This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
In this edition of Mistakes In The Making, Writer Sandrene Mathews shares an experience in which she lost her confidence and then her job.
"It's important to believe that you are where you're supposed to be so that you have the opportunity for others to believe it too."
- Sandrene Matthews, Writer
About Sandrene Matthews
Sandrene loves stories and hates cliches. A former child actress, Sandrene has spent the majority of her life in the creative world. Although often told she was too shy to be in entertainment, she repeatedly silenced and astonished the naysayers, performing on stage in leading roles in Hello, Dolly, Godspell and A Christmas Story, taking the lead in numerous PSAs filmed in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA and competing in and winning a variety of vocalist, instrumentalist and dance competitions. By the time she graduated high school she was also a multiple-published author of short stories and poetry.
Her busy schedule led her to begin taking more behind the scenes roles, a job she quickly learned she also enjoyed. Over the years Sandrene has been a director, editor, stage manager, photographer, cinematographer and monitor engineer.
Eager to return to her storytelling roots, she now focuses on writing and directing, with a strong passion for creating characters struggling to be seen, and focusing on emotionally charged themes of personal growth, being your best self, and rising to do extraordinary things.
Listener Reflections
Think about a time you made a mistake. What was your self-talk? Did you motivate yourself to pick up and keep moving forward or did you lose faith in yourself?
Continued Learning
Own Your Greatness will give you all the tools you need to recognize and overcome the impostor syndrome that is holding you back. Packed full of research- and therapy-backed exercises, prompts, and activities, this interactive workbook will help you: - Identify the root causes of your impostor syndrome- Recognize your natural skills and strengths- Gain the confidence to lead- Speak up for yourself- Feel comfortable receiving and giving praise.
From Filmmaker and IndieFlix CEO & Co-Founder Scilla Andreen and Illustrator Jerrin Padre, The Creative Coping Toolkit (CCT) helps people of all ages talk about their feelings, connect with friends and family, and nurture an empathetic community. Comprised of 10 simple activities, the CCT is full of effective resources to manage doubt and anxiety, nourish the heart and mind, better communicate with near and dear ones, and normalize the conversation around mental health at home, school, or work.
About the MAKE IT Podcast
The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry.
Our Filmmaker Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey.
Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive.
Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content.
The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.
The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
This episode brings you a special panel conversation from the recent SWIFT Summit Conference hosted by Women In Film and Television. Chris joins executive and creative panelists Ken Carpenter, Stuart Bishop, Dave Moody, and Andy Van Roon to discuss a variety of topics concerning pitching your project, the future of distribution, and how to get funding.
Moderated by Valerie Connelly and Nadia Bruce-Rawlings. Enjoy!
About the SWIFT Summit
The Southern Women in Film and Television (SWIFT) Summit provides a forum for unifying the creative objectives of women residing in Southern states via professional advancement, mentorship, and collaboration. The event will assemble luminaries from all areas of the entertainment industry to explore a variety of topics that greatly impact women: from human rights and women’s leadership to storytelling across platforms. Three days of inventive programming with inspiring conversations, new ideas, and innovations that are shaping the future for women in all aspects of entertainment and the empowerment of the next generation of emerging creatives.
About the MAKE IT Podcast
The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry.
Our Filmmaker Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey.
Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive.
Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content.
The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.
The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
Updated: Jul 4, 2022
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.
Nick explores and expounds on the wisdom of actor Joshua Noble. If change is a constant, it's not about who we are but who we are willing to become.
"If you just bang your head against the wall doing what you should do and not diversifying your approach, you're gonna get really good at the audition period and not at the craft."
- Joshua Noble
About Joshua Noble
Joshua Noble is a writer, actor, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his work on stage and screen, he is a founding producer of The American Playbook, a series of conversations and new works highlighting historically underrepresented voices, and has hosted the series ACTIONS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE, an ongoing virtual series exploring specific ways to amplify diversity and inclusion in screenwriting. Joshua is a writer-at-large for WeScreenplay and TheatreArtLife, Director of the National Winter Artists Retreat, and podcast producer for Two-Person Book Club. He received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Listener Reflections
Take a moment to think about your skill set. Now, name the different filmmaking roles you believe you'd be qualified for.
If you only chose one role above, what new skills do you need to learn to ensure that you can diversify if needed?
Actionable Advice
Change your thinking.
Untether yourself from the way things are and from the way things have always been. Instead, embrace what could be by considering what you could become if only you set your mind to it. This mindset invites learning and growth through which options and opportunities expand.
Take risks.
Taking risks demonstrates a willingness to escape your comfort zone to try something new and untested. It challenges complacency and keeps you from standing still. To this day, the old adage remains true: Without risk, there can be no reward.
Encourage others to be open-minded as well.
In doing so, you reaffirm your commitment to adaption while inviting others to be part of your journey. The more people you have in your circle who share this sentiment, the greater your chances of sticking your guns.
Embrace learning as the bridge to becoming.
It is an immersive process that requires us to seek out knowledge, understand new concepts, and apply all that we discover. The process of learning is adaptive in itself as it forces us to consider and embrace something new. We are forever changed in the process of learning because what is learned can't be unlearned.
Continued Learning
Bruce Lee’s daughter illuminates her father’s most powerful life philosophies - demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth, and how we can practice those teachings every day.
"Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless like water."
From the best-selling author of Subliminal and The Drunkard's Walk, a groundbreaking new look at the neuroscience of change - and how elastic thinking can help us thrive in a world changing faster than ever before.
About Nick
Nicholas Buggs is a filmmaker, advisor, content creator, author, and advocate of the filmmaking community. As co-host of the MAKE IT podcast and co-founder of Bonsai Creative, Nick works alongside his co-host and co-founder Christopher Barkley to produce multi-media educational and inspirational content. Nick is a firm believer in harnessing the collective power of the community to give each of its members a better chance at success.
This and all other episodes of the MAKE IT podcast are brought to you in partnership with Women in Film and Television as part of the Voice of the Filmmaker Program. Please help us keep the conversation going.