Meet Julia Verdin

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Verdin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julia, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I think to find your purpose, you have to try out different things. I have ventured down a variety of different paths, all related to the creative arts. I have always enjoyed being of service, helping others and volunteering. After many years, I have found a perfect combination of marrying my love of filmmaking with educating and raising awareness on key social issues through founding a non-profit, Artists for Change, and making social impact films.

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 initially started in the film business as an actress. I went to drama school in London and loved exploring different characters, putting on plays, doing scenes and constantly being active and creating. I achieved a certain level of success as an actress and played roles in a number of different films and TV series. I was always happy when I was working and being creative, but was not good at sitting around waiting for the phone to ring and so, I started to develop film projects.

One of the things I loved most about acting was developing characters and thinking about what a certain type of character would do in a given situation, and I found that same joy in developing scripts. I fell into producing and found that I was good at it and it felt like the right path for me to take. After producing for years and getting 36 films into production and developing many screenplays with other writers, I started to write my own. I have now written 3 produced screenplays and optioned a couple more and won a number of screenwriting awards.

Loving new challenges, 8 years ago, I decided I wanted to transition from producing to directing. I am a great believer in education and being as prepared as you can be. So I went back and did an MA in film with a focus on directing and social impact filmmaking. I started out with directing a short film and loved it. My acting background helped with understanding how to direct actors and my producing experience of working closely with a variety of directors, watching them work, understanding how to cover a scene and the various courses I took all really helped. I felt I had finally found what I was really passionate about doing. Sometimes it takes trying various things in life to find out what the right fit is for you. I have now directed a number of shorts and 3 feature films, co-directed a documentary and am in pre-production for a fourth feature.

I love writing and directing and feel that will be my focus going forward and have a couple more projects currently in the works. I will still produce for directors I like and respect.

At this point in my life, it’s important to work with good people who have good values and integrity. Film can be an up and down business. It’s important to enjoy the journey. When I am in-between films, I also do some consulting for other filmmakers to help them achieve their dreams and have developed a successful business doing that too. I really enjoy helping others achieve their goals and find success. I have found that it is often a case of helping them to find the right business plan that will result in finding success.

I wrote a book on filmmaking, Success in Film, to be a simple guide on how to make a film from start to finish. I am happy to say that the book used to teach filmmakers all around the world. I also do some volunteer work and founded a non-profit, Artists for Change. I love making films and I am a believer in the power of film and its ability to raise awareness on key social issues.

I’m very passionate about creating social impact films on topics such as child trafficking, domestic abuse, alcoholism, bullying, and the current homeless crisis. My goal is to bring awareness to these issues via film, which is a medium that can really bring focus to these real-world problems. I founded Artists for Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to create high impact film, television, and multimedia projects to inspire individuals, organizations, and communities to bring about positive social change. Maya, our latest film, aims to raise awareness on key issues including child trafficking, domestic violence, and alcoholism. It’s inspired by true events and will show how predators use social media to lure vulnerable teens into their lair. I wrote, directed and produced this film and it will be released this summer.

I also recently optioned a script to Robert Craig Films that I wrote with another writer called James J. Papa. The film was funded and I directed it and produced it with them. It has just finished principal photography and will be released later this year. It is about a group of people who bond together with a personal history and experience all their own, yet are experiencing homelessness and living with No Address. The film stars Lucas Jade Zumann, Isabella Ferriera, Beverly d’Angelo, Ashanti, Xander Berkley, Kristanna Loken, Billy Baldwin and Patricia Velasquez.

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?
I think to succeed as a filmmaker, there are three important things. The first is that you have to be really passionate about the stories you want to tell. It is difficult getting films made. Many times over the years, I have had investors fall out, actors fall out and have to start over again. It takes passion to keep going. The second is humility, it’s important to be humble. As a director and producer, filmmaking is a collaborative medium, you always want to be open to listening. A good film results from not one person, but a great script and a great creative team. The third is a great work ethic. I have always been a hard worker and ready to roll up my sleeves and put in the work needed.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am particularly proud of the work we have done with Artists For Change. We make social impact films and want them to be used to educate and raise awareness. They are available to organizations and institutions for this purpose. We also love it when individuals host screenings for their communities. They can also be used by NGOs to raise funding for the services they provide. When donors get an understanding visually of what an organization is fighting against, it can really help. We have educational presentations available to go with the films that can be used for discussions after the film and a short educational EPK that is available too.

A wonderful lady who runs another NGO, Rescue Party Give, reached out to me after seeing Angie: Lost Girls, one of our films about teen trafficking at a community and outreach screening we had put on and asked if the film could be used for a project she was doing with the University of Texas Dallas. We recently did a screening for all the students at that university and it was a big success. The students were all very engaged and interested and asked a lot of good questions.

We are also always looking for volunteers to help create more educational events, corporate sponsors to help market or support the films, and donations for silent auctions. Please reach out to us at: info@artists4change.org

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Sasha Dylan Bell, Michael Callas, Kelsey Edwards

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