EP 222: Women's Production Society Part 2 Cristen Carr Strubbe and Jeanette Volturno

This is part two in a series of interviews with  the leadership of the Women’s Production Society. The WPS is an organization of physical production executives across the industry. It started as a small cocktail party and has since grown to more than 100 members and is a powerful force of change within the industry with the purpose to fulfill their mission statement: To promote the hiring of women in leadership roles in Film, Television and New Media. 

In the last episode, I talked with the group’s founding members Dana Belcastro and Debra Bergman. And today I am talking with Jeanette Volturno, producer and entrepreneur,  and Cristen Carr Strubbe, producer turned physical production executive, who are the current leadership of the group. You can hear Jeanette’s origin story in episode 111 of this podcast  and Cristen is on episode 15.

In this episode we talk about where the WPS is now, how they weathered the covid of it all the last couple of years, and what the plan to do going forward.

EP 221: Women's Production Society Part 1 Dana Belcastro and Debra Bergman

I have a couple of really special interviews to share with you. Both are with the leadership of the Women’s Production Society. The WPS is an organization of physical production executives across the industry. It started as a small cocktail party and has since grown to more than 100 members and is a powerful force of change within the industry with the purpose to fulfill their mission statement: To promote the hiring of women in leadership roles in Film, Television and New Media. And this time we are in, where women are literally losing power over our very bodies, it is more urgent and important than ever that women take on leadership roles of influence and take deliberate action toward impacting our world.

This first interview is with the founding members Dana Belcastro and Debra Bergman. Both came up as producers and now both are executives. To get their full stories, I will refer you back to episodes 108 and 109 of this very podcast where we do a deep dive into both of their herstories. In today’s episode they walk us through the origin of the Women’s Production Society and what they are looking to do next as they hand the reins over to the next leadership of the group.

Episode 220: Donna: Stronger than Pretty

This episode is very special and very bittersweet. You may remember when I spoke with Jaret Martino and Pat Branch when they made the short called Stronger than Pretty. Well, they are back because the feature film version, Donna: Stronger than Pretty is about to have its worldwide release on February 23rd, after a great festival run. I also had the honor to talk to Donna Martino herself, Jaret’s mom, whose story the film tells. We recorded this last February on the weekend of its festival premiere, where it won basically all the awards. It was impossible to know at the time that Donna would be diagnosed with cancer very shortly afterward, and she passed away on September 3rd of 2020. As you will hear, Donna was a remarkable woman and mother and Jaret’s tribute to her in the form of this film will inspire you, as it has inspired me.

Pat and Jaret co-wrote the script, and Jaret directed it. I start out talking with Jaret and Donna, and Pat joins later on, fresh from an awards ceremony where she was collecting all the trophies. I’m so happy for them for the success of this film and what a beautiful tribute it is to Donna and her story of strength and perseverance.

Episode 219: Sista Brunch hosts Fanshen Cox and Anya Adams

For this episode, I got to meet the brilliant hosts of the Sista Brunch podcast. Sista Brunch is a podcast about black women+ thriving in entertainment & media careers. My two guests are Fanshen Cox and Anya Adams.

Fanshen is an Award-winning playwright, actor, producer & educator She just wrapped up seven years of touring her one-woman show: One Drop of Love and she is also a Producer and Development Executive at Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Pearl Street Films. She serves on the board of The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and on the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts Equity Advisory Committee. And Fanshen is also a co-author of the Inclusion Rider which was announced at the 2018 Oscar awards by Frances McDormand.

Anya Adams is an award-winning director, most recently taking home the NAACP Image Award for Best Director in Comedy for 2020. Anya’s career skyrocketed after directing an episode of Blackish in 2017. Since then she has gone on to direct the Netflix pilot Ginny and Georgia, episodes of The Good Place, Single Parents, G.L.O.W., Charmed, Fresh off the Boat, Speechless and many more.

This is juicy, and it is real talk. The f-bombs fly. You’ve been warned. And go subscribe to Sista Brunch. Although I don’t even need to tell you that. You are about to fall in love.

Episode 218: Sienna Beckman, Co-founder & Creative Director of Emergence Films

Today I got to speak with Sienna Beckman from all the way across the pond. Sienna is the Co-founder & Creative Director of Emergence Films (based in London & LA).  Living and working in Los Angeles for 10 years, Sienna has produced for NBC Universal, Scott Free Productions, Verizon go90, Fullscreen Media, Esquire TV, Refinery29, Prettybird Entertainment, and Disney’s Maker Studios, among others.

