The Mt. Freelance Podcast

In our 12th and final episode of this season we sit down with costume designer Amanda Needham, who has worked on movies like Wendy and Lucy and TV shows like Shrill, Portlandia and Baskets. And yes, we’ll mention several times that she has two more Emmy’s than both of us combined.

In our 11th episode we sit down with stand-up comedian and Last Comic Standing star Amy Miller who talks about her creative process, why stand-ups typically don’t use the word freelance, and the the collective importance of live events.

In our tenth episode we sit down with the one and only Bob Smith, a designer who tells stories through apparel design. He shares how he came up with idea of a Nike Pendleton collaboration, where his own brand Ore-Cal comes from, and how he convinced Nike to stop exclusively focusing on performance and create what would eventually become Nike Sportswear.

In our ninth episode we sit down with cinematographer turned commercial producer Arlo Rosner who talks about how freelance allows him to create not just side projects, but entire side businesses like the restaurant Superiority Burger in New York City.

Our eighth episode features an interview with actor Ayanna Berkshire whose career has spanned big budget movies, not so big budget movies, television, theater and commercial work. In our interview she offers insight into her craft and tons of advice that freelancers can apply to their path no matter their creative career.

Kate Bingaman-Burt. Where to start? Kate is an illustrator, designer, artist, zine-maker, teacher and educator. She is a full-time professor at Portland State teaching design but also has a thriving freelance illustration career that spans books, editorial, commercial and even museums. And she manages to run her studio workshop space Outlet too. Hear how she does it and get inspired to make and do more creatively.

David Cress started his own production company and went on to produce films for Gus Van Sant and shows like Portlandia, Shrill and Documentary Now. And he’s done it all far from Hollywood here in Portland, Oregon. In our sixth episode he shares his story and his philosophy on how he’s put the work before the money, sought out people doing meaningful projects and found ways to be invaluable to them.

Kathy Hepinstall is one of the most sought after freelance copywriters and creative directors in advertising and has also published 8 novels. In our fifth episode she speaks to her career paths, the importance of mentorship and community, and how freelancers have the opportunity to charge for our value instead of our time. Oh, and she also explains why she wants to key the car of whoever coined the term “writer’s block.” A must-listen for anyone who writes copy, books or emails.

Aaron Ruell always wanted to be a filmmaker, but he got sidetracked when a friend asked him to play “Kip” in a little film called Napoleon Dynamite. Now a celebrated commercial director and photographer Aaron will share his thoughts on filmmaking, the challenges of being a dedicated parent during Covid and how he intentionally blew his chance of starring in the Transformers franchise.

Sue Kim has worked agency and client side as every kind of producer you can imagine, but became a director after her son introduced her to the world of competitive Rubik’s Cube. She’ll share how she worked with Netflix to make “The Speed Cubers,” how to get hired as a freelancer and more.