I keep hearing about all of this outrage that exists over women not being hired to make movies, either as screenwriters or directors or producers. As a female producer, I am certain that I am discriminated against whether or not it’s on purpose. There is a boys club that exists in Hollywood, no doubt about it.
And I don’t play golf. I keep meaning to take it up but I haven’t…and I’m sure that has affected my career as well.
Being a woman in Hollywood can suck but I think it’s crap for anyone to think that they can’t have a career because someone won’t hire them. To those people, I say, “get off your butt and make your career happen!” I have never once let the boys club of Hollywood stop me from making movies. I will make movies til the day I die no matter what. And I am certain the successful female filmmakers in Hollywood have the same belief system.
I’m not saying we should stop rallying for change. Keep up the fight! But let’s do something more than whine about it.
The next time you get a rejection, think about how you can make your film outside of the Hollywood system. Partner with an indie producer (male or female) and find the money yourself to get your film made. The money is out there. You just have to work hard to find it.
We could all easily sit back and wait for Hollywood to give us our career. I’m sorry to say though that we would be sitting for a very long time. We all need to make our own careers for Hollywood to take notice. We are not alone in that reality. I know a ton of male filmmakers struggling every day as well.
I really think that women need to get out there and make more movies and network more. As a producer, I am pitched projects all the time. But I have to say that probably 90% of the projects are by and about men. Where are all the projects by and about women? Why am I not approached more by female filmmakers?
What is up ladies?
After five years of being an indie producer, I am just now partnering with a female director. And it’s not because I haven’t been looking. I make an effort to seek out female filmmakers but for some reason, I get a lot of white noise. It seems we women suck at networking and forging lasting relationships. But I have found that when we do find those relationships that stick, we are extremely loyal and we will go to the ends of the earth to protect one another.
I want to make movies about and for women and with women. I have to ask: where are you female filmmakers? I want to hear from you!
Jane Kelly Kosek is an independent film producer. Her credits include Straight Line, Tennessee, Not Since You, and Take Me Home.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Jane, it would be helpful if you were more specific about how you are being approached by male directors. Did their agent/manager set up a meeting? Did you meet them at a film festival or party? Did someone call you? Generally production companies and producers will not look at a script unless they know you or you have representation. Agents will not show a screenplay to their actor clients unless the money is in the bank. It’s a closed shop. Access and representation is a huge problem for women directors. We’ve begged NYWIFT to set up meet and greets with some of their members, producers and working directors (like Nora Ephron), even just to get advice. NYWIFT said the women refused. What good is networking if everyone you meet isn’t working?
I’ve seen many young guys get their careers started as writers or directors. And you’re right, it’s brutal for anyone. But the difference is that the men who made it were taken seriously (sometimes regardless of their ability) and they always had someone helping them. A low level manager, a lawyer, a producer, a known director, the festivals. Now I do know one women who was similarly embraced, she wrote a WEDDING MOVIE. Yes, you can defy the romantic comedy genre and you can do it all on your own. But will your film ever see the light of day, even if it’s good?
Hey, if women producers and actresses truly want to work with us, that’s absolutely fantastic! How do we do we all get together?
One other thought. The fastest way to turn this around is for female producers and actresses to start telling the agencies that they want to see some screenplays and directors reels from women.
great post. thanks.
Here’s the problem: What good is networking if everyone you meet isn’t working? Why aren’t you or they working? There is no reason why you need money to begin working. Getting paid should not correlate with working. I do a ton of work for deferred pay and I mix it in with paid gigs. Without the deferral work, I would be less prolific, less experienced and I would lose out on a lot of paid work.
There is this defeatist attitude out there that you can only be successful if someone hires you. Bull crap! You need to invest in yourself as a creative talent first. Make more movies for whatever money you can scrape together. Make them good and you will get noticed. And from there, you will have earned the right to sit down with the Nora Ephrons of the world.
And don’t get hung up on getting to know the Nora Ephrons of the world. She will most likely not get on the phone with you or email you. And even if she did, she would forget about you right after. So why pin your hopes on that?
A major problem that I am seeing is that writers & directors often dismiss those producers who are actually at their level. As Pretty Woman’s Julia Roberts would say: Big Mistake!
Don’t think that only people like Nora Ephron can help your career. That is a fallacy. First of all, Nora Ephron has her own career to worry about and she doesn’t need an up-and-coming writer/director to achieve her goals. Go to those who need and want you.
