that?  EVP. She cracked the code. She worked her way up the production ladder fairly quickly, working with Paul Mazursky, where she learned every aspect of producing a film, from development through distribution.  From there, she served as a Production Executive at Walt Disney Studios and currently at Fox Searchlight.

We talked about distribution of labor at home, the essential morning walking meeting, and what partnership really looks like. Also, she wonders why young women would distance themselves from Feminism. What do they think it means?

And, she worked with J.J. Abrams before he was J.J. Abrams.

If you would like to hear more from Liz, you are in luck.  Here is her BONUS episode - Tales from the Trenches.

She has stories from 9/11, the unfortunate Black Swan, and an alarming number of moviemakers smoking marijuana in all the wrong places.  SMH, Hollywood.

Episode 21: Sara Fischer, Production Executive, Shondaland

Sara is the Head of Production at Shondaland. Wowza. She worked her way up in the business as an Assistant Director, UPM, Producer and Production Executive.  Here is her jam-packed IMDB page. She has a St. Elsewhere baby, a Chicago Hope baby, and a Thirtysomething baby. Who among us can say that?

She recently joined Shondaland, as Shonda Rhimes is building an empire of badass women, of which Sara is one. Her biggest piece of advice - people are in this business a long time, and your paths are going to cross again. Be nice.

Here’s the other secret, no matter how successful you become, you still feel like that kid who was getting everyone coffee.

And remember that awesome video that introduced Hillary during the Democratic convention this summer?  Sara produced it.

Episode 17: Kool Marder, AFI Mentor/Production Executive

Kool is currently a Faculty Mentor at the American Film Institute. Prior to that, she was a Production Executive, Producer, DGA UPM, Location Manager, Production Coordinator – name the production job, she has done it. Kool has overseen and/or made about 100 films.  How many people can say that, let alone how many women?

Some credits include, Blue Valentine, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Casual Sex, Fried Green Tomatoes, American Pie, Erin Brokovich, The Fast and the Furious, and Bourne Identity.

We talked about the early days, when cell phones were in briefcases and coordinators prepared call sheets on typewriters. You think it’s hard to make movies now….

And now for Kool's Tales from the Trenches.  Is it a federal crime to receive cocaine via fedex? From UPM to Expert Witness in the Big Easy.

Episode 14: Maria Burton, Director

Maria is the Director of the feature films Manna from Heaven, Just Friends, and Temps, among others. She produced Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God – and I forgot to ask her about that – I loved that piece!  She is also part of Five Sisters Productions, which is the production company she has with her siblings.

She walks us through her independent filmmaking journey, the shock of not being in a post gender equality world, and how we are raising the next generation to have their eyes wide open.

There is an interesting segment about how men have to focus on directing the movie.  Women have to focus on directing the movie, and on how they conduct themselves on set, and on finding the line between nice and direct, and on how they allow collaboration, and on how they earn respect, and on what they wear.  Seems like a bigger hill to climb.

And sometimes, the Director has to pick up the donuts.

**SHOW NOTE:** We talked about John Landgraf being part of Fox.  In fact, he is the CEO of FX and has made a big push for inclusion on his network.  You can read all about it here:  http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/fx-diversity-directors-hiring-ceo-john-landgraf-interview-1201831409/