The Reel Women

Category: Producer

  • Shannon R. Hammond

    Shannon R. Hammond

    “Be careful whose opinion you take about your career. The loudest voices telling me this industry was not for me were people who knew nothing about it.”

    Producer, Line Producer, 1st AD & Production Manager — shannonhammondproducer.com

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    I came to film and television by a somewhat indirect route. When I first left school, I was unsure what I wanted to pursue, and at my mother’s encouragement I enrolled in business studies. I completed a full year before recognising it was not the right fit. I then moved into IT, which I found equally unfulfilling, and eventually left college to take an apprenticeship at a clothing store.

    The turning point came when my mother saw a newspaper advertisement for a Prince’s Trust programme in creative media. At eighteen, I joined a week-long intensive course covering video, photography and music production. I had studied photography at school and loved it, and the course rekindled that passion while introducing me to moving image. I was fortunate to be mentored by Simon Green, whom I still hold in high regard. By the end of that week, I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.

    I returned to college to study media, working as a wedding photographer and in other roles alongside my studies. I also gained hands-on experience with CCC Productions on a range of low-budget projects, including a short film, television pilots and music videos. I then secured my first role at the BBC as a production office runner, and later returned to work on The Big Questions. It was at that point that film and television became not just an interest, but a career.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    I think the industry still underestimates the depth of experience women in my position bring. I have spent a decade working across independent features, scripted series, branded content and large-scale international live events, and that experience is not only technical. It is experience with people, with problems, and with the full arc of a production from prep through to delivery. That tends to be assumed rather than recognised, and it is often assumed downward.

    The second thing, and perhaps the more interesting one, is patience. It is frequently mistaken for softness, when in practice it is one of the most useful things you can have on a set. When something goes wrong, or someone makes a mistake, the response determines whether you lose an hour or lose the day. In my experience, the women I work with handle those moments as well as anyone in the industry, and often better, because they are focused on solving the problem rather than on being seen to be in charge of it. That is a professional skill, not a temperament.

    It is changing, slowly. But the assumption still has to be corrected more often than it should be.

    What does success mean to you?

    Success is quite a personal question for me. I did not come from a background where this was an obvious path. I grew up and studied in low income areas, and there was not a great deal of expectation that this industry was available to me. A fair number of people told me I should not be in it at all, usually people who knew nothing about it.

    So part of what success means is simply the body of work. I have worked on films that have played in theatres, with A-list talent, with some of the biggest names in golf, and I have seen a great deal of the world through this job. I know that I am very good at what I do, and I do not say that lightly.

    But the honest answer is smaller than that. Success, to me, is the people in my life taking a genuine interest in the work. Very few people ask me about it, I suspect because they do not really understand it. What I love about being on set is that everyone there does. You ask someone what they have been working on, they ask you the same, and you both understand the answer. Success would be having a little more of that outside of work. Someone asking what I am up to, and finding it as interesting as I do.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    What I am most proud of is the trust people place in me. I have worked with a great many first-time directors and people who are new to the industry, and they often come to me having spent years writing, rewriting and testing a script. It is something they have poured themselves into, and they want more than anything to see it made.

    When they bring that to me, they are trusting me to take care of it: to protect it, to steer it through production and to turn it into something real. That is not a responsibility I take lightly. I often tell people, bring me your project and I will make it a reality, and I am proud that I can keep that promise, particularly at the lower budget end, where there is very little margin and every decision counts.

    Most people never see that side of the job. What they see is the finished film. What I see is the moment someone realises the thing they imagined for years actually exists, and that I helped get it there. That is what I am proudest of.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    I have been in this industry for over thirteen years, and I have worked across almost every part of it. I have made things with nothing more than one other person and a camera. I have produced student projects of my own and worked on guerrilla-style independent films at the very lowest end of the budget scale. I have also filmed tournament openers for international golf events that went out to broadcast, worked with major commercial sponsors and corporate clients in New York, and collaborated with people whose time is worth a great deal more than mine, helping bring their stories to life. I have not yet worked on a large-scale Hollywood production, but I have seen enough of this industry to know where I fit in it.