Most of the submissions I get are because I reach out to talent and introduce myself and ask them what they are doing. Or I have writer/directors approach me directly. There are very few times that I get an agent or manager reaching out.
I would love to hear directly from filmmakers. I am happy to read submissions. I have a standard submission agreement that protects me and my company so I can take unsolicited submissions. I do not advertise this because when I do, I often get way too many submissions than I can handle. So I leave it up to those who take the time to reach out and ask if I will read their work. And I always say yes.
What I am realizing is that there is a lot of fear and low self-confidence out there. Fear that unless you are interacting with the uber-successful, you won’t have the career you are seeking. And low self-confidence in that you can’t make your own career happen by going out there and building your own team and finding your own money and growing from there.
And one last point, never compare your career to another person’s. You really don’t know exactly how that person got to where they are so it’s very dangerous to point fingers and say, he or she had it easy. Maybe they did. Maybe they didn’t. But really who cares? What you should be caring about is how to get your career going, yourself. Believe and invest in yourself. And others will too. I guarantee it.
Thank you, Jane! I see my female and male colleagues alike doing a lot of waiting. Waiting, waiting, whining some, wait some more. Whether you are a woman, man, or alien — no one is going to hand you a project in this town because you ‘waited’ with the best of them. Well… maybe if you were an alien b/c that’d be a pretty bankable, new POV for the screen.
Most of us are terrified of failure (even the aliens). Failure is tragically easier to stomach if you never really put yourself out there. If you fail because you didn’t get to the network event/never showed your screenplay/forgot to followup with contacts/hide, then you can blame the failure on everything else. “They” never saw your stuff so they never really rejected you/your stuff. Great! Your ego is intact! And you have no movie. Congrats.
Reading your article put me right back to grade school. Most of the women filmmakers I know, and I include myself amongst them, work hard, network and do all the right thing. It is not our attitude but the ways of Hollywood.
Eva
PS All my producer friends and associates cannot raise money like they have in the past. What world are you living in?
Jane, I want to thank you for your post. I believe you are trying to help, but I believe the onus is always being placed on the women directors.
I have spent every penny I have on my films and sometimes only have bread to eat. I have a body of work, made over a period of years. There comes a point where someone else has to invest in you. I don’t go to networking events anymore, because everyone is asking me for help and I don’t have a career. I’m also asked to be a mentor to young female directors.
The industry door is open to actresses and female producers. (everyone wanted me to be a producer). We are trying to tell you it is still not open to women directors. No one is asking to be handed a career, only to be given the same opportunity. The women inside should be the first ones extending a helping hand. But more often they kiss up and kick down. We should work together.
Jane, Thank you for your empowering article! Finally someone I can agree with that isn’t just whining about how unfair the world is. Your note in the comment thread is even better. Being in this business 18 years, I have had my share of ups and downs, and it’s really only as I’ve matured that I have learned when I put in the effort (and believe I will succeed vs. the world won’t let me) that I make the real traction in my career.
So often I see so much “victim mentality” around this issue. It’s so much easier to blame the system for your failures than to take personal responsibility for your career. I’m not saying discrimination doesn’t exist, or that is isn’t harder for women. But I AM a woman, this IS my career, EVERYONE has challenges, so if I really want it, I will take matters into my own hands and succeed despite the circumstances, not let the circumstances give me an acceptable reason to fail.
Jendra Jarnagin
Director of Photography
http://www.floatingcamera.com
I don’t have easy either. Female producers, especially newer ones, are ignored just as directors are. In fact, we are considered leeches because people don’t understand what we do and we are not considered the product creator — the directors are. I can’t tell you how many times people wanted to kick me off, take my credit, and throw me in the corner solely because of ego.
What I am saying is to try to not give up or just whine about Hollywood. We all have it hard. I have had a million doors slammed in my face as well. The best thing we all can do is work together.
And Eva, I am living in a world in which there is a recession and everyone, including men, are having a hard time raising money. And I have and continue to raise money to make movies even in a recession. It’s harder for sure but it can be done. Again this negative energy could and should be funneled to making projects.
As for networking, I agree that networking events don’t yield much. Phone calls and emails are better. Network to those you want to meet. You can keep trying the Nora Ephrons of the world but don’t forget about those like me who are hungry for new product and have the connections to get things done and do.
And Jennifer, you are not alone in making product that isn’t getting noticed. All I can say is keep at it and don’t let the Hollywood rejections stall you from creating and building your own outlet for releasing your films. There are a lot of ways of gaining exposure through your own efforts. You can’t make people accept you and want to meet you. Sure you can bitch about it to your friends and colleagues — I do all the time. But my main focus it getting my films made.
