Episode 69: Camille Brown, Director, Writer, Producer

Camille is a Writer/Producer/Director.  She recently released her feature film called “The Nth Ward.” She also made the short film, “Thank You for Washing.” Her first film, a documentary film called “A Second Chance at Life” was narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.  How did she get Whoopi?  She asked her.  As you do.

As a funny twist, her backup plan was to go to med school and become an OB/GYN. You know, if this filmmaking thing doesn’t work out.  It is working out.

Camille is pretty clear on this – you can figure anything out. Don’t ask for permission and don’t wait. You can do it. And if you feel suffering, think – in a week this will be behind me.

You can find her film on Amazon.

Episode 63: Rainy Kerwin, Writer/Director/Producer/Actor

Rainy is a Writer/Producer/Director/Actor and recently made, starred in and released the film The Wedding Invitation. Major accomplishment. This film is adorable, by the way.  Go rent it and watch it. You can find it on the streaming channels. 

Rainy started writing as a vehicle for her acting career and found a whole new world as a filmmaker. She talks about finding her inner fearlessness, kicking down doors, and getting as many women in the room as possible. 

And we spend way too much time riffing on how to eat an elephant.  Baby toe first, obvi.

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/NETGtbkLfs8

WEBSITE: http://www.weddinginvitationmovie.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:

https://www.facebook.com/WeddingInvMovie/

https://twitter.com/weddinginvmovie

https://www.instagram.com/weddinginvmovie/

Episode 56: Anabella Casanova, Producer, Director

Anabella is a Producer and Director and she owns a production company with her husband called Vacation Theory.  Her eyes were opened young to socio-economic differences and social justice issues.  She realized early that real change happens with the people and what shapes people is the stories we tell and the art we consume. She wanted to be a part of the storytelling.

Here is some great advice: develop an artisan skill to leverage against the thing you want to do. That means learn a craft to get into the room to gain the influence to get the job you want. In other words, your day job should be on set, not at a coffee shop.

Serious, smart and curious goes a long way. Soak up everything you can from that first job.  You are getting way more out of it than what are you being paid.

And Anabella’s driving priority – be a good human first and create a life.

As for feminism, let’s bring femininity back to feminism – we’ll unpack that.

And my cat makes a cameo. Welcome to my home studio.

You can see some of Anabella's work here:  That's What She Said and That's What He Said. And her company is here:  www.vacationtheory.com.

Episode 55: Heather Cappiello, Director

Heather is a Director. Her TV directing credits include Freakish, Madam Secretary, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, and Saving Grace with Holly Hunter. Before transitioning to Director, she was a sought-after Script Supervisor for many years.  Think Six Feet Under, Carnivále, Huff, Monk, Being Mary Jane, etc., etc. Her initial training was in theatre. She is the real deal.

She says that script supervising is the best day job that leads to directing.  And how could it not be?  You’re sitting next to all the directors for the best master class you can have.

We talked about steeling your courage to throw your hat in the ring, balancing your life and family, and how TV directing is a G*dd*&$n spiritual practice.

Episode 53: Charlie Gelbart, Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

Charlie is an actor, writer, producer and director. She recently created, produced, directed and starred in a web series called The Charlie Orange Show. You can watch it here.  She plays three different characters in her woman-on-the-street hidden camera series.  She likes to push the envelope as far as she can and capture people’s honest reactions. This is all in service of seeking human connection and creating deeper empathy. 

Charlie just won Best Director at the London Independent Film Awards. Pretty rad.

And she majored in finance because it was easy. Go figure.

Episode 48: Kate Hearst, Film Historian, Professor, Writer

Kate is a filmmaker, historian, writer and professor.  After earning her Ph.D. in History and M.F.A. in film, both at Columbia University, she has been teaching film history at Sarah Lawrence College, the Fierstein Graduate School of Cinema, and at Brooklyn College.  Currently, she is working on several projects about women: a book on the cinema of Barbara Kopple, and a history of Phoebe Hearst and the Coming of Age of San Francisco, 1860-1919. She also writes reviews for Film International, and serves as a juror and moderator at the Middlebury Film Festival.

We talked a lot about how women are left out of the canon in film schools.  And for young people in school, they need to start questioning why there aren’t any women on the syllabus.  It’s probably not conscious exclusion, it’s just the way it’s always been.  Let’s change that.

You can find out more about Kate on her website here: www.khearst.com.

Episode 45: Kat Coiro, Director

Kat is a Film, TV and Commercial Director.  For this, I call her a unicorn. She started as an actor but started to realize she wanted to have more influence on the final product. Kat went on to make a short with Funny or Die, where Janeane Garofalo told her to "stop f**&^%ing apologizing!" Oh, to have Janeane Garofalo yell at you!

Later she wrote and directed a beautiful film called And While We Were Here.  You can find it on Hulu.  It really is gorgeous. And she did it with no money. In Italy. While pregnant.  That is badass.

Currently, she is directing television - all your favorite shows, The Mick, Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, and Alone Together.

She tells us her journey in directing, the state of women in the business, and what inspires her.

And, it turns out you can get big female stars to show up for your tiny shoot if you just ask them to act in a scene with another woman. With dialogue. This is the revolution.

And of course...preparation, preparation, preparation.

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/ 

Episode 10: Tara Miele, Director

Tara Miele is a film Director and Writer, having done such projects as Starving in Suburbia, Lost Boy, and the recent viral video project, Meet a Muslim. She is very clear on who she is and where she is headed. We talked about the hero’s journey, shooting while pregnant, migrant film workers and whiskey. She is kind of rad.

You see her video Meet a Muslim, HERE. And view her other work HERE.

Episode 3: Jennifer Warren, Actor, Director, Producer

Jennifer Warren began her career as an Actor on Broadway, Television and in Films.  Some credits include Night Moves, Slap Shot and Cagney and Lacey.  She won an Academy Award for the short documentary she co-produced, You Don’t Have to Die, and she directed several award winning feature films.  She is also a founding member of the Alliance of Women Directors and teaches at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. We talked about how she encourages the young women of today to exhibit more political thought and not be so complacent about their basic rights.  She is an activist, a mentor, an inspiration.