We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marlene Sharp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marlene, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
Simply surviving has become a special skill, hasn’t it? Yikes! A recent study – posted on LinkedIn, my go-to news source – says that Sunday scaries have seeped into the weekdays for many folks. In other words, dread isn’t just for weekends anymore! People experience job angst nearly every day. Never mind the state of the world . . . which adds layers of stress. Of course, haters, nay-sayers, and bullies compound these problems.
I wish that I had the secret sauce recipe for awaking with glee each morning, but I struggle a lot . . . which is not dissimilar to large segments of the population, it seems. However, I have found a few small comforts:
1) Pleasant distractions, such as listening to true crime podcasts and creating artful social media posts.
2) Helping others with their entertainment career pursuits, because I am infinitely better at this than advocating for myself!
3) Researching the cognitive therapy tips and techniques of Dr. David D. Burns and other likeminded mental health professionals.
4) Hugging my dog Blanche DuBois Sharp.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a creative and business-savvy entertainment multi-hyphenate who originally hails from New Orleans but am now a (San Fernando) Valley girl. Call me the top dawg of Pink Poodle Productions; it’s the show business consultancy that I founded a few years ago. As the Pink Poodle alpha, I advise noteworthy clients – many from foreign countries, such as Japan, Korea, India, Italy, and Jordan – who wish to make a splash in Hollywood with original content, co-productions, and work-for-hire jobs. Past and present collaborators include Rainshine Entertainment, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, BoredPanda.com, WeFixYourScript.com, ToonBo, Society Theatricals, Euramco Pictures, and The Center for Learning Unlimited/Brainstorm Productions. CLU/Brainstorm is especially close to my heart due to the neurodiverse animators at the core of its career training program and studio.
Prior to Pink Poodle Productions, I served as Director, Production at LEVEL-5 abby, home of YO-KAI WATCH and other Japanese hit video game-based franchises. Before LEVEL-5, I was resident Producer, TV series at Sega of America, where Sonic the Hedgehog was my boss.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are three impactful phenomena in my life and career; some might call them skills or qualities: 1) Empathy, 2) Open mindedness, 3) Effective communication, which includes good grammar and spelling, respectfulness, assertiveness, and humor.
My advice for early career journeymen/women/people is to be nice to everybody, take lemons and make lemonade, and stay flexible in terms of opportunities that cross your path.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Yikes, that is an uncomfortable question! I do not know how I would spend that decade, but I could/should fall back on one of my trusted coping mechanisms: stand-up comedy. Complaining onstage is enormously therapeutic and potentially lucrative. My goal: to mine this particular terminal tragedy for comedic gold and generational wealth for my teen nieces.
Until then, call on Pink Poodle Productions! We are open and ready for (show) business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pinkpoodleproductions.com
- Linkedin: www.LinkedIn.com/in/marlenesharp
- Other: https://linktr.ee/marlenesharp https://linktr.ee/brainstorm.clu
