I’m often asked what my favorite resources are for Creatives, and I figured that the top of 2019 is a great time to share these fantastic books and podcasts with you all. Whether last year was amazing for you or a tough ride, the new year always brings promise of a fresh start. These specific books and podcasts continually motivate and inspire me to stay the course and hunker down to move mountains in my personal life and career. My guess is that as we dive into 2019, they’ll do the same for you as well, so here we go!…
Author: Helenna Santos
Helenna Santos
Helenna Santos is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Ms. In The Biz. She is also an actor and producer with Mighty Pharaoh Films and can often be found on panels at conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con, and has been interviewed by major press outlets including CNN. Her work as a contributing writer has been featured in MovieMaker Magazine, Backstage Magazine, IndieWire and BUST Magazine. She has produced numerous award winning short films, digital series, and feature films. As an actor, she can be seen in CW's "The Flash," as well as ABC's "A Million Little Things" and "The Good Doctor", and the highly anticipated Netflix limited series "The Baby-Sitters Club". Her latest feature film as producer and actress "The Shasta Triangle" is now available via VOD.
Filmmaker Cindy Cullom has spent over three decades in the film industry beginning her career as an actress working with some of our greatest visionaries like Stephen King and David Lynch. Over time, Cindy has taken her passion for film and the horror and sci-fi genre to new levels. From acting to special effects to producing, this year she will put on the hat of Director. Over the years that she has spent in the film industry she has also worked as an airline pilot, and is proof that not even the sky’s the limit to what you can achieve…
I’ve been a fan of the Coatwolf gang ever since my dear friend Alexandra Boylan introduced me to Evan Glodell’s Bellflower back in 2011. This filmmaking group is innovative, fearless, and unlike anything or anyone making movies today. I became a Patreon supporter a while back and was floored by everything they are doing, and I knew instantly that I wanted to put a spotlight on their incredible female producers Chelsea St. John and Jet Kauffman. So here we go. I introduce to you the brilliant women of Coatwolf. How did you both start out in the film business? Chelsea:…
How did you get started in the industry, and how/why did you become a sales agent? I fell into it a bit randomly to be honest. I was working in the perfumery industry as a perfumer when I moved to LA. While I was working on a business plan to start a custom-made fragrances business, I needed to do something concrete to connect with people and stay active. Interning Deviant Films with producers David Hillary and Tim Peternel gave me this opportunity. The first film I ever worked on was Big Stan, starring Rob Schneider, David Carradine and Jennifer Morrison.…
I am a big fan of podcasts so when I heard that Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara had a podcast all about reading and anything to do with book and literary life, I was extremely excited. These ladies are hilarious, smart, and listening to them feels like I’m just chilling at home with my best friends. I thought the Ms. In The Biz community should know more about this great duo so here we go! You ladies are known as voracious readers to the fans of the Reading Glasses Podcast, but you are both also well known in entertainment industry. …
It’s no secret that I’m a “genre” movie lover. Sci-fi and horror are my jam, and I was absolutely transfixed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s The Endless. They recently released a fantastic behind the scenes video , and I was very excited to learn that the Production Design team was led by three powerhouse women, so here they are! Welcome, Ariel Vida (production designer) Kati Simon (art director) and Kim Berens (graphic designer). How did you all get started in the industry, and how/why did you choose to go into your various areas of production design? [Ariel] I’m a…
I have these Dirty Little Expectation Devils sitting on my shoulder. They come and go at their leisure enjoying the task of taunting me. They particularly like whispering in intoxicatingly sexy hushed tones that I’m a fraud and a failure, and that everything that I have achieved and will achieve in the future will never amount to anything. This is a hard article for me to write. As the founder of Ms. In The Biz I often feel like showing my own vulnerability or lack of “success” is a bad idea, which is ironic considering Ms. In The Biz’s strength…
Did you miss us? We sure missed you! As you may or may not know, Ms. In The Biz has been on hiatus from publishing new content for a year and a bit, but we are back in action! The writing team is very excited to be returning, especially because a lot has happened socially and politically since we took a break, and this feels like a great time to be back. All of the women who write for this site and who are part of this community have a great deal of knowledge and a love for sharing their…
I’ve been staring at a blank page on my computer for days now trying to figure out exactly what the last blog post on Ms. In The Biz should be like, what it should feel like, and all I know is that my heart is incredibly full of love and gratitude. Being that it’s Thanksgiving, it is the perfect time to say that I’m deeply thankful for every single word that has been published, every woman who has had her voice heard, every pair of eyes that have taken in those words and shared them and applauded them. For those…
As an indie film producer I’m often asked what my favorite resources are for filmmakers. With the help of my fellow Ms. In The Biz panelists at the HollyShorts Film Festival this past August (Alexandra Boylan, Etta Devine, America Young, and Leah Cevoli), we came up with our current favorites to share with you all! For the best tips and tricks, read on and click away… Podcasts: Filmmaking Stuff w/ Jason Brubaker http://www.filmmakingstuff.com Chicks Who Script http://www.chickswhoscript.com The Treatment http://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444886/kcrw-s-the-treatment The Business http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/the-business Blogs/Sites: MovieMaker Magazine – Note: look for all articles by Paul Osborne (they are stellar) also my…
In the fall of 2012 I was searching for a community, for a place where the incredible women I knew in the industry could gather online (and in-person) to tell their stories, and thus Ms. In The Biz was born. After launching in May of 2013 Ms. In The Biz has grown into even more than I thought it could be. Not only has it been viewed over 640,000 times by a worldwide readership, it has spawned the Ms. In The Biz #HireaMs database featuring hundreds of women with skills in every part of the film industry. We published a…
Etta Devine is INCREDIBLE. I mean her last name is “Devine” after all. She is hilarious and amazing and I am so happy to know her, not just because of said radness as a human on the planet, but also because her film Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse is fantastic and premiering at the Austin Film Festival this month! May I present to you Miss Etta Devine! ——– Where are you from originally and what brought you to this Lala land of the silver screen and wide-eyed dreamers? I’m from Chico, CA. It’s a very artsy college town and…
I am a horror/thriller genre LOVER. When I saw that writer/director Mike Flanagan had a new film called “Hush” out on Netflix via Blumhouse, I freaked out. I love his work. I love Blumhouse. I loved it before I pressed play. And then… I did press play and “Hush” was everything I knew it would be and more. Being the exhaustive researcher that I am, I started down the google and imdb rabbit holes and became thoroughly impressed with Kate Siegel who co-wrote “Hush” and starred in it. Many of the writers here at Ms. In The Biz (as well…
There is something that happens when you’ve been in Hollywood for a long time. At least it happened to me. I was caught in the hustle and the grind of the “business” and had forgotten about the reason I got into this all to begin with…. the ART. My heart was hurting and I wanted to do something that was purely art for art’s sake. I spent a lot of time in the California desert from 2013 to 2015 to just get out of the city and off the grid. While I was in various areas, I found a lot…