    The hardest period for me was my move from the UK to the US, just over a year ago. I turned down a significant opportunity in the UK to relocate for my husband’s job, and for a while my confidence took a knock. I genuinely questioned whether this was still the right path. Then I went through four rounds of interviews with a highly respected US production company, and they wanted me. That was a turning point. It reminded me that however tired I am, and however I feel on a given day, I am good at what I do. I simply need the right opportunity, and I am confident it will come. Several have come my way recently that I have had to turn down because of scheduling, and I believe those will come back around.

    So what keeps me going is that certainty. Whether it is a low budget independent, a corporate shoot or, one day, a Hollywood set, this is what I will be doing for the rest of my life.

    What is one piece of advice you wish you had heard earlier?

    The advice I wish I had heard earlier is that it is fine not to know what you want to do yet, but it is not fine to stay on a path simply because someone else chose it for you. I spent a full year in business studies and then moved into IT, largely because it seemed sensible and it was what was expected. I disliked both, and it took leaving college entirely before I found my way to a week-long creative media course that changed everything.

    Alongside that, I would add: be careful whose opinion you take about your career. Some of the loudest voices telling me this industry was not for me were people who knew nothing about it. The people whose advice actually helped were the ones already doing the work.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    I am a freelance producer, line producer, 1st AD and production manager based in Garwood, New Jersey, about thirty minutes from Penn Station, working across the New York and New Jersey market. My background spans independent features, scripted series, branded content and large-scale international live events.

    I am always looking for collaborators, particularly writers and directors working on independent narrative projects. I am a movie buff at heart, and I love narrative structure in all its forms, whether that is film, television, comics or books. If it is a great character-led story with strong bones, it will probably interest me. I especially enjoy working with first-time filmmakers who need someone to help carry a project from script to screen. Low budget does not scare me; that is where I do some of my best work.

    I currently have several proof-of-concept projects that have been filmed and are looking for the right homes, so I would love to hear from festivals, platforms, producers or anyone who can help them reach an audience. I also have an exciting feature opportunity that is already partially funded, and I am looking for investors, production partners and collaborators to help get it made.

    You can find my work at shannonhammondproducer.com, and I can be reached at contact@shannonhammondproducer.com. For anyone curious about what I watch, I am also on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/shanh.

  • Catherine Black

    Catherine Black

    “Stop waiting for permission or to feel good enough. The encouragement you seek will not arrive, so build it within yourself. Find other women and communities that lift each other up.”

    Director, Actor, Writer, Producer & Intimacy Coordinator — @dubhcat

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    I always loved films and would watch a movie over and over again as a child, a habit that I continued throughout my life. I wrote out entire screenplays (of the movies I was watching) in school when we were supposed to write in our journal. I filmed and photographed people constantly as I grew up. Humanity, their stories and the way in which a point of view can tell those stories through film has always captured my attention. I didn’t know that I could be a director and so I became an actor. The first four directors I worked with were women with a strong vision. I worked with Mary Harron on American Psycho who was calm, brilliant, inspired by everything I did, and laser focused on what she was doing. She also had a newborn baby on her hip at the age of 49. I was performing opposite huge stars, but they didn’t intimidate me. It was Mary Harron who I most admired that day. I wanted Mary Harron’s job one day. I just had a day player role, but when I was leaving after my 14 hour day, Mary Harron ran after me to thank me. What a class act. I shadowed a female director I had worked with as an actor at the National Film Board of Canada after that, but it would still take me another twelve years before I directed anything.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    I think a big misconception is that if a woman is calm and confident, but not loud and overbearingly confident, then she can’t do the job of a director. But if she’s too confident then she’s “bizarre” or “who does she think she is?!” It’s a fine balance to evoke the right flavor of confidence when a man doesn’t even have to have a body of work, like a woman does, and is still taken seriously. I’m not entirely sure what they think, but I can see that people respect my work and women like me, but I can also see that that doesn’t matter if no one is going to support it. The industry can determine that a woman is a talented filmmaker, yet that still doesn’t translate to actual public support, distribution or getting hired again. I think the industry thinks it’s supporting women because we talk about it now, but talk isn’t enough. A female director still faces the same systemic barriers as twenty years ago, but now the industry acts like they don’t while it pats itself on the back for noticing.

