I was thrilled to get to interview the fantastic Kathleen Simmonds, who is blazing trails for women in the industry through a wide variety of projects. We talked about how she balances so many different hats, what makes her choose a new project, and some practical steps we can take to move towards more gender equality in the entertainment industry. First, I’d love to hear a little bit about how you went from being a corporate lawyer to diving into the entertainment industry? Was there a specific moment that inspired that leap? I grew up dancing and performing from the age…
Author: Laura Hunter Drago
A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be asked to attend The Chimaera Project’s “Intro to Action Filmmaking” workshop. I’ve been an actor my whole life but have never done any stunt work… to be honest it has always scared me! Now that I’m a producer who has a huge belief in creating a safe (physically, mentally, emotionally…) environment on set, learning more about the world of stunt work and action filmmaking has become a priority for me. This event was a perfect way to get my feet wet with some great information, and I’d highly recommend it…
“I’m not interested in competing with anyone. I hope we all make it.” I think about this Erica Cook quote a lot, especially in relation to women in film. It is my firm belief that one of the most important things we can do to make strides for women in the industry is to support each other. Not just the women who are making big budget blockbusters (who are awesome, and of course worthy of support) but also the female filmmakers who are making everything from low-budget indies, to television, to web series, and everything in between. Which is why I was…
I was lucky enough to attend the Women in Entertainment Summit at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center this October. After WIE co-founders Renee Rossi and Gretchen McCourt kicked off the event in style, the full-day schedule included conversational interviews with Patricia Heaton and Sarah Hyland, panels with creators and other influential women in the industry, and ample networking opportunities for event attendees. You’d have to be living under a rock not to know that we’re in the midst of a very important time for women culturally, and that the way women—and especially women of color—are marginalized in entertainment is at…
I had the pleasure of spending a fun weekend at the 15th Annual LA Femme Film Festival this October, and if you’re a filmmaker (especially if you’re a #womaninfilm) this event should absolutely be on your radar. Interesting panels, fun parties, a stellar lineup of films, web series, and music videos make up an awesome event that’s been making strides for women in film for 15 years. As festival director Leslie LaPage says, “We have been supporting women before it was cool!” Filmmaker Focused As a producer myself, one of the things I notice immediately about any festival is how…
I had a great time checking out the wonderfully fun work of actress, writer, and comedian Sarah Ann Masse. Read below for our interview with Sarah, chatting about her work, the #metoo movement, and how to manage being a “multi-hyphenate” in the entertainment industry. Give us a quick introduction to you and what you do! I am an actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. I started out doing ballet, theatre, musical theatre, singing in choirs and in bands. I trained professionally as an actor in NYC. Then, as I got older, I got more and more into improv and…
Most of us (myself included) are in a semi-constant state of phone scroll, especially when it comes to Instagram. Between friends’ vacation pictures and influencer style posts, I was excited to find something unique when Paper Year showed up in my feed. Shot with the slickness of longer-format projects, but within the 1-minute per video Instagram requirement, the project is a series of quick episodes chronicling the first year of a young couple’s marriage. The whole season can be watched in one short sitting, and its a great example of finding a creative way to utilize social media to reach…
I was thrilled to get a chance to connect with Jill Golick, the Executive Director of Women in View. Jill is also the co-author of the 2019 Women in View On Screen Report, an in-depth report about working to achieve gender parity in the Canadian film and television industry. The report has some fascinating insights and is worth a full read through at the Women in View website. Below you’ll find some great advice from Ms. Golick in our Q&A, including some excellent practical steps we can all take right now to help move the needle towards equality in the…
I’ll start off by admitting that I haven’t been all that “into” the major awards shows since I moved to Hollywood. While that attitude probably started off as a little bit of Bitter Actress Syndrome (a condition I think many of us are self-diagnosed with in our early-to-mid-20’s) it has evolved into a sense of being more about the work than the hype. I honestly find it a little frustrating to watch the Oscars, which so often seems to really miss the point of filmmaking in the first place. I mean, just this year a petition was required just to…
About a year ago, after a period that was nothing short of an emotional perfect storm, I started taking prescribed medication for anxiety. Full story? I had been avoiding getting on this kind of medication for basically my entire life. What I’ve realized is that this was in large part because I thought that my anxiety was directly linked to both my personality and my creativity. Turns out, I was deeply wrong about that, which is why I’m writing about it on Ms. in the Biz. There seems to be a recurring issue with my friends in creative industries. Many…
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, I’ve been reading more and more about steps that artistic productions are taking to make actors feel more comfortable on set. One of the most interesting developments that’s emerged is the idea of intimacy directors, who serve as both a choreographer of sorts as well as a contact point for performers to voice their concerns about intimate scenes. I spoke a bit with D.C. area theatre intimacy director Emily Sucher about her experiences in this field. Tell me a little about who you are and what you and how you got into intimacy…
Last week, I was lucky to have a chance to attend the release of Without Grace, a short film written by and starring Ms. in the Biz’s own Angela Cohen. The film is a powerful look at how mental illness impacts both the people who suffer from it as well as those who care for them. Director Deborah Kampmeier & Writer/Actress Angela Cohen, photo credit: Christine Celozzi The film (which was directed by Deborah Kampmeier and also features excellent performances from Cohen, Ann Dowd, and John Doman) is raw, impactful, and a great conversation-starter about mental health. Watch the film’s trailer here!…
I interned for a casting director in my early 20’s, and it was one of the best things I ever did for myself as an actor. Seeing how the audition process works from the other side is incredibly valuable and empowering, and if you get a chance to do it (even for a day or two as a reader) I highly recommend it! I recently got another taste of “the other side” in a different but equally important format: casting websites. After spending the better part of this year writing two feature-length screenplays, I reached the point where I needed…
This month, I interviewed Your Audition Friend’s Mara Klein about her new company that solves a very common actor problem: having an experienced and enthusiastic person to read lines with for audition prep and/or self-tapes. Mara has a wealth of experience—and this interview is packed with truly good tips for auditioning…seriously. It’s awesome to see a business created for actors that is so helpful and practical. Read on for Mara’s tips on getting ready for an audition, self-taping, and how she’s using her acting skills in her entrepreneurial endeavors! Hi, Mara! Tell us a little about yourself. Well, I’m an…