No.1 How would you describe this week in a sentence?
Oh, wow. Well, I would say productive.
I've had some film meetings, helped out with the sketch comedy team, spent time with my children, spent time with my friends. I think just spending time with human beings and getting out and living the human experience is very productive and I've done that a lot this week.
No.2 An artwork that inspired you this week. It can be anything, film, music, whatever.
One thing that always inspires me, and I watch it all the time, is the old Twilight Zone episodes. I watched an episode this week called The Obsolete Man and it's about, in the future, the government decides whether or not you're relevant, and if you're no longer relevant, you become obsolete and the government has a right to kill you. And in the episode it's a librarian who they deem as obsolete, because books are no longer deemed necessary by the government. And stuff like that, old science fiction. There is a book called Anthem, I think Ayn Rand wrote it, and [it's] very similar to a Twilight Zone episode like that.
I'm all about being an individual and thinking for yourself and questioning things, and that's definitely an episode that I always go back to that inspires me.
Wow. Feels so relevant.
No.3 A memorable moment from this week.
I guess performing the sketch comedy was pretty fun, coming out to Brooklyn. And then spending time with my kids, they always have something funny to say.
The sketch that I did tonight was a lot of fun, just getting up on stage. And it was a very laid-back venue, because there was a teleprompter, everybody was just having fun. People were making mistakes, but nobody was judging each other. I found that very memorable as an actress, because normally as an actor you take yourself too seriously and this was a nice change of pace.
So this is a two-part, feel free to answer either, both, whatever -
No.4 A motto you swear by, or any advice you received and would like to share.
A motto I live by.. I always say you only live once. You don't want to succumb to social pressures, or worrying too much about what other people think. That's a trap I do often fall into. I sometimes worry about pleasing others too much, and I think you, Rachel, are like that too [laughs]. And a lot of us can be that way, and it can be hard to psychologically convince yourself to just live for yourself. Although I will say it is nice going out of your way to do things for others.
So I just think, you only live once. Live your life how you want to live it, but also make sure to give back to others. I think love is a currency, like time or money. And you invest in other people and it will come back to you and you will be richer for that.
Thank you. Words of wisdom.
No.5 And then the last question - What would you like to share about your podcast?
Oh, thank you for plugging me.
And your production company.
Thank you again for plugging me again.
Well, my podcast is very new. I only have about four episodes live right now. I have another one I'm working on. It's basically meant to inspire filmmakers and also educate aspiring filmmakers.
I consider myself an eternal student, so selfishly speaking, it's also a way for me to learn from others about filmmaking, and just be able to nerd out and have fun and laugh and talk about movies, but also take serious strides, where the professionals I interview seriously educate the listeners on how to make films, what mistakes to avoid, and how to better serve the film community.
How do you choose your interviewees?
That's a good question. I choose them based on what they do in film, cause I try to switch it up. I try to have different professions on to help not just filmmakers, but also actors as well as writers, although writers are considered part of the filmmaking process. And mainly personality. If it seems like somebody that's approachable, that I can sit and be comfortable and have a conversation with, just being a nice person, is somebody that I could easily sit there that also loves film and talk to them.
After a few moments we resumed our recording, realizing we didn't get a chance to discuss Jackie’s production company.
Yes.
Yes.
Your production company.
[Laughs] I thought we were testing it. You can put that in, actually.
Okay. Yes, my production company. I formed it after I wrote and co-produced a film, a short film that got into a few festivals, we're still waiting to hear back from some more, in order to elevate my filmmaking skills and also serve others. I want to help businesses by creating advertisements, commercials, maybe social media content, video-wise. Also, I would like to be able to welcome investors in, so they can help me invest in telling some inspiring stories that have already been written, and we already have crews and very motivated, talented individuals ready to go, that want to make some projects and really evoke emotions from the audience.
Any dream projects on the horizon?
Yes. I have a TV pilot that I wrote years ago that I'm getting very close... I'm talking to some investors right now and some talent that wants to work on it. It's basically a dramedy about a woman that gets roped into being an MMA fighter, even though she lacks the skills and the experience of it.
As someone who read it, I can't wait to watch it.
Snapshots by Rachel Bard
Keep up with Jackies’s upcoming projects -
Film Nerd Pictures - https://www.filmnerdpictures.com/
https://www.instagram.com/filmnerdpicturesllc/
Film Nerd Pictures Presents Podcast - Youtube