    What does success mean to you?

    Success to me is being able to keep making art with other great artists and working in the arts for a living.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    I’m most proud of myself for continuing to pursue my dreams despite adversity. I left home when I was 15 and didn’t have any emotional or financial support or guidance. I was truly alone and had injuries, surgeries and health challenges throughout my twenties, but still moved to the USA by myself to pursue my dreams. It was really difficult and I often felt like forces were working against me. Despite everything, I have managed to make the films that I wanted to make and I have continued to work in the arts with great artists, which makes me feel lucky and incredibly proud of myself for all that I’ve accomplished.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    There are a few answers to this. First, I wouldn’t know what else to do. I’m in too deep and I can’t turn back now. I also believe in my bones that when I’m directing I know what I’m doing. I feel in my power when I’m on set and I’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge from all of my experience, and that allows me to say with confidence that I know what I’m doing. I don’t feel that way in other areas of my life.

    What is one piece of advice you wish you had heard earlier?

    Stop waiting for permission or to feel good enough. The encouragement you seek will not arrive, so build it within yourself. Find other women and communities that lift each other up.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    You can find me at catherineblack.com and my films at directedbycatherineblack.com.

    I am a director-actor-intimacy coordinator and acting teacher in Los Angeles. I began working as an intimacy coordinator in 2024 after years of training, which I love and which combines all of my accumulated knowledge and interests. I love collaborating – it’s what I love most about working in film. I love working with all the HOD’s and how we all come together to create dynamic storytelling, bringing something special to life. I’m currently writing a feature film to direct and act in and always looking for intimacy coordinating opportunities and acting work (my first love).

  • Nicola Rose

    Nicola Rose

    “Do not ignore even the slightest red flag.”

    Producer, Director, Writer & Editor — @nicolarosedirects

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    Why, a fuzzy pink puppet, of course, just like everybody! In another chapter of my life, I worked as a puppeteer. My first foray into film was making a web series (intended for adults) about a puppet. It had a budget of approximately zero dollars and was one of the most positive filmmaking experiences I ever had. Thank goodness I had a bunch of talented and capable crew friends who were willing to work for practically pennies to help me bring it to fruition. Without them, I’d have learned nothing.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    About women in general, that their voices, ideas and work are somehow lesser-than — a culture of toxicity that breeds not only poor treatment from men but poor treatment from women towards each other. All of our work is different and there is space for all of us.

    About women “like me” — well, that would be (for one thing) women who favor stories about teenagers and children growing up. 9 times out of 10 it’s assumed that we must love “kiddie content.” In fact — and I don’t know who else I’m speaking for here, but they’re out there — when we make films about kids and teens in this way, we’re telling stories about people at a time of raw, confusing, deeply uncomfortable transition that’s both joyful and often intensely sad. There’s nothing kiddie about it.

    What does success mean to you?

    Sticking the landing. I watch videos of gymnasts vaulting and figure skaters landing their jumps before I direct stuff. That’s the kind of mental fortitude I want to bring to what I do. If I can manage that, I’ve succeeded.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    Film-wise, my answer would be the little short films I never show anybody these days. Without those technically unsound beginnings, I would have never made anything better. They laid the foundation for everything afterwards.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    Coffee and rage.

    What is one piece of advice you wish you had heard earlier?

    Do not ignore even the slightest red flag.

    What do you hope to accomplish in your creative work this year?