Emergence Films is a film and television development and production company dedicated to championing female filmmakers and committed to creating more opportunities for underrepresented voices in storytelling around the world. In addition to producing, Sienna is an active member of Women in Film & TV UK and Times Up UK, and she hosts a speed-networking event series with WFTV to promote the hiring of more female crew members, creatives, and technicians.

We talked all about her finding her place in London and growing her company.

Episode 217: Sujata Day, Actor, Writer, Director

Today, I got to catch up with previous guest, Sujata Day. With her infectious personality and unique sense of humor, Pittsburgh native Sujata Day has firmly established herself in Hollywood as a performer, creator, writer, and director. She regularly performs in Upright Citizen Brigade's hit Asian AF show.

Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She's recurred for three seasons on HBO's Insecure.

Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and Sundance Collab advisor. Her short film, Cowboy and Indian, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, producing and starring. She served as HBO Visionaries Ambassador in 2019. She directs This Is My Story, a series in which beloved storyteller LeVar Burton narrates real life personal experiences of everyday racism.

Sujata's debut feature film, Definition Please, is currently screening on the virtual film festival circuit, starting with its World Premiere at Bentonville Film Festival in August 2020.

Episode 216: Cecilia Escobar, Founder, Accountant, Payroll Expert

For this episode, I sat with Cecilia Escobar, Founder and President of Smart Accounting Solutions. With more than 30 years of Entertainment Payroll and Accounting Expertise Cecilia has held executive and senior management roles for multiple entertainment payroll companies like Media Services and Axium, and most recently, she was the Vice President of Payroll Operations at Entertainment Partners. 

In between these positions, she freelanced as a payroll and production accountant on major motion pictures and studios for over 18 years.

Cecilia is a Multi-Cultural Client Business Partner, leading efforts for Multi-Cultural Diversity in the Industry. She has hosted many Diversity Client events as well as sponsorships to Diversity Production Summits and Trade Shows. One of her latest pet-projects is bridging Latin American Film Productions with their US counterparts. 

Cecilia is currently a member of multiple entertainment industry associations including N.A.L.I.P., Women In Film, and Hispanic Professionals.

She has just started a non-profit called Sandbar Sanctuary – a Horse Rescue and Equine Therapy for Abused Women. With her love of horses, she hopes to help women bond and find a way to heal through therapeutic equine experiences. 

To reach Cecilia: Info@sasolutionsinc.com

Episode 214: Jennifer Aurianne DaRe, CEO, Founder, Manager, Producer

Jennifer Aurianne DaRe is the founder and CEO of ATN Entertainment, a premiere talent management company in Los Angeles that specializes in the representation of artists in entertainment from film, television, music, literature and more. Since founding ATN in 2015, she has grown the roster to over 100 clients under her leadership, including a strong presence of women and the LGBTQ community.

Now in her fifth year of running the company, DaRe’s tenure has resulted in tremendous success with previously unknown clients achieving acclaim. Her accomplishments led to the launch of the production and development division of the company, ATN Productions. The debut project for the banner will be a TV adaptation of the YouTube comedy series “PANIC,” which is slated for release in Q2 of 2021.

Prior to the founding of ATN Entertainment, DaRe was an executive vice president at a then reputable management company that she transitioned to from her time as an independent music manager for bands, record producers and solo artists. Her music connections developed as the singer and manager of the successful folk-rock band, The Extinct. For 12 years, The Extinct shared stages with artists such as Stone Temple Pilots, No Doubt, Incubus, Maroon 5 (Kara’s Flowers), Alien Ant Farm as well as many other successful acts of the 90’s.

Jennifer was also sole producer and curator of The ATN Showcase from 2005 - 2013 that featured musical artists from all over the globe at the SXSW music festival. It was the largest and longest-running independent showcase in SXSW history at the time.

Jennifer’s experience, expertise and work ethic make her one of the most respected and sought after talent managers in the business, and after hearing this, you will know why.

Episode 213: Finnerty Steeves, Actor, Writer, Producer

For this episode I got to sit with Finnerty Steeves. Now, you know Finnerty as an actor from the shows, Orange is the New Black, Half Life, Louie, House of Cards, Smash, Sopranos – basically everything, including a lot of Broadway credits. What you may not yet know is that she just wrote, produced and starred in her own feature film called Before/During/After. This sharp-witted dramedy studies a middle-aged NYC theatre actress suddenly forced to figure out the kind of person she wants to portray in real life when her marriage comes to an end after she catches her husband cheating.

