We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hansen Bursic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hansen, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Purpose, to me, is a constantly evolving concept with no right answer. When I started my journey into filmmaking, I was pretty lost and clung to telling stories that I had no connection to. In a sea of creators who drew inspiration from Hollywood, I began traveling across rural America doing advocacy work which dramatically shaped my work. Advocacy and political change through film became my driving purpose, culminating in creating films to help boost legislation to protect LGBTQ+ people.
Once the pandemic came and I relocated to Los Angeles, I was overwhelmed with a sense of exhaustion from the state of the world. I started craving stories of radical queer joy in the face of so much hate. My purpose evolved from changing the hearts and minds of people outside my community to working on films that are more directly for queer and trans people and that uplift our history.
My purpose is always changing, evolving, and growing. I am excited to see where my purpose will gravitate towards next.
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 started my journey as a filmmaker and journalist working to tell the stories of queer and trans people in rural America. My philosophy, shaped by history and a thirst for equity, is to bring complex and powerful narratives to life and do so in a way that centers ethics and care behind and in front of the camera. From capturing the history of joyful resistance to spotlighting those who are braving new paths in difficult times, my work is a love letter to the people Hollywood often forgets.
Today I work between Los Angeles and my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA directing and producing documentaries. My now award-winning work has been screened around the world and I was named one of Temple University’s 30 Under 30 last year. My most recent project, “Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania”, was funded through the Traverse32 Creative Hope Initiative incubator program where I was mentored by filmmakers like Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot. Set to come out later this year, the short film captures the previously untold history of a legendary party that saw 100s of transgender women take over a small town each year.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Empathy and care come to mind as the most important to my work. Most filmmakers understand the need for this with the people in front of the camera, but it is vital to extend that care to collaborators behind the scenes. I also think self-care is an important skill to have as a documentary filmmaker and it isn’t said enough. It is hard to do right by your participants and crew without also properly taking care of yourself, mentally and physically.
My advice for any younger or newer creatives is to always be asking why and how: Why am I telling this story? Why is this story important to me? How can I create a safer environment for my team? How can I be of better service to the story? Asking these questions, among others, helps center your practice and cultivate a culture of care.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I think I have grown tremendously in the last year, specifically in advocating for myself and prioritizing my creative practice. The past few years have been a lot of hustling and I am grateful for that experience, but I am excited to start picking projects that serve the soul rather than just taking whatever is offered. There are a lot of projects in the pipeline this year that are perfectly aligned with what I want to be doing and I can’t wait to share more soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: hansen.bursic.com
- Instagram: @hansenbursic
- Facebook: /HansenBursicFilm
- Linkedin: /hansen-bursic
- Twitter: @hansenbursic
Image Credits
Hansen-headshot-2024.jpg & IMG_3089 copy.jpg – Photo by Madelyn Van Trieste