    Turn a corner in my storytelling and help other filmmakers to tell theirs.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    My two features Magnetosphere and Goodbye, Petrushka are streaming on several platforms including Tubi and Amazon Prime. Magnetosphere is about a 13-year-old girl who has synesthesia, a neurological condition where the senses are mixed (such that people might hear colors, see sound, etc).

    Goodbye, Petrushka is about an American college student’s misadventures in France, and although it wasn’t my intention to portray neurodivergence in that one, a number of neurodivergent and autistic viewers have written to say they see themselves in the character. So maybe both films are about neurodiversity. To me, they’re just about growing up.

  • Michelle Mary Schaefer

    Michelle Mary Schaefer

    “I will cry, and say ‘Annabelle, we did it’ and it will be proof that rejection does not have to be the end of the story.”

    Producer, Director, Writer & Actor, Founder of Annabelle Louise Productions — @annabellelouiseproductions

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    Ever since I was a kid, I have always been passionate about storytelling. I grew up loving films, acting, and creating stories, but as I got older, I realized how rarely authentic stories and accurate representation are shown onscreen and stage especially as a Deaf person. Often times our stories are told inaccurate in a harmful ways or even hearing Actors playing a Deaf character which robs our opportunities, our story, and our voice. Instead of waiting for ableist system to finally come around to give me opportunities or for someone to decide whether I was “worthy” of playing a role simply because I am Deaf, I decided to create my own opportunities. My stories matters. My life experience matters. My voice matters. That is why I created and founded Annabelle Louise Productions.

    I have been in the industry for over 35 years and have written three tv series, and four feature films and am still working hard to get them all greenlit. My goal is not only to tell compelling, authentic stories, but also to create opportunities for people who have historically been underrepresented both in front of and behind the camera. There is so much talent, creativity, passion, and capability within underrepresented communities. The problem is not a lack of talent. The problem is a system that too often refuses to see it, invest in it, or provide equal opportunities.

    As a Deaf artist, I know firsthand what it means to navigate audism — the oppression, discrimination and rejection that Deaf people experience because they are Deaf. I have spend years navigating those barriers, but refuse to let them define what I can create. I’m not waiting for someone else to open the door. I’m building my own door and hoping it open for others. Authentic representation matters. Inclusion matters. Accessibility matters. And our stories deserve to be told by the people who have lived them. I create because I believe we are capable. We are talented, We all have stories to tell.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    You don’t know me until you meet me. I strongly believe that both the entertainment industry and society have often perceived me as “dumb,” “incapable,” or “less worthy” simply because I am Deaf — and because I am a woman. Where do these perception come from? They can begin with what the society is taught to believe about people who are different. They can come from medical professionals, parents, teachers, families, friends, employers, and institutions that unknowingly or knowingly reinforce assumptions about what a Deaf person can or cannot do.

    But let me be clear I’m Deaf not Dumb. I’m Deaf not Lazy. I’m Deaf not incapable. My accomplishments speak for themselves. I hold an AA Degree in Theatre, a BS in Corporate Communication, a MS in Education, as well we certification and professional training in Films/TV, the Business of Entertainment, Intimacy Coordination/Direction and Mental Health Coordination. I am an actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, director, producer, creative professional. And have produced 4 shorts, and three of them are award-winning films, and still continue to working hard to greenlit my features and shorts.

    And yet, despite my education, experience, skills, and decades of dedication to the entertainment industry, I still struggle to even get an interview for employment. Sometimes the barrier isn’t my qualification. The barrier is whether someone ever takes the time to see me beyond a label. Human resources system, Studios, Producers can filter people before they have the opportunity to speak for themselves. Automated hiring systems, email screening and AI-driven screening can reinforce barriers when resumes doesn’t fit a predetermined formula. And when assumptions about Deafness are already present, the door can close before I even have a chance to walk through it. That is incredibly frustrating.

