34: ELEVATOR, PITCHES!

Everyone and their cousin decided to have their Christmas party within the last week and it's not over! I had three this weekend, and there's another one tonight in honor of LOTUS HOUSE WOMEN'S SHELTER which is an amazing organization here in Miami. The Miami Film Lab board dinner beautifully hosted by Joanna-Rose Kravitz was a whole lot of fun, followed by the Development Series HH at The Tower Theater in Little Havana the next day. There I met the talented filmmakers Amadeus McCaskill and Princess Usanga, who I hope to see more from in the future. I mean, I met Amadeus and a Princess! What a highly auspicious event!

Beyond that, it's another The Gotham Film & Media Institute workshop this week: Elevator Pitches! (To be read in the voice of "Sayonara, b**ches!") My favorite part of which has been meeting awesome producer/filmmaker Natalie Schwan and in that meeting discussing this current fallacy of "fostering new talent" that Hollywood hawks. (Akin only in its scope to the "open call for Latino and Women's voices.") Natalie lives there so she would know. What they really mean is: *maybe* if you win an Emmy first they may finance your project. :)

The point of my elevator pitch is to bring on Mario Ramil, Alex Arias and a couple of other Miami content creator/comedians to breathe life into this film and thus, I hope, raise the money we need to finish it. Wanna hear it!? Here it is:

Beyond that I'm finishing a YA novel, putting together casting for an #unscripted #series - with actual #Latinas in it! - and editing a #documentary, and talking to some youth from this great project Casa Valentina this afternoon about #filmmaking as a career. My advice: double major in business/finance or law!

More next week!

Isabel x