Today I interview award-winning documentary film producer Laura Shacham, who turned down life as a lawyer to pursue her passion for producing films with a social impact
Laura worked her way up to producer on the feature film ‘Just Do It: A Tale of Modern Day Outlaws’. The premiere was a sell-out and the film had an extensive UK cinema release, with community and festival screenings stretching from Quebec to Kosovo. After teaming up with directorial duo Will Francome and Mark Pizzey, Laura now forms one third of production powerhouse Reel Nice. Their ground-breaking interactive documentary series, ‘One For Ten’, was nominated for a Webby, selected by the Guardian as one of the top ten web series of 2013, won Best Web Series at the Raindance Film Festival, and even went on to be acquired by Channel 4. Laura is currently producing the feature documentary ‘A Mile Wide’, slated for release in 2015, and co-runs Kino London, the capital’s only open-mic short film night.
You can watch the interview below or on YouTube, and listen above, on the iTunes podcast feed, or on Stitcher.
We discuss:
- How Laura accidentally discovered her passion for film-making
- Why you should volunteer for anything and everything to gain experience, even when you might not have the necessary skills
- How Laura found her niche within film, marrying creative producing with an interest in social and political issues
- The process of developing an idea into a finished production and how to make sure people take you seriously
- Alternative approaches to film funding and why crowdfunding is about more than just the money
- The importance of tact and transparency when dealing with people
- An incredible opportunity to have your short film screened, gain exposure and feedback, and network with other film folk
I love hearing your feedback and questions, so please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me here.
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Links
Just Do It: A Tale of Modern Day Outlaws
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