Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Pollack. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
From being a sister. My siblings and their support mean the world to me. It’s actually impossible to be a pessimist with them in my life. Believe me, I’ve tried– it did NOT go well! They make it easier to see the light in the darkness and… ah, man, I miss them. We’re all spread out at the moment. I’m going to give them a call after this.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Yeah, sure! I’m someone who, I think, was born to be in the middle. I’m from Ithaca, NY which is smack-dab in the middle of the state. I’m a middle child, half-Korean, half-Jewish, and halfway to my mid-life crisis. I also love being in the middle of stories, character’s minds, and between the other creatives in the film industry. That’s a big reason why I became a screenwriter.
Writing for a team of likeminded and talented people is the most exciting part of the job. The collaborative nature starts on the page which, at times, is easy to forget when I’ve been writing into the void or staring at my screen for five hours trying to crank out a borderline decent sentence, but when I DO remember– it always motivates me to keep going.
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?
I think being a good listener is vital to being a good storyteller. Openly trying to understand a person, event, or question has always been the start of a script for me. Another good skill I constantly try to hone is the ability to close read. Training yourself to recognize how small details impact the text in its entirety is essential in terms of creating deft, concise action lines in my scripts. It also helps me find something to appreciate in every piece of art I view– another good quality to sharpen! Be critical, but also try to be kind. Be kindly critical? Critically kind? Pick your poison!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! I’m always looking for people to collaborate with and learn from! If anyone is interested in stories about Asian American and/or Jewish stories, especially those centering women– let me know. I am also always looking for AMC-A list buddies so shoot me an email or a dm and let’s catch a movie!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinosaur_bee/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-pollack-358089160/
