Episode 130: Ellen Gerstein, Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

This episode is brought to you by:

Ellen is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and actor. She is a member of: Women In Film, The Alliance of Women Directors, LA Film Team, Film Independent, The Actors Studio and SAG-AFTRA. Apart from having a million credits in film, television and theatre, she has also worked as a psychotherapist, and a stand-up comic.

Without sounding too biased, this is one of my very favorite interviews. If you have ever studied acting in New York, this will take you back. Ellen is delicious, and prepare yourself, you are about to fall in love with her.

You can find Ellen here: www.ellengerstein.com

Episode 126: Nell Scovell, Writer, Director

This episode is brought to you by:

For this episode I got to interview Nell Scovell. Nell wrote JUST THE FUNNY PARTS ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club. This is an hilarious must read. I read it twice and ate it whole. In addition to that gem of a book, Nell Scovell is a television and magazine writer, producer, director and collaborator on the #1 New York Times bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.

She is the creator of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her TV writing credits include The Simpsons, Coach, Monk, Murphy Brown, Charmed and NCIS. She has directed two movies for cable television and an episode of Awkward.

She has contributed to Vanity Fair, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. This was very exciting for me, and hopefully for you too.

Episode 125: JoAnne Harris, Composer

This episode is brought to you by:

JoAnne is a composer, conductor and orchestrator. Among many other credits, Joanne was the composer on the web series Baked Goodes which was also featured on this podcast on Episode 42. She tells me her story from being a choral music education major, to becoming a composer, conductor and orchestrator for film and tv.

Like many of us, she has her sexual harassment story, but it also comes with the powerful man in the room who stood up for her and shut it down. More of that please.

We talked about her journey, her mentor, and her life as an artist.

And look how cool this is:

Episode 123: Chelsea Rivera and Taylor C. Baker, Showrunners, Actors

This episode brought to you by:

Chelsea and Taylor have a series on Seeka TV called Female Friendly, about two unemployed friends who decided to start a female friendly porn production company. They are Writers, Producers and Actors, and we had a great time chatting at my table. They tell me all about their journey finding their way in Hollywood and all the creeps that have offered to sleep with them to help their careers. And spoiler alert, you don’t need to sleep with creeps to make it in Hollywood.

And what does sexy mean, anyway?

You can find their series here: http://www.femalefriendlyseries.com/

Episode 122: Terri Edda Miller, Creator/Showrunner/Director/Writer

This episode is brought to you by:

Terri is a Creator, Executive Producer, Showrunner and Director. Watch her season finale of Take Two tonight on ABC (9/13/18). She was also the executive producer of the award-winning hit ABC series “Castle” for its first seven seasons. 

Terri is an award-winning writer and director of numerous shorts and documentaries. Her films have appeared worldwide, including top Sundance and International Film Fest favorite “DysEnchanted,” starring Alexis Bledel, Sarah Winter and Jim Belushi. She has developed features and television pilots with DreamWorks, NBC, Disney and ABC. Miller serves on both the executive committee of the board of Young Storytellers and on the board of the Writers Guild Foundation.

Miller and her producing partner, Andrew W. Marlowe, first met when they both won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Under the MilMar banner, the pair has developed projects for ABC, Endemol and CBS Studios. Their productions have garnered honors from the People’s Choice Awards, Imagen Awards, ALMA Awards, PRISM Awards, TV Guide Magazine and the Primetime Emmys®.

We had a great conversation about her journey as a writer, her thoughts about leadership, and the state of women in this moment.

Episode 119: Lisa Singer Haese, Producer, Filmmaker

This episode is brought to you by:

Lisa is an Executive Producer for unscripted television, and her credits include Married at First Sight, I Used to be Fat, Master Chef, Celebrity Rehab, and The Biggest Loser.

We talked a lot about telling people's stories and how important it is. And about her transition from telling other's stories to telling her own.

Currently, she is producing a documentary about her family, called My Dad, Stephanie. That should be quite a journey.

Episode 118: Mir Harris, Time's Up, Activist

This episode generously brought to you by:

Mir is the Manager of Operations and Community Engagement at Time's Up. I was first introduced to Mir through a piece she wrote that knocked me out. I asked her to read it on the show. Mir is an activist, a thoughtful and conscious leader, and possesses a personal power that is expressed through service. Prepare yourself, you are about to be inspired. I mean no pressure, I don’t mean to oversell it. You tell me. (You’ll be inspired.)

Episode 117: Marie Cantin, Producer and Educator

This episode is brought to you by:

Marie Cantin is a Producer and Educator, having worked in independent and studio film and television productions. She was an Associate Dean at the AFI Conservatory, and in 2017 was the recipient of the Frank Capra Achievement Award from the DGA – a very big deal.  Some of her many credits include, Torch Song Trilogy, Save the Last Dance, Dante’s Peak, and Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead.

We talked about her long and circuitous journey into the business.  At one point she was rumored to be a nun. There’s a story.

She says it is important to figure out who you are and how you want to be in the world. This will inform your path. I think she’s right.

Episode 116: Layne Marie Williams, Filmmaker

This episode is generously sponsored by:

Layne Marie is a Director and Filmmaker in Chicago, the Founder and Executive Director of Women of the Now, a media and production company, and the Co-Founder and Director of Development of the Women’s Film Festival in Philadelphia.  And she’s not yet 30. This woman makes things happen.

Episode 115: Monica Levinson, Producer, Production Executive

This episode is generously sponsored by:

Monica is the President of Production for ShivHans Pictures and comes from a long line of working women in her family. In fact, her grandmother owned a liquor store and her mother started the First Women’s Bank of Maryland.

Monica produced Bruno, Borat and Zoolander (to name a few), and she was the production supervisor on Private Parts. Check out her IMDB, you will be impressed.

We got real about the business and how to balance self-preservation with ambition in this male-dominated industry.  When do you speak up vs when do you send your message through other channels? Do you want to be right or do you want to be effective?

Episode 114: Tricia Lee, Director

This episode generously sponsored by: 

Tricia is a Canadian film Director, who earned her US Green Card as an Artist of Extraordinary Ability. She has 3 award-winning feature films, 2 webseries and 11 shorts under her belt which can be found on various digital platforms. Meeting Mommy, for example is a moving and powerful film about a father and daughter coping with a life twist they didn’t expect. Find it here.

We talked about finding your voice as a director and an artist, learning to write your own stories, and Tricia’s upcoming projects. She is very disciplined in her process.

Also, Tricia's short film Affection will be having its world premiere at the Oscar-Qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival on July 29, 2018.

You can learn more about Tricia here: wwwtricialeedirector.com.