    Because time and time again, I have discovered something: People are often wrong about me until they meet me. Once we actually sit down, communicate, exchange ideas and have a conversation, suddenly they discover that I am capable, educated, creative, passionated, talented, experienced, determined and full of ideas. So instead of judging me from a resume, checkbox, assumption, or an algorithm, I invite you to meet me. Let’s grab a coffee and chat. Let’s talk about storytelling, representation, accessibility, business, creating and opportunities. You might discover that the person you thought you knew from a label is nothing like the person sitting across from you.

    I’m not asking for sympathy. I’m asking for opportunity. I’m asking you to look beyond the assumptions. Because when you give people the opportunity to be seen, heard and valued for what they can actually contribute, everyone wins. So If you believe in authentic representation, inclusion, accessibility, and creating meaningful change — and yes, let’s grab the coffee and chat!

    What does success mean to you?

    What success mean to me, as success can mean so many different things in life. For me, a true success is much bigger than money, awards, credits or recognition. True success is when all human beings, including the Deaf and Disabled people are seen and treated equally. It is a world where accessibility exists everywhere without us constantly having to advocate, educate, explain, fight, or battle system that were never designed with us in mind. It is a world where Deaf and Disabled people have genuine opportunities in life and in their careers not because someone feels sorry for us but because our talent, skills, creativity, and humanity are recognized. It is a world where inclusion is real. Where accessibility is expected. Where safety matters. Where we don’t have to fight just to belong. That would be a huge success.

    Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I will ever see that world in my lifetime. Deaf and Disabled people have been fighting against discrimination and oppression for generation which the fight feels endless. But I still have hope. I hope through my authentic story telling, I can reach people. I hope my stories can make someone think differently. I hope they can be reminded people that behind label is a human being with dreams, feelings, talent, experience, and a story worth hearing. Maybe I cannot change the entire world. But if I can change one person’s perspective, open one door, create one opportunity, then my work matters.

    And right now, my personal definition of success is very specific. I want to see Bell’s Darkness greenlit. I’m actively seeking funding, partnership, and in-kind support to bring this powerful, authentic feature film to life. But this film means far more to me than simply making a movie. It is connected to a promise I made to my beloved Annabelle Louise Schaefer, the CEO of Annabelle Louise Productions, who has passed away. I am keeping that promise. I have carried this dream through years of oppression, rejection, discrimination, audism, and countless moments when society and the industry made me question whether there was a place or someone like me. I’m still here, still moving forward and the day will come when Bell’s Darkness has its red-carpet premiere. And when I stand there looking at the screen, surrounded by the people who helped make it possible, I know exactly what I will say. I will cry, and say “Annabelle, we did it” and it will be a proof that rejection does not have to be the end of the story. Sometimes, you have to become the person who creates the opportunity you were never given.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    A promise, a love, a legacy. It is my promise to my beloved late Annabelle Louise Schaefer, carried forward with the love we shared. Annabelle believed in me, in my dreams, and in the stories I wanted to tell. Her love became part of the foundation upon which I continue to create. She may no longer be here on this earthly presence but her love remains with me — in my heart, in my work, and in every step I take.

    What is one piece of advice you wish you had heard earlier?

    I don’t have any advice that I wish I had heard, but am navigating this alone with the love that Annabelle has given me.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    I’m always looking for dedicated passionate collaborators to come together to bring stories to life as well as roles to portray, as I’m a human just like you all as I do not want to be limited due to the assumptions of me. Anything is possible once we all open our mind, eyes and heart. Contact me, and let’s get creative as well as to make a difference together!

    Find out more at annabellelouiseproductions.com and michellemaryschaefer.com.

  • Monique Efta

    Monique Efta

    “You don’t need permission to begin, and you don’t have to have it all figured out to take the first step.”

    Producer, Director, Writer — @monique.efta

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    Some of my earliest memories are of being completely fascinated by awards shows. The Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, I loved all of it. I honestly couldn’t tell you why. I just remember being excited by that world from a really young age.

    Being from such a small town in Minnesota, I never thought film or television was something I could actually be a part of. At the time, I thought acting was basically the only way into that world, and acting didn’t feel like a possibility for me. I didn’t even understand how many other people it took to tell those stories, so filmmaking wasn’t something I considered.

