Meet Avery Looser

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Avery Looser. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Avery below.

Avery, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I very purposefully chose the word ‘brave’ as the cornerstone of my production company, BraveMouse, and I believe bravery takes an incredible amount of resilience. Inherently, the act of being brave is walking fearlessly and courageously into any circumstance, including the ones that result in failure and force you to be resilient and brave all over again…

I think a lot of my resilience comes from how deeply I immersed myself in absolutely everything growing up. Academics, theater, film, sports — I approached everything unafraid of failure and eager to try again. And this boldness comes. directly from my family. I am so lucky to have grown up in a home where dreams were never big enough, failure was seen as a new opportunity, and personal battles were not fought alone. This incredible amount of support given to me and the ability to support my family in in return has taught me the extreme importance of this resilient bravery….because, with it, things always work out as they should, even if it is never truly clear at the moment.

Especially in the entertainment industry. Everyone says it, and it is true: you will hear more nos than you will hear yeses. And it will be terrifying. And at times you will be filled with self-doubt. And at times you won’t be able to see the full picture. And at times you will feel like it’s all for nothing…but finding that resilient bravery within yourself, surrounded by your support system, will give you the endurance to keep on…and please dear God, keep on…because I promise, everything happens for a reason.

And maybe that’s where my resilience comes from…the fact that now I can look back at things I thought were the end of the world — in my personal life, in my career — and can now see their divine purpose. And that journey gives me the confidence that whatever lies ahead will prove itself to be what I needed all along but perhaps in a different font.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a writer, director, and producer with a strong focus on women-led narratives in front of and behind the camera with my production company, BraveMouse.

I founded BraveMouse during the pandemic after a series of events and a season of reflection where I personally experienced the extreme sexism that exists within and around the entertainment industry. During my senior year of high school, I produced a short about being the only woman in my film class that was banned from the school for not being an “accurate representation” of the film program despite my first-hand experience. And the banning process was so intense that it eventually led to a legal investigation led by another man who found “no evidence of gender discrimination” again despite my first-hand experience.

From that moment forward, I decided to make it my personal, professional, and artistic mission to empower women in my stories and my productions. I believed in this mission so much that I founded my production company, BraveMouse, on these principles. BraveMouse strives to tell uniquely women-led narratives while empowering the women behind the narratives with women-led production teams. By supporting every woman who tells our stories, we believe they have the power to change the narrative for all.

Since founding BraveMouse back in October 2020, we have produced over 25 women-led creative endeavors. From film and television productions, music videos, websites, writing, and photography projects, BraveMouse has put women at the center of our storytelling.

As we are entering our fourth year with big dreams and plans ahead, I am so grateful for my incredible team, Lizzy Walther (Creative Producer), Brock Looser (Creative Coordinator & Co-Producer), Julia Kruger (Co-Producer), Truman Hanks (Director of Photography & Co-Producer), and their firm belief in me and our mission to make some change in this industry, creating a future where women’s stories are told authentically by the creative voices behind them.

Looking back, it’s incredibly sad that such an experience can happen to a high schooler. We should only be encouraging young artists to actively and relentlessly pursue their creative passions and voices…and if BraveMouse can have any impact on that in the future by hosting film festivals or providing grants among various other things…that would be a dream come true. Even in our early stages, I hope BraveMouse encourages young filmmakers everywhere, especially young women filmmakers, to find that resilient bravery and never give up…and know that there are people out there who want to help you and see you succeed. We here at BraveMouse certainly do!!!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Whatever your journey looks like, I urge you to always be BRAVE, KIND, and CREATIVE. I know these three words feel pretty basic, but let me explain:

Throughout this interview, I have delved into the importance of resilient bravery, but allow me to reiterate. Failure is an inevitable part of the process, but I urge you to use your failure as a new opportunity to be brave. To me, failure does not even exist! But I certainly know the feeling does…please, do not let it get you down. And please do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be, or can and cannot say, or how to say it! Be brave enough to believe in your voice, your art one thousand percent. Be brave enough to follow your intuition and trust the road ahead…what is meant for you will not pass you by…

Nothing beats kindness…and I believe that goes hand in hand with empathy. It is impossible to know the inner life of a fellow collaborator, so please, be kind. And approach things with grace…grace for yourself and the person across the table. It’s incredible: I’ve been hearing more and more that people are more eager to work with KIND people above anything else, and they are specifically vocalizing the word KIND. So please, be kind.

And lastly, BE CREATIVE. And explore your creativity every single day! Creativity in producing a piece of work, or writing an email, or approaching a client, or literally anything else! Creativity has many forms. Learning your creative strengths in all aspects of life is an imperative step in running your business, heading a project, assembling a team, etc. And recognize what you might deem as a simple task as something creative and specific to you because it probably is…we all have the superpower to create.

I truly believe if you approach any part of your journey with bravery, kindness, and creativity, good things are bound to happen.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
As I continue on my journey, I want to make it a priority to be vocal about the silent struggles of the entertainment industry that nobody talks about (which can be extremely overwhelming).

Over the past year especially, there have been several occasions where I have been asked to do something I’ve never done before. And I did not know anyone I could go to for advice who had done whatever it was. And the person who asked me to enter that room or send that email or hop on that phone call clearly would not hold my hand through it…and I did not want that! But the feeling of embarking on something completely blind that could be career-changing is extremely overwhelming. You find yourself sitting with yourself exclaiming internally and externally, “I don’t know how to do this!” And that is terrifying (at least for me).

But what I have learned is the phrase “take it one step at a time” could not be more true. And the practice of reminding yourself that you HAVE done these things before just on a different level. Like Avery, you have sent an email before and you have walked into an intimidating room before…chill. I also think finding the one or two special people you can call and talk things through is invaluable…and sometimes, magic. My most sacred place is my dining room table. Many problems have been solved, anxieties calmed, and progress manifested around a home-cooked meal.

But I think the key is to recognize that the height of any big mountain can be tackled by climbing a series of smaller mountains. And by breaking it down into those smaller steps, things can feel more clear and less overwhelming. To quote one of my favorite movies of all time, sometimes, all you can do is “the next right thing.”

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