My door is absolutely open to collaborating. If any of you want to discuss projects and getting them made, give me a shout! Even if we don’t gel on a project, we can certainly help one another through other ways and means. My email: jkkosek@wonderentertainment.com
Thank you Jane. That’s very kind of you!
If every woman producer and director agreed to read a few new scripts by women writers, there would be fewer talented actresses over 40 complaing that there were no good scripts for them. We beed to help each other, as you’re doing, Jane. You’ll be getting my one of my scripts on Monday.What’s your preference, comedy or drama?
What happened to my comment? Was it deleted?
Jendra Jarnagin, Director of Photography
http://www.floatingcamera.com
Bring it on ladies!
While I agree that complaining is unproductive, I think your bootstraps theory of female film making assumes a lot about female filmmakers and Hollywood. There are a lot of women in the industry who do exactly what you are talking about, more so than I think sit around and complain. Having recently completed a series on black female directors, I also think your post is naive at best about the intersections of racism and sexism (and sometimes heterosexism) in Hollywood. Most directors I profiled did above and beyond what you are outlining here and still got shutdown by studios, including Maya Angelou who spent 15 years trying to convince big studios she could direct a movie (and ultimately made an indie). It’s also common knowledge that many of the white female directors, mostly actresses turned directors, in Hollywood who have opened their own studios or are getting critical acclaim are equally racially exclusive in the people they work with and the stories they greenlight. (Even the films you list as among your credits, tho sexually varied, are mostly racially homogeneous) Going one step further, the vast majority of female directors considered “successful” in Hollywood are still not including trans women or to a lesser extent non-heterosexist bi and lesbian stories. So while I do agree that we all need to work to make it happen, ultimately we also need to work to mean “all women” when talking about “what women need to do” or “how women can succeed” and actually learn the history of those women before we speak about them as part of some unmarked whole/sisterhood.
(And while I get your point on the power of being successful in Hollywood for everyone, there are so many successful Directors outside of Hollywood these days who measure their success in the ways your underlining point about always working regardless speaks to. Perhaps we need a shift in the measure of success as much as in the operational definition of woman.)
I still hear a lot of complaining and not much as far as creating initiatives for a solution. Eva and P. Susurro, you are quick to accuse me of being grade school and naive. But what are you both doing to effect change?
I did not “accuse you of being grade school and naive” I believe I accused you of being racially privileged and would now add privilege evasive (see Bailey for definition). It is classic derail to ignore what you have failed to consider by pointing to what the person who offers constructive criticism has done. To be clear: I teach women’s media, have organized conferences and film series for over 10 years around female directors, actively participate in an annual showcase of independent queer women’s films, publish articles on it as an editor of two feminist journals, donate to two different alternative film schools (one for youth who want to break into media and one for queer women of color), and as I indicated in my original comment I highlight female directors and feminist films on my blog, including a series on black female directors that runs decidedly counter to what you are arguing women have failed to do. (And as I said on my blog yesterday, there is a documentary on black female directors with an accompanying website – and dissertation – readily available for anyone willing to look, so at least some of the info I raise here was at your fingertips when you wrote this post.)
So now that we’ve covered “what [I am] doing to effect change” I’ll put the question back on you, where it belongs. What is this post doing to effect change with a diverse group of female directors? and what exactly does both your highlighted career and your response to being asked to think critically about race, gender, and to a lesser extent sexuality tell us about what is missing from the kind of change you envision and are willing to take ownership of?
I don’t work in the entertainment industry and worked in the marketing field for years but this all sounds pretty typical sad to say. Yes it’s still a mans world but my biggest hurdle over the years has not been breaking the male barrier. It’s been getting women to help each other. Every area in business, we women have a responsibility to help the next one and the next one etc. Yet it’s one of those things I tend to not have seen a whole lot of. Many women I find who have had to work their asses off to get there they are tend to be harder on the younger women coming in then the men because of the “I had to do this to get where I am” attitude.
Here a fact ladies if we don’t do it and help no one will. It’s a statitical fact that women in the United States have more of the wealth then men do. Leverage the “names” out there. I can’t believe powerful women like Anne Sweeney, Oprah Winfrey and creative minds like Jane Campion, Nora Ephron, even Barbra Streisand could not be pooled into some sort of collective symposium as high profile women in sports, politics, and business have done to help others. I dont know when it comes to the entertainment industry, what venues are available, but it seems for every positive step that is made, 3 steps back happen.
