We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Pouchet a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I graduated from college with an English major, drama minor, and film & video certificate. After graduation, I worked in several professional theatrical productions as lighting tech, stage management, props, house manager, anything I could do to get in the industry. Eventually, I ended up as assistant director for two Broadway shows. Then, September 11th, 2001 happened and work dried up.
Needing to support myself, I moved away from NYC, got a “real” job, and ended up on a more traditional career path. Fifteen years went by in a flash. I got married, had two kids, started a marketing agency, and had six books published. In 2016, I sold my marketing agency and focused on writing, my health, and my kids full-time. I quickly transitioned into filmmaking and have been excelling since.
Sometimes it seems like I wasted 15 years career-wise. I watch filmmakers and writers my age enjoy amazing success and think perhaps I should have moved to Los Angeles for filmmaking right after graduation. But, that decision would have eliminated the family I cherish. I would have been a workaholic, only focused on a single part of the many valued facets that make up my current life.
Being an “emerging filmmaker” in my mid-40s sometimes feels silly, but I would not trade my current life for all the accolades starting earlier would have provided. Besides, my life experience makes me a much better writer!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
A former Broadway assistant director, I am a novelist and writer/director for the award-winning fantasy series, Strowlers. I am currently in development on the feature film, Her Mad Hatter, an adaptation of the best-selling fantasy romance novel.
My horror/social thriller short, Retch, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2019, won Best Film at the Seattle Black Film Festival in 2020, and has shown on DirecTV, Amazon, PBS, and Alaska Airlines. My subsequent films — a sci-fi short called Such an Honor and a fantasy animation/live action blend called Lioness have been official selections at dozens of festivals worldwide.
Prior to filmmaking, I owned a bi-coastal marketing agency with tech, entertainment, and nonprofit clients. In addition to managing my staff of ten employees, I oversaw multi-million-dollar budgets with consistently high ROI. I sold the agency in 2016 to fully focus on my craft.
A 2024 Artist Trust fellow, I continue to write/direct projects that incorporate social commentary into genre film. I have served as a Board Member for Destiny City Film Festival, for Northwest Screenwriters Guild, and for Zombie Orpheus Entertainment; and as a lecturer for the University of Virginia, Clarion West, SIFF, and Women in Film.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
At my core, I’m a filmmaker who wants to change the world with movies. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner helped America accept interracial marriage. The Day After Tomorrow drove home the reality of climate change better than decades of official reports. Movies like these are my inspiration.
My own films have achieved similar results. In 2019, Retch premiered at Seattle International Film Festival and immediately got the audience talking about unconscious racial biases. My next short, Such an Honor, premiered at ARTS x SDGS, a festival joining artists with United Nations staff working for change, where it led conversations about women’s bodily autonomy.
The next step in my career is reaching bigger audiences with a fantasy romance feature. A grown-up spin on Alice in Wonderland, Her Mad Hatter delves into mental illness and women’s perceived responsibility to “save” their partners. Because of its responsible handling of mental health, the project was selected for Washington Filmworks’ enhanced Small Budget Production Initiative, a new funding program that invests in emerging producers and directors in Washington State.
Diversity has always been a critical component of all my projects. Most of our cast and crew are from marginalized communities. The diversity isn’t pertinent to the story. However, representation matters. The more that audiences see BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ people as non-violent, non-criminal, not-overly sexualized everyday folks, the more normalized we are. And that leads to a more peaceful existence for everyone.
Her Mad Hatter combines compelling storytelling, strong performances from a diverse cast, responsible handling of mental illness, and mesmerizing virtual film sets to captivate audiences. I can’t wait for it to help change the world by reducing the stigma of and fostering more conversation around mental illness.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
There is an adage that suggests people treat everyone as if they are children and the elderly. The point is to have patience and speak kindly. Keeping that in mind, I have to admit that the book that’s helped me the most in my career is a parenting book called, “How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.
The book has oodles of great advice. What stuck with me are these points: 1- Give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe your colleague is being a jerk because they’re having personal issues. Or, they’re hangry and just need a break for a snack. 2- Take the time to explain yourself and your rules and/or boundaries. Colleagues are much more willing to go along with your plan if they think it’s logical/ beneficial. 3- Don’t belittle others. No one wants to work with people who make them feel bad. 4- Sometimes you should just shut up and listen. Your unwavering, supportive presence is frequently the most important thing you have to offer. 5- Ask what people need instead of assuming. Unless it’s literally your job, you don’t need to fix everyone’s problems for them.
These tips have helped every relationship in my life. And, careers are built on relationships more than anything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.morninglark-productions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npouchet/