It is a gorgeous film and for this particular middle-aged woman who got divorced, it really resonated. We had a delicious talk about acting, the craft, the journey of making a movie and of going through one of those life experiences that really makes you who you are.

Episode 212: Chloë Thomas, Director

For this episode, I spoke with BAFTA and RTS nominated Chloë Thomas who is in the UK and most recently directed all episodes of the psychological thriller The Deceived, created by Lisa McGee of Derry Girls fame and Tobias Beer.

Just before that Chloë directed episodes of Harlots and Victoria and she is attached to direct the feature film Making Babies - a rom-fertility-com by Deborah Frances-White, with Redwave Films. 

Previously, Chloë was known for comedy directing; Sharon Horgan’s early sitcom Angelo's, followed by being BAFTA nominated for directing the first ever series of Horrible Histories.

Chloë also develops her own pilots through her company One Glove Films.  We had a good chat about directing, both as a woman and an introvert, and exploring new models of power.

Episode 211: Austin School of Film, Faiza Kracheni and Carrie Cates

For this episode, I got to meet Faiza Kracheni and Carrie Cates of Austin School of Film, which for nearly two decades has provided alternative education programs and workshops for all ages interested in the arts & film. Faiza Kracheni is the Programs & Education Director, and Carrie Cates is the Artist & Community Director. These women have taken their passion for filmmaking and created a completely accessible space for a growing community of creators, breaking down barriers inherent in our society.  

They launched their newest program Play At Home as a direct response to the ongoing pandemic. Play At Home is an online/offline interactive experience featuring live workshops, events, screenings, and talks by artists and filmmakers from around the globe. Since the launch of Play At Home in April 2020, it has hosted 40 workshops and events with over 900 participants in 14+ countries. 

Episode 210: Kelli Miller, Co-Founder And/Or Studio

Kelli is the co-founder of creative studio And/Or, and has worked in motion design and branding for 15 years with brands like MTV, Netflix, and Amazon. She is a graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art and has taught and lectured at the College for Creative Studies, Pratt, NYU, SVA, Yale, and RISD.

Kelli has directed show titles for FX, HBO and Paramount’s Lip Sync Battle, as well as designing title sequences for a number of films and documentaries including The Assistant, Certain Women and critically acclaimed drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

https://and-or.co/

Episode 201: Lesli Linka Glatter, Director

For this episode, I was lucky enough to meet Lesli Linka Glatter. Lesli is a director of film, network, and premium cable television drama, with both pilots and episodes to her credit. Lesli’s TV work includes Homeland, The Newsroom, The Walking Dead, Justified, Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex, True Blood, Mad Men, The Leftovers, The Good Wife, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, ER, Freaks and Geeks and Twin Peaks. Lesli has also directed numerous pilots including Gilmore Girls, Pretty Little Liars and SIX. Her films include Now and Then, The Proposition and for HBO, State of Emergency.

Lesli is currently the Executive Producer/Director of the award winning series Homeland. Lesli has received eight Emmy nominations, seven Directors Guild Award nominations, winning twice for Mad Men and Homeland, as well as a Humanitas Award nomination for HBO’s State of Emergency. Lesli is currently developing projects for Netflix, Amazon, Showtime, Epix and her next project is The Bankers Wife , an eight-part mini series for Amazon.

Lesli serves as the First Vice President of the Directors Guild of America, is on the DGA’s Western Directors Council, serves on the Executive Committee of the Directors Branch of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is also an advisor at the Sundance Institute’s Director’s Lab. Lesli has been committed to mentoring for many years and most recently help develop the successful NBC program, Female Forward. Lesli has received the Caucus Foundation Award, the Dorothy Arzner Directing Award from Women in Film and the Franklin Schaffner Award from the American Film Institute and most recently, an Honorary Degree from the American Film Institute.

Prior to her work as a director, Lesli was a modern dance choreographer who worked throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Episode 194: Courtney Hope Therond

Courtney Hope Therond is an award-winning director whose films feature an unapologetically female perspective. She has screened short films at several film festivals and her latest short Rehearsal, which tackles the grey areas of consent, premiered online on Short of the Week and received a Vimeo Staff Pick after playing over a dozen festivals internationally. Her film The Dress You Have On won multiple awards including two jury prizes and is distributed by Revry TV and Seed & Spark. Courtney’s digital series Comedic Timing was recently acquired by WhoHaHa and the screenplay for her digital series Between Us Girls was a finalist at Austin Film Festival.

