“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.
