The Other 50%

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

More recently, she directed Seeing is Believing: Women Direct – a documentary series that profiles female directors.  It premiers a week from today (4/25) 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.

Carole is a Digital Creative and Producer at TBS/TNT.  She came up through the digital world at NBC when digital was barely a thing, and she helped create it.  Along the way, she launched some obscure series you’ve never heard of, like “Friends” and “Seinfeld.” And her digital work with “The Office” launched the writer’s strike.  Yup.  She is patient zero.  But, it all got worked out in the end.

We talked about growing up at a studio, negotiating (or not), and would I please stop bringing that up?!  This was a really fun interview, even though I’m pretty sure she drove off with my parking pass.

Beatriz is a Co-Executive Producer on Teen Mom OG.  What’s OG?  She’ll tell us.  Her other credits include Say Yes to the Dress, Teen Mom, What Not to Wear, and A Wedding Story. She is producing Teen Mom while being knee deep in raising two tiny humans – one of them is less than a year old. She is a big team player, both at work and at home. 

We talked about raising the next generation of workers – and seriously, why is there so much parenting required at work? Here is the advice:  work hard every time.

I will warn you, the audio on this episode is not awesome.  I think her interview is worth it though, so try to stick with it.

Olivia is the co-creator, writer, co-star and producer of Here We Wait, a new Indie web series drama available on YouTube and already getting a lot of attention, and a co-founder of the aptly named Multihyphenate Productions.  She already has several films under her belt, all of which seem to find homes at festivals and distribution.  She’s not messing around.

We talked about creating diverse projects, how sick Americans in Bosnia lose their appendixes, and how important it is to say YES! when the agent calls from LA and you’re sitting in New Jersey eating and bemoaning your fate. 

Erin is a screenwriter and producer. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she is now living and working in Los Angeles. She has written, directed, and produced two feature films, a number of shorts, and two web series as well as a feature documentary called "A Way to Forgiveness". 

We talked about her journey walking across Spain on the Camino de Santiago as a way to heal and find forgiveness as she dealt with the end of her 12-year marriage. She discusses forgiveness, the impact the film is having on people, and being an indie producer.

And it turns out, forgiveness is not a one-time thing.  It’s a daily practice.

After listening to this, you will want to know more about Erin, buy her film and/or introduce her to Roma Downey.  You can reach her here:

"A Way to Forgiveness" website: http://awaytoforgiveness.weebly.com/

D.A.S.H. Entertainment website: www.dashentertainmentllc.com

Diana is a Producer in the world of short form and social media. She currently works at the Food Network as a video producer for their Snapchat Discover channel.  At the time of this interview, she was at Mashable, creating Snapchat and social media content every single day.  As she said, the internet lived in her office. The pace is fast and furious and creativity is constant.  So fast, there doesn’t seem to be much time to discriminate.  That’s the good news.

This is a quick episode, but mostly because we talked really fast.

Jennie is a Producer. She has produced and co-produced some of the industry’s most memorable franchises:  Free Willy, Lethal Weapon and HBO’s Tales from the Crypt.  As she continues to develop and produce today, she is also sharing her experience by teaching film production at UCLA Extension and Columbia College Hollywood, and in 2016, she joined the faculty of AFI as a producing mentor. 

This episode jumps right into class and she talks about what makes a creative producer and what is the process of developing a film - it takes longer than you think, and sometimes the actor with a script in his back pocket turns out to be an amazing gift.

We eventually circled back to her history and how she came up through the ranks, all the way to a studio deal. Spoiler, she took a detour through a saloon.

And this: it’s not just who you know, it’s who you know and what they think of you.

Kirsten is the Executive Director of Women in Film, Los Angeles. Prior to WIF, she was the Executive Director of Outfest, the LGBT film festival and media arts organization. She tells us about her history as a student at Evergreen, working at film festivals in Seattle and Olympia, and juggling her life as a mother and wife in this busy city and this business.

Kirsten walks us through the work of Women in Film, as well as the initiative called Reframe - in conjunction with the Sundance Institute, aimed at improving gender parity in entertainment.  If you have been curious as to where all the gender chatter is culminating in action – this is it.

This is Part 2 of the panel interview with the women of Brothers and Sisters. 

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.

Shelly Bond is a comic book editor and the creator of the project called Femme Magnifique.  Her name appears in over 900 comics and graphic novels from Neil Gaiman's beloved Sandman series to masterworks by Grant Morrison, Bill Willingham, Darwyn Cooke and Gilbert Hernandez.

Her latest project is FEMME MAGNIFIQUE, a Kickstarter book that she's editing and co-curating with Kristy and Brian Miller of HiFi Colour Design. This graphic novel anthology salutes 50 powerful women in pop, politics, art and science who take names and change the game. 

Here is the kickstarter link.  I encourage you to kick in and support this cool project. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hificolourdesign/femme-magnifique

Shelly lives in Los Angeles with her favorite comic book artist/husband, Philip Bond, and their favorite teal-haired son, Spencer.  Rumors that she wears five-inch platforms are completely unfounded. 

We talked about the world of comics, the role of the editor, a true love story, and of course, tap dancing.