Sundance's Michelle Satter Is The Fairy Godmother of Indie Film

Mother's Day Weekend!

May 12, 2023

Happy Friday!

I am dedicated to popping in your inbox weekly, so here we are again! This newsletter initially began as a way to keep an open line to you, my dear listener, while also sharing past episodes and insightful links, articles, resources to help you on your journey.

As OG listeners know, I've always been deeply curious about the messy parts, the hard stuff, the caca. 

So, in the spirit of transparency, I gotta be honest that this week has been particularly hard in my world.It began on a high note, feeling optimistic about my ability to handle whatever life threw my way, and by Wednesday, it felt like an unexpected GOT style battle where a knight galloped towards me with such speed and force that knocked me right off my horse.

Chink in my armor and all, I was able to rise but it doesn't lessen the blow.When life surprises me with unexpected sadness, I turn to my community for support, meditation for grounding (shout out to Insight Timer, who is not a sponsor but should be!), and wine because the delicious taste serves as a reminder that life is so rich. Humans, but especially women and mothers, are extremely resilient.

The challenging times always remind me of the power of storytelling; how stories help us see ourselves in each other and feel less alone in our experiences.Isn't it wild to think whatever you have, are and/or go through, someone else in the world has probably already experienced it too?

Pretty wild, this life thing...But hey, thanks for doing this life thing with me!

HIGHLIGHT EPISODE

In honor of all Mother's Day and all mamas out there, throwing it back to my chat with THE fairy godmother of independent film, Michelle Satter. She is the Founding Director of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and has passionately ushered the world of independent film to new heights since 1981. 

Also! Going to be recording another solo episode answer your questions soon. Email me your questions.

PRODUCERS CORNER

WINS

Laughed my face off at Chelsea Devantez's Glamorous Trash party this week. Stand up! Drag queens! Bingo! What more do you need?

WOMPS

Called an exec to a catch up and only realized 2 minutes into the conversation it was...the  wrong JOHN.  Quite embarrassing.

The Representation Project has released some eye opening data on the current state of the industry. The annual report combines public research with their findings to "track representation of gender, race, age, disability, body size, and sexuality in entertainment media over the last decade." 

While there's been some progress in the last decade, women producers remain highly underrepresented. In 2022, men producers outnumbered women producers nearly three-to-one. Sadly, no data is available on BIPOC producers over the past decade.  Read the full 20 page report here.

Don't underestimate the power of a walk.

This article by the Harvard Business Review reminds us that walking is one of the simplest and most strategic things you can do for yourself. According to the CDC, a single bout of moderate-to-vigorous activity (including walking) can improve our sleep, thinking, and learning while reducing symptoms of anxiety.

In light of the news that Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are returning for a sequel for Freaky Friday 20 years later (which, is really hard to comprehend how two decades just flew by?) I wanted to share a fun throwback movie as an idea for you to watch this weekend with your loved ones. We all need some nostalgic laughs. 

Amblin Physical Production is casting a wide net to find a Summer intern who will work with Production, VFX and Production Finance.  It's for college credit!

"You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself, and the organization gets pulled up with you." 

- Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo