Welcome back to Ms In The Biz and welcome to 2020! Have you written down…
About Deborah Lee Smith
Deborah Lee Smith is an award-winning actor, producer, and founder of “More Than You See”, a non profit organization dedicated to sharing stories and resources surrounding the daily struggles of mental health. Recent projects include “Here Awhile” starring Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), and “Last Three Days” starring Robert Palmer Watkins (General Hospital). Deborah is also a regular contributing staff writer for the entertainment website “Ms. In The Biz”.
2019 was chock-full of great films featuring strong women kicking butt and taking names. With…
About Bonita Gutierrez
Bonita found her way to the stage at the early age of five. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to get into "The Biz." Over the years, she's played many roles from actor to producer, screenwriter to filmmaker — and now novelist. Under the banner of Empyrean Press, Bonita has co-authored five books in her urban fantasy series, The Werewolf Whisperer. With a background in Jeet Kune Do Kung Fu (Bruce Lee's art), Bonita holds a black belt in Kickboxing-MMA and trains in Kali-Eskrima (stick and knife fighting). An avid runner, student of film and lover of music, Bonita is a self-proclaimed hamburger connoisseur with a passion for all things Star Wars and Buffy.
We all know what we’re signing up for when we decide to pursue a creative…
About Sarah J Eagen
A TV actor and writer, Sarah is currently a semifinalist for the prestigious Humanitas NEW VOICES program. She was recently staffed on the sci fi audio drama The Veil from Voxx Studios. Sarah co-wrote/produced/acted in the short Soledad, which screened on the Disney lot at the end of 2018. She was a top 10 finalist for the Stage 32 TV Writing Contest in 2019, a finalist for the NYTVF Script Comp in 2018, and the Women in Film/Blacklist Episodic lab in the fall of 2017. Sarah recently appeared on an episode of The Big Bang Theory, TV's longest-running multi-cam comedy, which was a dream come true because she double majored in Neuroscience and Theatre. She also played the helpful paralegal Carol in CBS's action comedy Rush Hour, and had the pleasure of sharing the screen with funny lady Kristen Schaal in the feature film Austin Found.
“I’m not interested in competing with anyone. I hope we all make it.” I think about…
About Laura Hunter Drago
Laura Hunter Drago is a producer, writer, and actress living in Los Angeles, California. Laura is a proud SAG-AFTRA member, is the assistant editor-in-chief of Ms. in the Biz, and is the co-founder of New Girl Pictures. She also likes baking, obsessing over Olympic ice dancers, and having long conversations with her dog Buffy. She dislikes being bored. Most recently, Laura just completed her first feature film as a producer, To The New Girl, which will screen at festivals in 2020.
I have produced over 10 film projects in my first 15 years in Hollywood and…
About Jennica Schwartzman
Jennica Schwartzman, a member of The Producer’s Guild of America, loves tackling a project from idea to distribution. Jennica has been published in the Producer’s Guild Magazine Produced By, Legacy Arts Magazine, Bustle and she is a guest writer on the acclaimed entertainment industry websites MsInTheBiz.com, FilmmakingStuff.com, Artemis Motion pictures’ #WomenKickAss Forum, & WomenandHollywood.com. She has been invited to speak on film festival panels and is a teacher & workshop speaker for The International Family Film Festival’s Road Scholars intergenerational filmmaking camp. Jennica has 6 feature film releases scheduled for 2018. Her films have collected TOP awards from Bentonville Film Fest, Big Bear Lake Int’l Film Fest, Eureka Springs Indie Fest, Film Fest Twain Harte, Worldfest Houston, Fayetteville Film Festival, The Int’l Family Film Fest, & the highest honor from The Dove Foundation. Jennica and her husband/producing partner/writing partner Ryan have 2 kiddos and reside in Hollywood.
Well, here we are at the end of the year! To me this year went…
About Erin Leigh Neumeyer
Erin Leigh Neumeyer is a family and headshot photographer and actress-VO artist-director-writer, you know the all around multi-hyphenate “maker" type. Erin’s favorite phrase is "Imperfect Action beats Perfect Inaction every time.” She has a background in PR and Marketing and has worked with non-profits like The Humane Society and Project Angel Food, fundraising, running events and managing communication. She is also the Communications Director of Connect Film Festival. Her training began in theatre and improv and she’s a graduate of the Second City Conservatory in Chicago as well as iO Chicago and iO west. She is a proud member of Women In Film, Women in Animation and is a huge fan of Seed and Spark, Film Powered and of course, Ms. in the Biz. Living in LA she feels at home and loves the creative energy. She has two children who she adores and who also work in the entertainment industry and her adorable Siberian Husky, Thunder, has been called in to audition from time to time. Erin is currently filming a web series with her kids called Your Neighbors The Neumeyer’s, in pre-production on a social activism themed short film that she wrote and regularly works on projects at HitRECORD. Keep up with Erin: Entertainment: ErinNeumeyer.com Instagram: @ErinLeighNeumeyer Twitter: @ErinNeumeyer Photography: ErinLeighPhotography.com & ePhotoLA.com Instagram: @ephotla Twitter @erinLEIGHphotog
When I was a kid, The Wizard of Oz would air on television once a…
About Bonita Gutierrez
Bonita found her way to the stage at the early age of five. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to get into "The Biz." Over the years, she's played many roles from actor to producer, screenwriter to filmmaker — and now novelist. Under the banner of Empyrean Press, Bonita has co-authored five books in her urban fantasy series, The Werewolf Whisperer. With a background in Jeet Kune Do Kung Fu (Bruce Lee's art), Bonita holds a black belt in Kickboxing-MMA and trains in Kali-Eskrima (stick and knife fighting). An avid runner, student of film and lover of music, Bonita is a self-proclaimed hamburger connoisseur with a passion for all things Star Wars and Buffy.
I first met Alayna Silverberg at a screening in Vancouver, BC for a fantastic sci-fi/thriller…
About 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.
