In this episode, we have a conversation with the Founder and Executive Director of the AVFilm Festival (formerly the Alexander Valley Film Festival). We talk about Sean Baker, why we can and can't forgive others and ourselves, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, how artists channel pain to make great art, and how love became the deciding factor in her life’s biggest decisions, “thin privilege,” and all things AVFilm Fest.
More on Kathryn Hecht
Kathryn (she/her) is responsible for AVFilm's overall strategic, financial, management, fundraising, and operational health. Working closely with the founding Board, Kathryn designed and developed the year-round cultural and educational programming for AVFilm and continues to serve as the Executive Producer of the annual AVFest.
A seasoned entrepreneur, executive leader, and community builder, Kathryn built and led communications departments for nonprofits in New York and San Francisco before founding AVFilm. She currently serves as the Chair of the Economic Development Board of Sonoma County. She was selected by the Press Democrat in 2016 as one of 30 Women to Watch in Sonoma County.
Kathryn received the 2018 Boho Award from The Bohemian and the 2018 Spirit of Sonoma Award from the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce. Writer and activist Virgie Tovar also featured her as a "lady boss" in Forbes.
Upcoming project - AVFest 2022, April 29-May 8, and a capital campaign in Healdsburg to create a home for AVFilm and home base for the preservation of cinematic tradition in Northern Sonoma County.
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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 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.
