Meet Jenny Waldo

We were lucky to catch up with Jenny Waldo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenny, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I wouldn’t say I’ve completely overcome “imposter” syndrome, but I do think it’s important to talk about. One of my favorite moments from the 2023 Oscars was when Everything Everywhere All at Once won for Best Original Screenplay and Daniel Kwan said in his acceptance speech that his “imposter syndrome was an an all-time high.” If someone winning an Oscar, in some minds the pinnacle of achievement in this industry, still feels like an imposter, then we need to rethink and reframe what we think it means to succeed, what it means to love and respect yourself and to see your own value as a person and as a creative. This also ties into cultural/societal norms for what’s considered arrogant, boasting, and their counterparts humble and self-deprecating. I remember when I was just starting out in my career and I could barely write a cover-letter for a job I wanted because it felt like I was arrogantly boastful about how I was good at multi-tasking and being proactive! I have a habit of belittling my accomplishments as “nothing,” “no big deal.” I am ambitious and have so much I want to accomplish that because I’m not THERE yet (wherever “there” is) everything that I’ve done so far seems to lose its value. The turning point for me was when I started teaching Filmmaking and had students looking at my work, my accomplishments, my knowledge, as something that they hoped to achieve for themselves someday. How could I trash myself and my accomplishments, when I was a symbol of hope for my students? I started seeing it in other filmmakers that I admire, those that are farther down the road of this profession with more features under their belt, more produced scripts, more projects directed…and I saw that they all felt like there was still so much more they wanted to do, that they didn’t value the accomplishments they’d already achieved because those accomplishments didn’t fit some kind of expectation or imagined success. There was a moment after my first feature film, Acid Test, was done with production and I was editing it and putting it together, stressing over where this film might go, how we were going to premiere it at a festival and find distribution when someone said to me “Well the good thing is is that you’ve already accomplished so much with what you’ve done on this film.” Our production was mostly a dream. We offered opportunities to people, promoted diversity in front of and behind the camera, we created a safe and sustainable set, we had proven that we could do it. But in that moment, I didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment because the film wasn’t finished, wasn’t premiered, wasn’t distributed. It was so sad to me that I couldn’t see that, couldn’t feel it. So ever since, I’ve tried to sit in my accomplishments. They’ve gotten me where I am today. I wouldn’t have the NEXT project without that LAST or previous projects and the growth and learning that came with them. I can say now that I’ve done some cool things, things I’m incredibly proud of. And I can feel it (mostly) and I can say it without belittlement because they are facts. Doesn’t make me better or worse than anyone, we’re all on our own journeys as artists and the competition and professional jealousy get us no where. I think it’s possible to be ambitious, to strive for each new project to be the best one yet without trashing everything that came before. Maybe there’s embarrassment that we didn’t know everything that we know now, and those mistakes are visible in film forever. Imposter Syndrome is like how you obsess about a pimple on your face – it’s all you can see and it’s HIDEOUS – but no one else even notices. It’s okay to be wherever you’re at in your journey as a creative. There will always be more to accomplish, but don’t undermine the work you’ve already done to get yourself where you are. Even if it’s just the starting point. Everyone had to start somewhere. It’s not a race; it’s your life. So enjoy the ride and maybe re=think your expectations and definition of “success” for what you want to do in your career and life. And remember that you can always re-evaluate again at any point given whatever new circumstances arise.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a filmmaker. I produce, write, and direct films. I’ve been in this industry over 25 years, starting out in the documentary/educational industry before focusing on my passion for scripted (fictional) filmmaking. My work lately has been a combination of those two fields, producing based-on-true-story content. My debut feature film, Acid Test, is based on my own troubled teenage years and my second feature film, Martha’s Mustang, is also based on a true story about a woman fighting her city over a hot pink Mustang she’s turned into a flower planter. I have a short film, Twofer, that’s going to premiere at the Houston Latino Film Festival and was funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. It’s a stretch project for me because it’s a thriller/horror that I directed based on a script written by someone else. It’s been very collaborative, fun, and freeing to simply create for artistic exploration. But Martha’s Mustang is my larger/long-term goal for this year. The script has received several accolades and I’m looking for financing and actors that can bring this project to life. I also teach Filmmaking at Houston Community College and bring my students onto my projects for them to gain valuable hands-on experience, a good credit for their resume, and professional networking.

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 have to remind myself, especially as a teacher, that when you’re just starting out, the vast expanse of possibilities is overwhelming. There’s so much uncertainty about which step to take. Looking back, I can see a through-line in all of my work that led me where I am. My experience in documentary, though not my passion or interest, brought me some incredible opportunities, including teaching at Houston Community College. Documentary also taught me so much about storytelling and how to implement into my scripted fictional films. But because it wasn’t what I “really” wanted to be doing, I had a hard time seeing its value for a long time. Similarly, I see filmmakers who work on commercials or corporate films who really want to be making scripted projects, but all those commercials and corporate films are simply honing their skills, expanding their resources of crew and even financing. So there isn’t a WRONG first step, the only thing that would be “wrong” is not taking a step at all, ever. You need to gain these experiences in order to learn more about yourself, the industry, the possibilities, in order to make a decision about what the NEXt step should be. Little by little, step by step, you start to make that journey. So I think the 3 skills would be 1: acknowledge the vastness of possibilities and whatever anxiety that brings up and think about where/how you can take your first step (mindfulness/self-care), 2: TAKE THAT STEP and see it through (except of course if there is harm by staying) because this is a relationship/reputational business so you want to meet people and also be a person of your word, 3: Re-evaluate as needed and make sure to take care of your growing network of relationships and continuing to build a solid, respectable reputation. Even if you pivot into a totally different industry or area of the industry, these people you meet along the way can help you, or might know of someone who can help you. It’s truly a small world.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge for independent filmmaking is an industry that has faced a series of economic hits (streaming disruption, flooded market, pandemic, strikes, now fires) that have hurt the workers and resources terribly. Filmmaking is a team sport that takes a lot of money to do well, but there’s been a crisis of sustainability. I worry for my students who want to build their careers as the industry seems to be in a down-cycle, the economy is struggling generally, and there still seem to be so many gate-keepers blocking people’s ability to connect with the larger industry. Every film is like re-inventing the wheel, starting from scratch. So I’ve tried to stop fighting and bemoaning the state of the industry. I take care of my bills by teaching, a job I also love so it’s a win-win. I try to re-think the financing model and look for ways to mitigate risk while still making a film and offering something the funders and audience can enjoy, largely through fiscal sponsorship. I try to focus on the work and what can be accomplished within the resources that I have, never expecting to be saved by anyone.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

1st image: Kate Phillips
2nd image (next to TV): Erika Waldorf
All others N/A

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