Allison Gray is a native Californian and a transplanted LA woman since 2010. A voracious reader and sometime writer, she has been lucky enough to experience some pretty cool things – including a mention in Vanity Fair, an inclusion in Molly Guy‘s Vogue advice column…and she was once caught slurping down oysters at Connie & Ted’s in a cover photo for the Saturday section of the LA Times. One of her proudest moments remains an appearance on an episode of Top Chef: Restaurant Wars.
Personally, what keeps you coming back to be a part of the challenge every year?
The smiles on the faces of everyone on our team! We come out every year for fun and for free, the positivity and gratitude make it all worthwhile. The fact that we had a great time is the most important thing to me, that we also made a movie is the cherry on top.
Comparing your first year to this year’s challenge what things have you learned that have made things easier for you?
The first year we dove in headfirst and were so ambitious: using all the props (instead of just the two required), having the biggest cast, etc. Now in year five, we still try to consistently raise the bar every time (working with kids and dogs, for example, is a bit of a circus) but also try to relax into the challenge while managing expectations and not spreading ourselves too thin. Hopefully somewhere my husband (director/producer Cory Reeder) is reading this 🙂
With your PR & marketing background in mind, is there a way to encourage more people to get involved in the EDFC next year?
My day job is PR for public television here in LA where much like this film challenge we focus on telling stories that matter. I would encourage everyone to share these stories via word of mouth, on social media, email your friends…you never know who could see it. Sharing gets people curious about participating and the increased representation helps people see themselves reflected in the story. It has a powerful effect because after all, you can’t be what you don’t see.<
From a marketing standpoint, are there any mistakes you see some filmmakers make that make their films harder to find success? What type of films, in your opinion, seem to work best in finding an audience?
I think the name of the film is crucial to make it stand out – you immediately want people to know what your film is about while not giving everything away. The goal is to get people interested whether they come across it online, in a festival or in a pitch deck, etc. At the end of the day, your film can have a strong message but needs to be entertaining above everything else.
After 5 years participating is there anything you’d be excited to see happen or try in a film that’s not been tackled yet? Either professionally or personally, during production, or storywise?
Given the recent success of films like Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and Get Out…I’d love a super hero or horror themed year! This year’s sci fi theme was my favorite yet, we got to pull inspiration from some of my favorites like Alien and Stranger Things that feature bad ass women kicking butt 🙂