    That changed much later in my life.

    I grew up extremely religious and at some point realized I was questioning my sexuality. I found I was looking for myself in the world around me. I was looking at music, film and television, at other people’s stories, trying to find something that reflected back to me that the life I was beginning to imagine for myself was possible. That’s when I really began to understand why visibility matters.

    Later, after leaving an abusive relationship, I found myself at another crossroads, asking what I actually wanted my life to be. And one of the things that became very clear was that I wanted to be part of creating that visibility for someone else.

    I wanted to tell the kinds of stories that might help someone recognize themselves, feel less alone, or see a possibility for their life that they couldn’t see before.

    Looking back, it’s interesting that I was drawn to this world long before I knew there was a place for me in it. I just had to find my way there.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    I think the industry still has a very narrow idea of when a woman’s story is interesting and what an interesting woman is supposed to look like.

    I didn’t even start thinking about being a filmmaker until I was 36. I came out as a lesbian later in life. I’ve changed careers, questioned everything I once believed, started over more than once, left an abusive relationship, fallen in love again, and continued figuring out who I am along the way. My life didn’t become less interesting as I got older, it became more interesting.

    I think we still see so much emphasis on youth, especially when it comes to women, when there are incredibly rich stories happening in the middle of people’s lives. Women are starting over. They’re coming out. They’re leaving marriages or religions or careers. They’re discovering parts of themselves they didn’t have access to when they were younger.

    And I don’t think those stories are only valuable to the women living them. They’re human stories.

    I also think we underestimate how powerful it is to see someone on screen who doesn’t have everything figured out by 25. Sometimes the most meaningful representation isn’t seeing someone who already knows exactly who they are. It’s seeing someone realize they still have permission to become someone new.

    What does success mean to you?

    Success to me isn’t based on income, how many films I’ve made, or whether people know my name. It’s when someone tells me they identified with something in one of my films or something they’ve heard me talk about. If something I’ve created makes someone feel seen, less alone, or even a little more hopeful about their own life, that feels like success to me.

    We live in a capitalist society that tends to assign value to art, and to people, based on how much money they make or how much recognition they receive. I don’t believe those things are the same as worth. A film not making a lot of money doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Maybe the filmmaker didn’t have the money or connections to get it in front of a larger audience. So much of what we traditionally call success can also be influenced by access and privilege, who you know, where you grew up, and what opportunities you were exposed to.

    I struggled for a long time to even call myself a filmmaker because I wasn’t making a lot of money doing it. I’ve done a tremendous amount of work for free, to learn, build my skills, meet people, and create opportunities for myself. Starting later in life makes that even more challenging, especially as a woman. I entered this industry at 36 knowing absolutely nothing about how it worked and without an established network. In an industry where so much can depend on relationships, and where those relationships can sometimes feel transactional, building from the ground up is incredibly difficult. I didn’t grow up around this world or have a built-in path into it. I’ve had to learn it, build those relationships, and find my place as I went.

    Eventually I realized: I’m a filmmaker because I make films. And anyone who has managed to make even one knows how damn hard that is.

    So for me, success is continuing to create, continuing to grow, and hopefully making something that reaches another human being. That’s worth more to me than whether or not everyone knows my name.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    I’m probably most proud of how many times I’ve been willing to start over.

    There are parts of my life people see now, the films, festivals, projects, the person I’ve become, but they don’t necessarily see how much rebuilding it took to get here.

    I’ve had to question things I believed for most of my life, figure out who I was outside of what I had been taught I was supposed to be, come out later in life, leave an abusive relationship, and rebuild again. At the same time, I was trying to find my place in an industry I knew absolutely nothing about when I entered it.

    There were a lot of moments when it would have been easier to choose what was familiar, even when familiar wasn’t making me happy.

    I’m proud that I kept choosing myself anyway.