Courtney is a graduate of NYU and was a Cinereach Film Fellow. After four years in France, she now directs narrative and branded content in Los Angeles and is currently developing her first feature film

Episode 193: Sophie Max, Actor, Writer, Producer

Sophie Max is an actress, writer and producer based in London and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She is the writer, executive producer and lead actress in the film The Whole Truth and previous film work includes writing and starring in the award-winning Callie. As an actress, Sophie has been seen across theatre and film in New York and the UK. Sophie is also a poet and her book, lost and found, was published in January 2018 and is available on Amazon worldwide. Sophie is a proud advocate for womxn in the film industry and is passionate about elevating womxn’s voices and stories in media. In other words, she has come to the right place.

Episode 192: Melissa Center and Tanny Jiraprapasuke - Whole Self Systems

For this episode, I got to speak with Melissa Center, an award-winning filmmaker & actress, and Tanny Jiraprapasuke, a mindful coach, practitioner, & scholar, who met by chance in Los Angeles, at the National Women’s Political Caucus Summer Spritz event. As women in support of other women: they discovered a mutual desire to shift the moral paradigm around closing the gender pay-gap, reevaluating hiring practices, and transforming organizations’ cultures.

Melissa and Tanny decided to combine their talents, aligned values, and full dedication to affecting change for good. They are not trying to dismantle “systems,” but rather to interrupt the status quo “systems” by offering a new kind of system: Whole Self Systems. Through Whole Self Systems, Melissa & Tanny inspire new ways of communicating, empower ethical leaders (many from marginalized communities), and elevate workplaces that prioritize diversity, gender equanimity, & social innovation.

We spoke earlier this year, before we were all in isolation, but somehow this work seems even more relevant now, as many people are looking inward toward mindfulness and as the world is changing before our very eyes.

Episode 191: Ashley Shelton, Actor, Filmmaker

Ashley got her start starring in the critically-acclaimed film, Something, Anything. She was also featured on IndieWire's 2015 year end critics poll best lead actress list. Ashley is a graduate in Theatre from the University of Tennessee and is passionate about telling stories from the heart. Her goals include bringing to life stories that give light to social issues and connecting with people through cinema. In 2018 her writing and directorial debut came to life with MAGNOLIA & CLEMENTINE that was featured in Amazon Prime's first ever film festival.

We spoke remotely, before social distancing was the new normal.

Episode 190: Gabriela Ledesma and Callie Schuttera, Filmmakers

For this episode, I got to speak with the founders of the production company, Poison Pictures: Gabriela Ledesma and Callie Schuttera. The pair met in 2015 and have since written and produced countless projects together including comedy specials, feature films, live events, commercials, and documentaries.

​Their work has been featured and acclaimed by Film Pulse, CherryPicks, Film Threat, Film Inquiry, and more.

We talked about their journeys, both before each other and together, and their film Blue, which you can find on Amazon Prime.  

Episode 189: Mary Montiforte, Production Executive

Mary Montiforte is the Vice President of Physical Production at Endeavor Content. She originally came up through production accounting and producing as a freelancer, then moved into staff positions in production finance and physical production.

Her longest stint was as a staff production controller for NBCUniversal before moving on to Lionsgate and now Endeavor Content. Some of her credits include 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Santa Clause 2, Thirteen Days, Air Force One and a crowd favorite The Commitments - just to barely scratch the surface.

Amongst everything else, we talked about the tenacity and persistence it takes to have longevity in this career.

Episode 188: Carolina Groppa, Producer

Carolina is a Brazilian born Emmy nominated producer living in Los Angeles.

She produced the award winning and 2017 Emmy nominated documentary AUTISM IN LOVE, which explores how adults with autism find and navigate romantic relationships.   Her narrative feature films include MISS VIRGINIA, starring Uzo Aduba, the Netflix Originals GIRLFRIEND'S DAY and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. She co-produced THE FEMALE BRAIN, Whitney Cummings' directing debut feature film, and also produced SYLVIE'S LOVE which had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. 

She also has her own podcast that you should check out – it’s called Life with Caca – It’s a podcast of intimate and honest conversations with producers from all corners of the entertainment industry.

It shines a light on the many career paths that exist under the umbrella of producing, the messy, unglamorous realities behind the title, and why we love it so much.