What drives someone to leave behind engineering in Rome, leap into filmmaking, and cross continents to Los Angeles? For Sara Alessandrini, it was tenacity, vision, and the belief that stories can change the way we see the world. Her journey from Italy to Hollywood, and from feature film to award‑winning docuseries, is a masterclass in resilience and creative courage.

In this episode of One More Thing Before You Go, host Michael Herst sits down with Italian filmmaker and social commentator Sara Alessandrini, creator of This Is What New Yorkers Say—a five‑part docuseries exploring the resignation of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo through the voices of everyday New Yorkers.

Together, we explore Sara’s motives, methods, successes, and failures, and the personal journey that shaped her voice as a filmmaker.

 We Discuss:

• What first drew Sara to filmmaking, and why did she leave engineering behind?
• How did her move from Rome to Los Angeles influence her creative path?
• What compelled her to take on the story of Governor Cuomo’s resignation?
• What were the biggest challenges of producing an independent docuseries largely on her own?
• How did she approach interviewing everyday New Yorkers to capture authentic voices?
• Why did the project shift from a feature film to a five‑part series, and what did that process teach her?
• What moments of success made her feel the project was resonating?
• What failures or doubts did she face, and how did she overcome them?
• What lessons about resilience and storytelling can other creators take from her journey?
• How does she hope This Is What New Yorkers Say will influence conversations about media, politics, and public perception?

 What You’ll Walk Away With:

• Insight into the tenacity required to pursue independent filmmaking against the odds.
• A deeper understanding of how stories challenge dominant narratives and spark civic dialogue.
• Inspiration from Sara’s journey of risk, resilience, and creative courage—and how those lessons apply to anyone chasing a vision.

Find us on Apple, Spotify or your favorite listening platform; visit us on our YouTube channel Find everything "One More Thing" here: https://taplink.cc/beforeyougopodcast

Want to be a guest on One More Thing Before You Go? Send Michael Herst a message on PodMatch, here: PODMATCH

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy