They say behind every great director is an exhausted producer. And behind some producers, there’s an adorable toddler with a bubble gun pointed directly at their face. So give everyone some grace!
Game show pitch: adults try to do normal life tasks, but the catch is they have 30 seconds and a toddler in their way.
Heading up the elevator, arms full of grocery bags, with a toddler who demands to be carried
Trying to put groceries away while the toddler keeps turning off the light and shutting the pantry door
Frying bacon while the toddler tugs at your pants, desperate to participate
Any takers? HMU.
Since I’m deep in teaching mode for the Green Light Ready masterclass this week, it’s a good time to share some of the hardworking faces behind your favorite directors.
These five episodes from the AOP archives are excellent nuggets on how these producers got their start, how they linked up with the directors they’ve worked with, and the unique challenges they’ve faced along the way.
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Sev and I go way back... like to before he made Searching. During our time together, we talked about his first foray into filmmaking: an $800 micro-budget film shot on his dad's home video camera, how his working relationship with Coogler came to be, and the trials and tribulations of shooting on location in the swamps of Louisiana.
An OG guest, Maggie came on the show back when it was audio only from my living room. When we recorded, she was still in her music video producer era, and we went deep on how lonely freelancing can be, why kindness on set is crucial, and growing from our mistakes. These days, she's out here real fancy, now running Kristen Stewart's company. And they have a really fun film coming out in August. We are overdue for a part two... stay tuned!
Hours before we recorded, Alex found out he was an Oscar-nominated producer. It was special to capture this pivotal moment in his career, and he had also either just had a baby or was about to have one! He's delightful and extremely candid about making commercials to pay the bills and buy himself the freedom to produce films.
Ali and I met in a mom group, as one does, when she was in an in-between phase of her career. She's impressive and inspiring, and I found her so even before her new post as President of Film at Miramax. We discuss the evolving definition of a producer's role in Hollywood, the power of women in their 40s, and how the making of this film changed her life.
This was 5 years ago... in my pre-married and pre-baby life when I was still recording on Zoom, and Mollye had recently won an Academy Award for Chloé Zhao's Nomadland. We discuss her origins, what it's like to accept that gold statue, and how working with Chloé shaped her.
Can’t wait to hear what gold you mine from these episodes. And as always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!
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