    I’m proud that at an age when we’re sometimes made to feel like we’re supposed to have everything figured out, I was willing to admit that I didn’t, and start creating a life that actually felt like mine.

    People may see the things I’m creating now, but I think what I’m most proud of is the person I had to become in order to create them.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    Honestly, sometimes I don’t know. There have been plenty of moments when I’ve wanted to quit (every other week at first, now maybe like once a quarter lol). This industry can be exhausting. There’s rejection, comparison, financial pressure, and so much uncertainty. You can pour everything you have into something and have no idea if anyone will ever see it.

    But then something happens that reminds me why I started. Someone connects with something I’ve made, or tells me they saw themselves in a story I told, and suddenly all of it feels worth it again. I know what it feels like to spend years trying to become who you think you’re supposed to be instead of who you actually are. Storytelling gave me a way to find my own voice, and now I want to use that voice to help other people find theirs.

    If something I create can make someone feel seen, help them understand themselves a little better, or give them the strength and courage to live more authentically, that’s enough to keep me going. I want the stories I tell, and even my own story, to speak into people’s lives and remind them that it’s never too late to become yourself.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    I’m always looking to connect and collaborate with other creatives. I really believe that some of the best ideas are born when different creative worlds collide, which is actually why my creative partner, Lea Roman, and I recently started Creative Exchange (C/X) through our production company, Hippie and a Nun Productions.

    C/X brings together filmmakers, musicians, writers, comedians, photographers, painters, and artists of every kind to meet, inspire one another, and hopefully spark collaborations that might never have happened otherwise. One of the things I’ve learned throughout my own journey is how important community is, especially in an industry that can sometimes feel incredibly transactional. We want to help create spaces where artists can genuinely connect, support each other, and make things together.

    Through Hippie and a Nun Productions, Lea and I are also continuing to develop and create projects that reflect the kinds of stories and voices we want to see more of in the world. We’re always open to meeting filmmakers, writers, actors, musicians, artists, and other creatives who are passionate about what they do and interested in building something together.

    You can find more about our work at hippieandanunproductions.com and follow Hippie and a Nun Productions on Instagram @hippieandanunproductions.

    You can also follow me personally on Instagram @monique.efta and TikTok @moniqueefta, where I share more of my own journey, the filmmaking process, what it’s like building a creative career later in life, and pieces of my story around identity, deconstruction, starting over, and becoming more fully yourself.

    A lot of my story has been about realizing that there isn’t an expiration date on becoming who you are or pursuing the life you want. If sharing that journey makes someone else feel a little more seen or a little less afraid to start, then that’s something I want to keep doing.

  • Lada Egorova

    Lada Egorova

    “Go make your own projects. Never wait for someone to approve of your project. Just because someone rejects your project doesn’t mean you should give up. You just haven’t found the right team yet.”

    Producer, Director, Writer — @lada.egorova_

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    The day I went to a movie theater as a kid and felt totally immersed into the story of the film that was playing on the screen. The power of stories to immerse you, inspire you and make you forget about the world for a moment and care about someone else’s story.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    That we are not as tough as men in terms of being able to work in the film industry. Which is totally false, women creatives are always the most organized and efficient on set. We are often given lower budget projects because men refused to take them and we are expected to “make it work” which we do always. We always pull it off, come with incredible ideas to bring a project to life, we never complain. We are as tough and skilled as men.

    What does success mean to you?

    Being able to financially be stable in my career, having the power to bring stories that I want to be seen on screen and support other filmmakers by helping them get their projects be made and seen.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    My streaming app Pocket Cinema that I have cofounded. It launches mid August 2026. It was created by me and my cofounder, two young creatives who are coming from the indie film world. Two Gen-Z who got tired of waiting to be greenlit and who wanted to make series too. So we created this platform where we aim to release elevated genre series in vertical formats as well as horizontal. Stories that push the filmmaking techniques, series made by a diverse cast and crew, series made by other indie filmmakers who are as passionate as we are about bringing stories to the screen.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    My love for movies and stories. A great movie will always inspire me again and make me want to get back into writing and creating.

