Stars Who Are Making A Difference: “We train wounded veterans to work on films sets and have careers in the movie business” With Philanthropist and Producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis

I have a program called Operation Hollywood where we train wounded veterans to work on films sets and have careers in the movie business. There are so many lives that have been changed by this program that I can’t even count… and it is an honor and a privilege for me to do it.

I had the pleasure to interview Suzanne DeLaurentiis. Producer, director, writer, and philanthropist Suzanne DeLaurentiis has thirty-five years of experience in the industry shepherding the development of over a hundred feature films, television features, and documentaries. She is best known for her work on the award-winning mafia drama, “10th and Wolf,” written and directed by Oscar Winner Bobby Moresco. The film starred James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, and the late Dennis Hopper. She has been honored with many prestigious awards including: the Terry Scarlett Award for Filmmaking from the Marco Island Film Festival, the Distinguished Founders Award for Excellence in Filmmaking from the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and the Opal Award from Women in Film. She was honored for Lifetime Achievement for Music in independent films by The Hollywood Fame Awards.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My family has a long history of being involved in the entertainment business. My cousin Frankie Avalon was great mentor and role model growing up. His mother and my father were brother and sister. I started out as a classically trained singer and musician. I studied at Carnegie Hall. In my teens, I made the transition from musical theater to film. I worked on several projects as an actress and then transitioned to writing, directing, and producing my own films in the mid-eighties. Since then, I worked on several feature films and television shows including the award-winning mafia drama, “10th & Wolf,” starring the late Brad Renfro and Dennis Hopper.

Can you share your story of Grit and Success? First, can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

I was doing a my first horror film called, “Mutant Man.” The script called for condors (platforms that hoist the light during night shoots) because we shooting at night and some of my investors (not knowing the industry) volunteered to get them, and showed up on set with two large birds. I just tried to make light of it, but in the meantime, I was panicked and to scramble to find the right equipment. Since then, I’ve learned that clear communication is key.

Every new project has it’s own series of challenges. Production is like going into battle, you have to be wearing you helmet and bullet proof vest. But even today, the biggest challenge as an independent producer is raising funds.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

I think it’s just my head-banging, aggressive, triple-A personality that I inherited from my father.

So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?

As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you make you stronger.” With every single setback, I learned from it and applied the lessons to the next project.

So, how are things going today? :-)

Great! We just wrapped a feature/thriller called, “D-Railed,” that is doing extremely well on the film festival circuit and won five platinum awards from the Independent International Film Awards including: Concept, Costumes, Sound Design/Editing, Direction, and Cinematography. We were also nominated for Best Special FX at the PDXtreme Film Festival in Portland. I have several project in various states of production.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I did a favor for a friend who was promoting the Garfield cartoon and I agreed to wear the Garfield costume in Atlantic City in an event. Apparently, they didn’t have a permit and I was handcuffed and dragged away by the police. It was on the front page of the newspaper. The lesson I learned was ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have a permit.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I have a program called Operation Hollywood where we train wounded veterans to work on films sets and have careers in the movie business. There are so many lives that have been changed by this program that I can’t even count… and it is an honor and a privilege for me to do it.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Red bull and sleep.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I would have to say both of my parents who have passed away. I got my drive and determination from my father and my mother was a constant inspiration. My father was an ex-pro football player and a teacher, so he instilled the principles of hard work and discipline. My mother was my manager and she was always supportive of my passions.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I’ve always suffered from auto-immune issues. I was recently diagnosed with POTS syndrome so I am very active in awareness and helping those that are in similar positions to constantly have a positive outlook and to not give up.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company” and why.

1. There is no downtime. — As a producer, you are on seven days a week, twenty four hours a day. Sometimes I am on the phone with clients in the middle of the night if they are in a different country.
2. Being a female producer does not attract a typical family life. — I’m not married. I have no children. Enough said.
3. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. — You may think you have the most unique, successful movie idea ever… until you get on the sales floor and you realize that several people already had them same idea.
4. Time goes by fast. — Sometimes I can’t believe how quickly time flies when you are in such a demanding industry. you equate you past and memories to what film set you were on.
5. There will always be extreme highs and lows. — This is a crazy business. Sometimes you put you heart into making something that you feel like is your baby and then the critics rip it to shreds.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would like to expand the Operation Hollywood Program so that every veteran has a job to come home to or an opportunity to excel since they have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

I’ve recently joined Instagram and they can follow me at IG: @suzannedelaurentiis and they can follow D-Railed movie as well at IG: @drailedmovie. My website is: http://suzannedelaurentiisproduction.com