OLD DADS Producer Monica Levinson

Happy Friday, Dear Listener!

Here we are, the first newsletter of the new year. I hope you're kicking off 2024 energized and ready for forward momentum.

The industry did not ricocheted back these first two weeks like many hoped. More more layoffs announced at Amazon and Topic Studios. It's such a bummer. But! A glimmer of hope is that two badass producer friends Sergio Lira and Lynette Coll have launched Luz Films, a production company focused on Latino prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse visionary creatives and producers in the film and TV space.

Vamossss!

I'm certainly feeling that January spark and was for sure one of the eager beavers emailing everyone on January 2nd. #sorrynotsorry.

We got thangs to do, everybody!I have many goals and new offerings for the show I'll be sharing in coming months, but my priority is connecting with and growing our community. Two of my focuses to help achieve that are:

• Gathering in person once a quarter - I want to meet you all!

• Expanding the reach of this newsletter

The newsletter will drop every two weeks and there will be many exciting announcements to come in the next months. 😬If you are in Los Angeles, please SAVE THE DATE of Tuesday Feb 27th.

As you know, the show is a pure labor of labor, so I hope you'll consider supporting this it by buying me a coffee. ☕☕☕ Thanks for listening, for being a part of my journey, and for doing this life thing with me!

HIGHLIGHT EPISODE

Thrilled to kick off 2024 with the prolific film and television producer, Monica Levinson.Some of her impressive credits include BORAT, BRUNO, ZOOLANDER, Larry David's CLEAR HISTORY, Tara Miele's WANDER DARKLY, David Oyelowo's THE WATER MAN and Aaron Sorkin's THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7.Starting her career in broadcast news in her hometown of Washington, D.C., Monica transitioned into narrative storytelling by working with visionary directors including Alan J. Pakula and Sidney Lumet.She most recently produced OLD DADS, the Netflix comedy written, directed and starring Bill Burr which did really well on the platform when it dropped last October.On top of a busy producing career, she is also an executive board member of AMPAS, PGA, DGA, and on the leadership team for the Women's Production Society.Mentorship is very important to her and she certainly walks the walk. I count myself lucky to know her as an ally and a mentor.She's constantly giving back and she drops lots of gems during our chat, such as:

1. Jobs that aren’t exactly what you want to be doing can provide a foundation for the jobs you want

2. Filmmaking is a collaboration - be prepared but remember you’re not alone

3. Working in production is still creative!

Click to Listen

PRODUCER’S CORNER

How film distributor A24 became the hottest name in merch [Business of Fashion]

Ava DuVernay on how she cobbled together financing for Origin [The Hollywood Reporter]

Behind the scenes of POOR THINGS with Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos [YouTube]

GRANTS & FUNDS

Film Independent Imaginar TV Incubator for Fearless Latinx Creators -  A two-week program built to further the careers of Latinx creators in dramatic television. Comes with a $3,000 grant. Deadline 2/2/24 [apply]

Sundance Institute Sandbox Fund - Supports innovative nonfiction projects that inspire a deeper interest in scientific inquiry. Deadline 2/5/24 [apply]

Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship - Yearlong fellowship open to emerging documentary and fiction filmmakers ages 18-25. Deadline 2/7/24 [apply]

Panavision’s New Filmmaker Program- Loans digital camera packages (based on availability) to filmmakers for student thesis films and low-budget independent features shot in the US [apply]

"You don't learn from successes, you don't learn from awards, you don't learn from celebrity, you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures. And that's the truth.” – Jane Fonda