1) One of the beautiful things about our industry is our collective ability to conceive and execute big ideas quickly—being creatively nimble allows the cultural climate to inform our work and for our work to react and respond in kind.
In the last year, we’ve seen a groundswell dictate for authenticity and 2017 will continue to see viewers and clients demanding stories that elicit a genuine connection—the kind of stories that leave an impact on the viewer and cut through the communication clutter to touch on some visceral truth. We’ve seen a lot of clients gravitate toward real people work, both for poignant scripts and situational humor, but good storytelling takes so many forms: a striking image, a beautifully woven narrative, an absurdist moment that leaves you belly laughing.
Confronted with the uncertainty and fragility that 2017 has ushered in, storytelling and the way that it binds and inspires us is more important now than ever.
2) I was so encouraged to see the Free the Bid movement gain traction last year and felt privileged to be part of an industry that is taking concrete steps toward becoming more inclusive and supportive of all talent.
We are lucky enough to have some amazing women on our roster and it is so exciting to get them involved in projects that might not have been so open in the past.
Our director Tricia Brock kicked off 2017 shooting a campaign that took it one step further—an agency came to us with great female targeted scripts that been helmed by a largely female creative team, who in turn insisted on working with a woman director and editor. It was wonderful to see all of the amazingly talented women in all facets of the industry come together to make something amazing!
Our industry is really leading the pack here and I hope that 2017 will see even more opportunities to promote diversity of all kinds.
3) We are dedicated to being true partners with our agencies—our directors love to lean into each project, letting it creatively evolve as the job unfolds, and we’re always ready to dig deep to tackle any production hurdles that arise. A lot of factors make our work more challenging than ever—shorter timelines, tightening budgets, increased deliverables—but collaborating together we can find solutions that let the work flourish. And personally, I try to approach each job with exuberance and bask in the movie magic we’re get to experience and create everyday—we are so lucky to call filmmaking work.
4) 2017 is a year about getting my hands dirty and getting involved in my community more actively. 2016 taught us that we’re all accountable—we can’t sit back and expect the best outcome. And I’ve also resolved to brush up on my billiard skills and finally become a pool shark.
