Meet Annaliese Schroeder

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

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Annaliese with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Whenever I think of work ethic I immediately think of my dad. Starting as a dishwasher at a country club when he was fifteen, my dad continued supporting himself financially through high school and college. When I was a baby, my dad would wake up at 4 a.m. to go throw newspapers around the city, then he would go to work as a ninth grade science teacher and end the day coaching football. As a little kid I didn’t recognize the time, effort, and sacrifice that my parents put in to taking care of my sister and I, but I see the impacts of that work now. That attitude of resilience and creating quality work rubs off on a person.

As kids, my dad would have my sister and I go pick up all of the sticks in the backyard before he mowed the grass so that the sticks wouldn’t get sucked up by the mower and smack him in the legs. Now, as an adult, I totally understand this ask. However, as a kid I thought it BS. There was one summer day when my dad asked my sister and I to go pick up sticks in the backyard. The sun was beating down, it was incredibly humid, and my sister and I were so over it. We picked up maybe five sticks and said, “Okay, we got them all.” From back inside the house I could hear the lawn mower start up, run for a moment, and then abruptly stop. My dad quickly walked back inside with a stick in hand. He held the stick up to my sister and I and said, “I asked you to pick up all of the sticks in the yard. When you do a job you don’t half ass it, you full ass it.” The line “you don’t half ass it, you full ass it,” perfectly sums up how I approach all work and projects in my life. You don’t quit until the job is done right, or the sticks are all picked up.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have always felt the most energized when working on projects that center around story telling and filmmaking. Last November I wrote, directed, produced, edited, and scored the short horror film, Grief Sick. This project was a labor of love, with only a three person crew (including me) and a cast of ten people (two of which were also on crew). Grief Sick is currently in the festival circuit, and so far it has been accepted into the following festivals:

– Red Fox International Film Festival for Best Horror and Best Original Score
– Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker Sessions 2024 for Shorts – New Voices
– Tuesday of Horror Film Festival for Best Low Budget film
– Golden Short Film Festival Finalist for Golden Soundtrack

In addition to Grief Sick, last year I also worked on the short films Zombie Breath and One Man. I acted in both films, playing Shane in Zombie Breath and General Idea in One Man. I also wrote the score for Zombie Breath. Both films are available to watch on YouTube. I am currently working on the independent short horror film, Elevated. In this film, when out of anxiety medication, a young Chicagoan must come face to face with their worst fears. This film was written and created by O. Ivan Delgado.

When I’m not working on films, I spend my time writing sketches and creating content with you best friend and writing partner, Canelle Vanderford. Canelle and I both run the YouTube channel, LadyBits, where we host our movie and TV roast show, Potroast, and post comedy sketches.

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?

Three qualities or mindsets that I have found to be the most impactful in my creative journey would be to maintain a passion for learning, finding motivation in self-development, and prioritizing collaboration. I think in this day and age, it’s really important to be multifaceted and have a wide array of skills. If you want to make video content but don’t know how to edit video, it’s better to take the time to watch editing tutorials online and learn a new skill opposed to never releasing content. If you can’t work on a set as an actor, then see if you can work as crew. Maintaining a passion for learning will help open doors to opportunities that you never would’ve thought of.

Maintaining a passion for learning ties into self-development. I have found that approaching work with the end goal being to grow and gain knowledge has opened me up to more jobs and experiences then if I would’ve narrowed my search to one specific role. In middle school I took an audition lab class with a local theater and one student asked our teacher, “Do you ever get upset when you don’t get a part?” The teacher explained how he approached every audition with the mindset that he was already a part of the production because his audition was helping narrow down casting. I bring this same mindset into all of the work that I do. It’s better to have an unexpected opportunity to grow opposed to no opportunities at all.

The message from my audition lab teacher also ties into my views on prioritizing collaboration. The creative world can be very competitive. It is easy to feel jealous of someone who is booking a lot of roles and experiencing success; however, sitting and mentally tearing someone down isn’t going to help you find success. When that jealousy bubbles up it’s important to pause and think, “what is it about this person that is making me feel insecure?” Once you pinpoint what that insecurity is, think about things that you could do to face that insecurity and improve your skill in the area that you’re feeling weak in. Instead of viewing a successful person as an enemy, it’s better to view them as an ally who could help you grow. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by some exceptionally talented and supportive people who push me to grow and challenge myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today without this priority on collaboration.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always looking to expand my creative community! I love working with people who are go-getters, team players, and passionate about story telling. At the end of the day, my main goal in life is to tell emotionally compelling stories that people can relate to, find comfort in, or even simply laugh with. I’m specifically looking for fellow filmmakers who are open to making more substantial short films or features. Feel free to connect with me and reach out on instagram @annaliese_schroeder or on LinkedIn.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Headshot taken by Canelle Vanderford
Grief Sick movie poster created by Canelle Vanderford

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