  • Alison Wesley

    Alison Wesley

    “Get a partner who can say the hard things you can’t. Sometimes it would’ve been nice to have a lioness alongside me to help strengthen my soft words.”

    Producer, Writer, Actor — @the.mural.film

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    I have always loved stories that people can see themselves in. My background was in writing music and books, but two years ago, a script fell out of me. Literally. I was driving when an idea came to me. I had to pull the car over, cancel my plans and voice record all of it at once. I was inspired to write it after a vandalism to my husband’s restaurant because when something happens that I wish I could’ve handled differently, a story emerges. This film is basically my wish for how it could’ve gone.

    I put it up as a staged reading and afterward, our Director approached, wanting to direct if it ever became a film. The same day an investor appeared as if by magic.

    So, why am I in film? Magic.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    In my opinion themes that speak to women can often be obvious or dramatized when it’s the little things, the subtle things that we might not even notice in our lives that make it difficult to truly feel seen or heard. In my film, this is a big theme: the feeling the need to apologize for oneself, even subtly. Getting out of the way, smiling at strangers, etc. I love films that highlight these daily life aspects that might seem small but add up so quickly.

    I have personally found that the industry favors the big things and they also might not take me seriously because I am new, full of hope and optimism and that somehow reads as weak or in need of lots of help. It’s been nice to produce my first feature (along with writing, acting and a million other things) to prove to some of them that, I’ve got this. Me, and an amazing team of course.

    What does success mean to you?

    Action. To me, the outcome doesn’t matter but holding an idea that never sees the light of day is failure. Acting on it, in any way possible, is success.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    The most proud moment I’ve had on this production was at the wrap party when a few very experienced crew members told me, this was the most organized set with the best food options ever. Out of all the things, making sure we had good food (our story is set in a café after all!) was priority!

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    Trust. The way everything has happened in my life, film or otherwise, has had a flow. The minute I feel that I’m pushing the river I know I need to pivot. I have to trust wherever ideas come from, the people who believe in them enough to back them and me, and the process.

  • Lizzie Worsdell

    Lizzie Worsdell

    “You don’t have to know everything.”

    Actor & Producer, Founder of Eldub Films — eldubfilms.com

    What pulled you into film and TV in the first place?

    I wanted to act ever since my mum took me to see a production of Scrooge at the Oxford Apollo when I was about 4 years old. I then was an actor until about 2018/2019 when I decided I wanted to pivot towards producing. I saw a gap in the industry for women both behind and in front of the camera and I wanted to tell female focused stories and show a side of society that isn’t normally explored onscreen. I wanted to tell the stories I wanted to see and wanted to have a bit more control over what was created and what I worked on. Alongside acting I had worked as a celebrity assistant and so I had a lot of transferable skills. Producing lets me bring together talented creatives and help turn ideas into something that can genuinely connect with an audience. During the pandemic I did a Masters at Raindance in producing, set up my own production company Eldub Films and the rest is history.

    What do you think the industry gets most wrong about women like you?

    That life is over at 30 and that there are no interesting stories to be told about women later in life. There is more to us than falling in love and menopause.

    What does success mean to you?

    Success to me would be making the projects that I have chosen to make and am proud of. Being recognised for this and being a respected voice in the industry. Being able to help other women in the industry move forward.

    What are you most proud of that most people don’t know about?

    That despite everything I’ve been through in my life, I’ve never given up. I have looked after myself for a very long time even when it’s felt impossible.

    What keeps you going when the industry makes it hard?

    My belief that my turn is coming. People want to hear the stories I’m telling and I will get my chance eventually. It has to be someone, why shouldn’t it be me. Plus the incredible other women I meet in the industry and the incredible stories they have and their support.

    Anything else you’d like to share?

    You can find out more about her work at eldubfilms.com or lizzieworsdell.com. She’s always looking for female voices and collaborators with a story to tell.