What are the venues for women to share, network, and help those just starting out or those wanting to move up in this business? IMO speaking truly from a marketing and business perspective that’s the key. Jane has the right idea.
Susurro, I think it’s wonderful that you are doing such great things for women and for filmmakers in general. An immense thank you to you for doing all that you do.
To be clear, I am absolutely not dismissing the fact that there are those of us who work extremely hard every day on our careers and experience roadblocks all along the way. That is the exact reason why I wrote the initial post. There are a great many unlike you who do not take the time to work day in, day out on their creative work nor do they work on changing Hollywood’s perception of women. Instead they do complain and don’t put much effort toward anything else. Or it’s half-hearted effort at best.
And I was being honest when I said that there have not been many female directors who have approached me about projects. I don’t think I can count them on one hand. And I have tried to find female directors to work with. Like I said, I am finally working with a female director after five years of searching. I also saw this trend when I worked for a major production company at Warner Bros. I was hit up all the time by male writers and directors. And not very many women at all. This is a trend worth exploring and discussing. I am not basing this solely on my experience. I have heard this from many colleagues in the industry as well. I am sure the lower number of women studying directing has contributed to this imbalance. How do we address this trend? If I’m not meeting the female directors then I’m sure there are many more like me who aren’t as well.
I heartily believe that we need to continue the fight for recognition in Hollywood. I apologize that those of you who do work hard at your careers thought I was lumping you in with those who don’t. What I am challenging are those who are complete defeatists or perhaps too egotistical to look beyond Hollywood for the jump start to their career. Many do not realize that they do have the power to help create their careers. And they should. Like you, they should be fighting every day to make their movies.
Honestly, I don’t want to engage in a fight over this issue as we are on the same team. You make valid points. I do not challenge that. What I would like to inspire in all of us is to take the fight we have in us and channel it toward change, not each other. I would love to work on some effective initiatives toward change. I really don’t know of a truly effective venue in which we women can come together and really support each other.
just wanted to say I hear you. Where you are talking about your experience and being honest to that, I hear you and do not want to distract from that in anyway. While we continue to disagree on the point of constructive criticism in female space (ie, things don’t always have to be comfortable to be productive or supportive), we can agree that every perspective, especially those with insider info, needs to be heard and potentially learned from.
I just directed a short with a female DP and a female gaffer.
Our G&E equip came from a pro feminist man. All the males on the crew and in the film were pro feminist. My short is stalled in post. I’m looking into how I can finish the color timing and finishing the score after having run out of money. It is going into fests as soon as it is completed.
It is not enough to think of your own career. We must make the commitment to combat the conditioning that prevents women from egotistical self promotion (it works in our industry for men).
We must become aware of the many times each of us has promoted male careers in both our personal and professional lives, unless it is at the very least, reciprocated. We must actively participate in our own club.
Our conditioning fails us in as many ways as it serves. Yes, we are loyal, but to who? I can not list how many women I know that are supporting men’s careers. It’s an easy position to fall into.
When you are crewing up, seeking out writers & directors- actively seek out women and minorities, if you want to actually become a part of the solution.
The excuse that women aren’t finding you can be reflected back that you are not actively seeking out women.
We’re here, working in the trenches. Many of us are in positions that are not ideal for us, just to be in the industry.
When you’re producing, are you also getting to know the women in your crew?
My blog is linked here.
I am a director with experience producing, ADing, PMing mostly commercials, some films too.
I write, I know women who write and I know several phenomenally talented female DPs.
click my blog link and comment there if you’re interested in more info.
” I do not advertise this because when I do, I often get way too many submissions than I can handle. So I leave it up to those who take the time to reach out and ask if I will read their work. And I always say yes.”
If I may,
you can very easily get interns (work for class credit) to help you read scripts. It’s very easy to teach them to write coverage. It’s very easy to find the female and pro feminist male students willing to do that work.
I am happy to assist you in finding them.
One way for women to get more work, more satisfying and creative work, is to support female producers.
I wish you great wealth, abundance and diversity in your company.
Hello i just had a popup from my firewall when i opened your blog do you happen to know why this occured? Could it maybe from your advertising or something? Thanks, really strange i pray it was harmless?
I’m a female film student myself and I really hope female directors start making more movies and the number of female directors need to increase pronto!!!
I definitely agree with you on how women need to get up and start doing something about this male dominated Hollywood, infact the entire world is dominated by MEN! We all need to stop being housewives and have real jobs!
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