Meet Roxanne Griffith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Roxanne Griffith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Roxanne, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.

On every project, there are always a few tough decisions that I have to make as producer. Making these decisions has gotten easier with more experience and more projects, but every situation is unique. What has helped me the most in honing these skills is always approaching each tough decision with making sure I have all the information, and taking into consideration what is both fair and reasonable but also what is best for the project. I have found it is also important to accept that it is inevitable that someone will be unhappy with my decision, and to not take it personally when that happens. In the end, It is about what will help the project without compromising safety on set.

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?

I work as a freelance producer, mainly producing short films and vertical web series for various platforms. One of my shorts, “Water Dog”, is making its festival circuit and I am in post for a web series. I am also currently a part of Color Creative’s Find Your People Program; a networking and mentorship program where they provide a budget to make a short film. The short I producer through the program is called “Lemon & Coffee”, and I am in post for it. I have recently starting running productions through my new company, Lucky Black Cat Films, and am excited to expand my client base and take on more productions to grow my company. I feel most excited and fulfilled when I get to work on a project from start to finish; from before there is even a script all the way through the festival run. I love collaborating with writers and directors, and helping make their projects come to life. I am in prep and development for a few projects for next year, and am excited to bring them to fruition.

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?

One skill I feel has been most impactful for my career has been my communication skills. Making a successful film really comes down to clear communication among the crew; without it a set can be chaotic and unsafe. I have learned to follow my instincts, and even when I feel a question may be redundant to ask, to always ask just in case. It is better to triple check than to assume. Another skill I find useful as a producer is knowing how to give notes to a writer or director, and learning what is the note behind the note. This is something that takes practice, but one way I learned was by seeing which notes resonate with a writer and which ones may make them defensive or just not understand. Another way to practice is to watch a movie and then read the screenplay; then you can see how the story was translated to film and what worked in a story perspective and what mistakes may have been in script stage. Lastly, I try to be a producer who is supportive of the team around me. Not just the director and cinematographer, but everyone. Supporting your crew can go a long way; it helps me maintain good relationships with my crew and helps them to do their best work. It is easy to be defensive and have an instinct to say no to requests from crew, but I feel it is important to do what is possible to support them in doing their jobs, and to create a pleasant work environment so you work with the same crew again and again.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

I feel my biggest area of growth has been in how I seek out jobs and opportunities. Rather than waiting someone to reach out to me, my mindset has changed to seek out projects and directors I want to work with. It is a different mindset to have, but one I feel is necessary for my career as a producer. With having my company set up, I now need to pitch myself to potential clients and directors. I find it hard to talk about myself and brag about my skills and work, but this is something I have been working on this past year to find the right balance in order to attract clients and assure them I can deliver on their projects.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxygriffith/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-griffith-945a4a111/

Image Credits

Credit: Bianca Catbagan, Antonio Zamarripa, J. Connor Bjornson, Kadri Koop