We recently connected with Lisa Mason Lee and have shared our conversation below.
Lisa Mason Lee, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
It’s no secret that the filmmaking world is male dominated. When I directed my film “Angry Baker” in 2018, it seemed like a rare occurrence for girls to direct anything, but now in 2024 I’ve seen some growth on various projects I have worked on. My new film “The Housesitter” just premiered a few months ago at the Hollywood Reel Independent Festival alongside a block of other shorts, and lo and behold I was the only female director in the group. I love making movies and I don’t care that I might be the only girl in the room. I’m in this to make art and express myself. Luckily I have some supportive guy friends in film that backed me up when I finally stepped out to make movies.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Writing your own movies is therapeutic, as you can exercise your creative ideas and hopefully bring your fantasies into reality when you shoot. At first if you decide to make your own projects, you might worry what people will think, but you’ll eventually get over all that stuff in due time. I think all of the auditioning for everything from commercials to movies has given me a steel spine. So much rejection really toughens you up after so many years. That’s also how I decided to make my own projects. I thought, if I can’t be in your project I’ll start making my own!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being in the entertainment industry can be a whirlwind. It’s important to keep a good head on your shoulders. Making my way through, I have picked up a few helpful tools.
The first thing you have to have is some sort of confidence in yourself where you can plow through lots of BS. Having faith you believe in yourself and that you’re going to serve you’re purpose no matter what is key.
Second thing you should have is discernment. You might screw that up when you’re a youngster, but this tool sharpens fast in the lions den. Ask these types of questions to yourself:
-Is this legitimate?
-Is this healthy for me and within my boundaries?
-Will this benefit me to be apart of this?
-Am I being taken advantage of? Am I in control? Is this a quid pro quo?
Third tool you should consider which is a daily life rule: FIND THE LIGHT. This means look on the bright side. Keep your head up. Be thankful. Be happy. Find it. If you’re not happy it’s hard to do anything 🙂
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Being in a tough city, I have been so fortunate to be aligned with good people. My few close friends will tell me the god awful truth if I need it. And I do value what they say and consider certain alterations. I think that’s called maturity? Haha.
I have been on film/TV sets with legendary actors and film people and have seen how they work. Whether it’s David Lynch directing, Dean Cundey DPing, Juno Temple acting opposite of me… you better believe I rack up the mental notes. How are they so professional? How do they treat others? What sort of things make them great at what they do?
I just had a co-star acting role on the new series “Palm Royale” on Apple TV. It’s another fab Abe Silvia show (George & Tammy). So anyway, I was in this bank scene with Kristen Wiig. Before we had our scene together I was nervous how she was going to be because I never met her before. But duh, of course was she nice and easy to work with.
Generally people are good and really nice. It’s safe to “mostly” assume that’s true, and if it isn’t than YOU can be nice anyway 🙂
Check out the episode of Palm Royale streaming now. Season 1, Episode 6.
See Lisa Mason Lee’s projects on imdb.me/lisamasonlee
Follow Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisamasonlee/
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisamasonlee
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LisaMasonLeeFanPage/
Image Credits
1. Headshot by Jason Gaskins.
2. Two still images from series “Palm Royale” by AppleTV.
3. Bartender behind the scenes still by Brooke Taffet for upcoming film “Transient.”
4. “Sandwich Betty” behind the scenes still by Joe Bizarro for upcoming film COTBE.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
