How did you discover you wanted to be in this field? I fell into film production completely by accident. It was one of those post-graduate odd jobs that I did to help out a few friends who were just beginning their careers as directors. But I really fell in love with all aspects of production and being around all those creative people was one of the big inspirations for the environment that we have ultimately tried to create here at Greencard Pictures.
How did you get your first job? Some of my friends were starting a director collective and needed some help—free help. I realized that I really loved working in production while working with them on their first music video shoots. We used the F900 and Varicam cameras, which you never see anymore, and shot the video in my apartment, which later became Greencard’s first office.
You’ve created fiction films that meditate on overworked ad executives lives. Why does the ad world inspire you? Advertising is about inspiration, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. It’s such a curious industry because it attracts hard-nosed business folk, and some of our best creative minds. It survives the elements, buries time, thrives in the face of economic struggle. Because the outlets for advertising and entertainment continue to expand, you can really see a flood of creative minds coming from all sides, and when you put that much talent in a room, you get something incredible no matter what.
What personal influences or experiences have had the biggest impact on your style? My father. Does that sound cheesy? It’s true though. He was a major inspiration for the company and the best teacher I’ve ever had. Whether it was teaching me about the structure of a movie we saw—he used to make me go over the plot points in the films we would see when I was a kid—or telling me that line producers are the hardest working people on a set, we were always learning something new. I’ve applied a lot of what I learned from him to Greencard.
What has been your favorite client project, and why? This year we did a pair of commercials for Ben & Jerry’s. It was the company’s first-ever live action campaign, and we shot at its factory in Vermont. There was just so much energy and joy in the production that left a lasting impression.
Also this year we did a stunning commercial for Cohen’s Fashion Optical that involved two dancers performing the same dance routine in different wardrobe and eyewear. We did more than 50 takes and they never missed a step.
And of course, whenever I think about the challenges and rewards of production, I think about the EAS Unstoppable Tour from a few years back. Three of our directors collaborated to feature one athlete performing 30 sports in 30 cities in 30 days. I would occasionally fly to meet up with the traveling production on a Friday, spend the weekend on set and return to the office on a Monday. Just seeing how much was being accomplished with such a tight production was really inspiring. Everyone was working so hard. It was as exhausting for the creatives as it was for the athletes.
In your fiction film “Creative Control,” you explore virtual reality and its impact on our love lives. What emerging technologies will have the biggest impact on how you create in the next few years? Virtual and augmented reality are definitely emerging technologies that we’re expecting to see more of in the advertising and entertainment fields, and that we’re preparing to support. With the popularity of wearable devices imminently upon us, how you get your message and your voice out there—whether it’s for an ad or an opinion—is going to shift drastically, and we want to be prepared to navigate all these fun new worlds.
What excites you about film right now? Even over the past few years, the distribution outlets available for independent film have exploded. We really do work in a field where if your product is strong enough, you will find your audience, and there’s nothing to stand in your way. With Netflix, Amazon and HBO picking up shows that premiered on Vimeo, everyone has the possibility to reach millions and build their audience to a level that—only a few years ago—was only available to network television and big-five film studios.
What personal creative projects are you working on right now, if any? I’ve been casually developing a fun cooking series on the side that I’m rather excited about. I’ve also been working closely with one of our directors as he develops his first feature film. It’s still a little hush-hush, wink-wink.
What tips do you have for succeeding as a female producer and studio owner? Being confident is, I think, number one. But that isn’t just advice for women, that’s good advice for anyone wanting to succeed. It may be a bigger challenge for a woman to remain confident, though, in the face of sexism. Sexism exists and is real, but the ideology behind it is not: don’t believe the hype.
Being a woman is not a disadvantage; being the target of sexism is. Believe in yourself, find people who believe in you, too, and know that anyone who doesn’t believe in you based simply on the fact that you’re a woman doesn’t have much to back themselves up.
What is the most important skill you need to succeed in film production? I’ve seen some real a-holes amount to greatness, but for me, I credit my success to surrounding myself with hard-working, friendly people, and I do that by being hard-working and friendly.
