What are the values and ethics that guide you as a producer? Can you provide a specific example of how they apply to your filmmaking process on and/or off-set?

I’ve been known to espouse many isms that grow on the people around me. Fundamentally, one of my guiding principles is that 99% of producing a film comes down to getting the right people, in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment, working on the right tasks. 

At the backbone of this approach is people. If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. I attribute my success to the way I create an environment of inclusivity. During my time in tech at Handshake, I was on the People team when we began Diversity and Inclusion efforts and implemented unconscious bias training. It really opened my eyes to structuring operations around equity and making everyone feel supported. People feel supported when there are mental health check-ins to avoid burnout, when they feel comfortable to voice concerns, and when they can bring their full authentic self to the table. Motivating and unifying a diverse group of people is benefited immensely by a stable environment of calm in a high stress setting like a tech startup or film set. 

One example of applying this set of values is when we were producing Hayseed and the director was met with the personal crisis of finding out that his spouse was diagnosed with a life threatening condition. 700 miles from home, he tended to family matters while remaining as engaged in the film as possible, but we had to create space for him to have a human response. We pivoted to filming second unit material and the rest of the team came together to helm the ship as we let the director focus on his family. That kind of trust, and effective use of time while on set was critical. He relied on us to keep calm and carry on, and we did so with tact; all while not oversharing and creating unwanted attention from the cast and crew. 

If you really care about the people you work with, safety needs to be the top priority. An example of applying these values involves our response to events that occurred on a film in production concurrently with Hayseed; on the set of Rust. Halyna Hutchins was a close colleague of our E.P. and among the network of our crew. Her loss was felt immediately and everyone’s eyes turned to the producing team of Hayseed and how we were addressing safety on our set.  They took comfort in the fact that we had a dedicated armorer, enforced an airtight chain of custody and required respect for all non-functioning firearms on set as if they were real. It also helped that I tested every rig myself before asking actors to put themselves in the scenes. “10% slower”, and “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” were regularly spoken to keep our mindset right. 

When everyone is working together safely, supported and communicating well, indie filmmaking is at its best.