I didn’t have the option of spending months or years working as a PA to make connections, moving up the ladder slowly, or learning on set as I go.
On the other hand, I also read uplifting success stories of many filmmakers who started their careers later in life, such as Ava DuVernay or Valerie Faris.
After a 20-year career in the fashion corporate world, I decided to go into documentary filmmaking—an industry that many thought would be too tough to break into and take too long to monetize. But just one year later, I have a documentary short screening at several film festivals and streaming on Amazon, a feature documentary that is in post- production, and a third in the planning stages.
So how can you accelerate the learning process and get on a successful track in the movie business? Here are some tips I can share through my experience in hopes that it will help other people who are in a similar position.