How To Lift One Another Up: Ladies, It’s the Secret to Success
Did I ever tell you about how I went from in front of the camera to behind the camera?
Well, I was out in LA, beating the streets, going from audition to audition, day after day, only to find that I was just being considered for either “the girl next door,” “the ditzy blonde,” or the “cheerleader.” Yep, the roles were mostly so unchallenging, I wanted to cry. I begged my agent to please submit me for meatier, more meaningful work… but beggars can’t be choosers. And trust me, actors starting out are definitely beggars.
By then, Elizabeta and I had been friends for a few years and she had shared with me that she was pretty much running into the same thing. Because she had a slight accent, was tall, and had dark features, she was automatically getting typecast as “the foreign spy” or the “villain.” They were two-dimensional roles and she was finding it tiresome as well.
So one night we were sitting in a pub having a drink and listening to some live music when something in one of the songs struck me. I leaned over to Elizabeta and said, “This would make a great short film.” And she looked over at me and said, “You wanna do it?” We then took the proverbial bull by the horns and created content that we both felt proud of.
And there began my journey into filmmaking…
While I started off behind the curve due to my lack of experience at the time, the transition didn’t seem abnormal to me at all. I was first and foremost a storyteller, so it actually felt just as much like home for me behind the camera as it did in front.
Transitioning into larger and larger projects with higher budgets, however, did give me a little pause at times. Why? Well, I won’t lie and pretend that I didn’t feel intimidated about being a woman in a higher-level position in a field mostly dominated by men. I had personally run into gender bias in other fields, so I just assumed I would find much of the same here.
The problem is, when you are on an uber tight schedule and you are responsible for getting your days met while staying on an even tighter budget, you don’t have time to second guess whether you should be assertive or not. There just isn’t time to let questions sneak in like, “What if they think I’m just being a bitchy chick?” or “What if they push back because I’m a woman?” Fortunately for me, I had a team behind me that would literally quiet those doubts for me so that I could get on with my job.
You know there’s this saying, “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.” Well, luckily for me that was and still is true! Starting off with the foundation my mom set for me that there wasn’t a task too big or a job too dirty for a woman to dive into. Or the example my sister set for me by holding two degrees, managing multiple self-owned businesses, and never letting anything stop her. To having my two current partners in crime, Elizabeta and Izabela, two ladies that I respect whole-heartedly, push me to greater heights than I thought I was capable of… I now have my tribe.
And in addition to those powerhouses, I also have a whole list of gal pals that I could call at a single moment and would be on my doorstep within minutes if needed. Thankful doesn’t cover it. Blessed? Absolutely!
Although, just because I have this tribe of beauties doesn’t mean everyone else is so fortunate. That is why I have, along with my ANP team, made it a mission to support and lift up other women in all areas of filmmaking. From creating female-driven stories that help other women channel their inner badass (like in our upcoming film Severed Silence), to hiring underrepresented talent… we really work hard to elevate all women.
Yes, there are still a lot of barriers out there for women who strive for leadership roles. However, my hope is that each of those badass women can find their own tribe and continue to widen their circle by bringing others into it!
~Kath
Kathryn Michelle | Filmmaker
Almost Normal Productions
