Zane Carson Carruth: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Interview with Guernslye Honorés
I wish I knew the complexity of self-publishing before I started and all the hats I would have to wear. I would have consulted an experienced self-published professional to get a better idea of the time and patience needed as well as learn about publishing tips to produce the best results.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Zane Carson Carruth.
Zane Carson Carruth is an award-winning international children’s book author, a certified business etiquette and protocol professional and sits on numerous non-profit boards in Houston, TX as well as the Vice President of Carruth Foundation. Zane serves on the SPCA board of directors, Discovery Green Conservancy, TUTS (Theatre Under the Stars) as well as The Houston Grand Opera Board for 6 years.
Her books have won awards such as the Story Monsters Seal of Approval, the Story Book of Approval, and the Purple Dragonfly Book Award. Her 4th book in her trademarked series The World’s First Tooth Fairy… Ever, titled Abella Goes to the Rodeo, is the winner of the 2022 Parent and Teacher Choice Award from HowtoLearn and has also won the 2022 Purple Dragonfly Award. Abella is also the first animated Tooth Fairy Influencer!
Carruth has been honored to be named an ABC13 Woman of Distinction for 2020, Top Inspiring Woman Impact Maker for 2020, an honoree of The Houston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award, St Jude’s Woman of Philanthropy for Houston TX 2021. She is also honored to serve as First Lady of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the 2021 to 2023 season, since her husband, Brady Carruth, was recently named Chairman of the Board of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Carruth’s book series The World’s First Tooth Fairy… Ever are available on Amazon, Target online, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and the website WorldsFirstToothFairy.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I grew up in El Campo, TX, a small farming community. It was the basic 1960s small town lifestyle. You knew everyone and everyone knew you AND your business. My parents were extremely social and were always giving a party or going to one.
I had the customary two best friends where we traded off on sleeping over at each other’s houses on the weekend. I was a varsity cheerleader for the infamous Friday Night Lights football games. It was truly a Norman Rockwell existence is many ways. Not perfect, but, certainly innocent.
Because we were a farming community, we had harvest workers come to town every year. They would pull up in their 12’ bed trailers every year to work the fields. Their kids would go to school with us during that limited time but kept to themselves.
The town was very diverse. Whites may have been the majority, but not much if they were. Having said that, I grew up very accepting of everyone and anyone who was nice.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I always loved to write for as long as I can remember. One day, I picked up a spiral notebook and began writing a story about a very loved and pampered fairy. The fairy was based on my daughter, so the pen flew across the page. The story The Worlds First Tooth Fairy…Ever literally wrote itself in a few hours. Fueled by the joy writing this story brought me, I just kept writing.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
I have one moment frozen in my mind. I was new to film making and entertainment people, and therefore had little interaction with them. During a joint phone call with the producer and composer, the producer of the 3D video had several Emmys on display in a cabinet behind the computer. The composer said “hey, wait a minute” and left the call for a few minutes. He returned carrying not one, but two Grammys in his arms. He laughed and said something to the effect, “not to be outdone.” I remember sitting there thinking, this is so surreal. We were all chatting, having a great time and then this big revel of the awards happens, and I was stunned to realize these guys are the guys you read about in the entertainment trade magazines.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
The most interesting folks in the industry I have interacted with are the producer Rick Sigglekow and composer Dennis Scott. Since both are in the entertainment business and children’s entertainment business at that, I feel perfectly at ease with them. I can let my guard down and be playful. Dennis and I text back and forth in a fun, silly way and it is just liberating. I can be myself and not worry if I am coming across in a weird way. I consider both men personal friends and we stay in touch.
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 about that?
There are numerous folks who have supported and encouraged me to achieve the level of success I am so grateful for. My husband and daughter have been there for me every step of the way and are huge supporters of my books. My PR firm, Transmedia, has gone to great strides seeking opportunities for me to participate and get involved in. The president, Adrienne Mazonne found the producer of my 3D video, Rick Sigglekow. That was a huge accomplishment.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite Life Lesson Quote is: Choose to Celebrate; Celebration is a choice. Life forces you to grieve, but, you choose to celebrate your joyous moments. It’s a choice.
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Showcasing diversity in the entertainment industry has a huge influence on the general population. It’s important to work towards erasing the stereotypes so prevalent in our society. The entertainment industry has the potential to show us what a more tolerant and civil way of life looks like. I think it’s important to have visual examples of all types of people living in harmony. Having diversity in the entertainment industry introduces a much more tolerant and civil society.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am diligently working to find an entertainment company to pick up The World’s First Tooth Fairy as a series or as a TV special. I will soon be making a series of videos to use as a marketing tool to help sell the series as well as increase book sales.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I am most proud of the innocence my heroine brings to children worldwide. The books teach kindness and what it means to be a true friend. I think in today’s civil unrest and uncertain society, children need to be reminded that kindness does exist and is achievable.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
- I wish I knew the complexity of self-publishing before I started and all the hats I would have to wear. I would have consulted an experienced self-published professional to get a better idea of the time and patience needed as well as learn about publishing tips to produce the best results.
- It would have been a great gift if someone would have told me to “trust my own instincts”. Trusting my own instincts would have saved me the trouble of re-writing and publishing several books. I had to re-publish one book to change the title. I knew it didn’t sound like I wanted it, but I listened to someone else and took their advice and regretted it. I also re-wrote and re-published another book to change an idea I didn’t think worked, but, again, took someone’s advice and went against my gut feeling and left it in there. This resulted in re-publishing again. Whenever I re-publish, I give away hundreds of books to clear out my supply and start over. It’s been a very expensive lesson for me.
- I wish I had known about a certain code and language the library requires to stock books in the library. Again, consulting a professional before I started would have taught me this important step.
- Time and experience have taught me, there is always going to be a critic who delights in finding fault with your work. That’s the price you pay for putting your work on public display. It bothered me in the beginning, until I was criticized for my illustrations being “too bright”. It was then I decided not to take the critics seriously.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
Hands down, the viewers have the greatest impact on my endeavors. It is my opinion; viewers drive the market and are the decision makers in the film industry. If tickets don’t sell, nothing happens. You can’t get funding if you have a string of low-income producing projects, you can’t attract the talent you need, you can’t pay the salaries needed to attract the best in the business. The old saying “follow the money” takes on a new meaning. Success follows money in so many ways.
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 am passionate about bringing back innocence to children’s lives through books, films, plays, and tv shows. Adults have brought so much misery to children through political actions, wokeism,and self-interest programs that children are not experiencing life in a carefree and meaningful way. Children now have access to world events for which they worry about that previous generations did not. The superhero movement is fine but let us bring back innocence into children’s lives.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
I would love to have a meal and one on one conversation with any number of people in the entertainment business who is responsible for producing child friendly cartoons, movies, tv series or specials.
How can our readers further follow you online?
I can be reached via my websites:
zanecarruth.com
Worldsfirsttoothfairy.com
Instagram zcarruth
Worldsfirsttoothfairy
Linkedin Zane Carruth
Facebook Worldsfirsttoothfairy
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
