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

Julie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

FIDDLIN’, an Old-Time/Bluegrass music documentary that I directed in 2019, was by far the most meaningful project I have ever worked on. From the time I was about 10 years old I had known I wanted to be in the film or TV business in some capacity. I realized I would have to venture from my small town upbringing to make this happen but what I didn’t expect was that the story I would most want to share would take me back to my country roots.

Growing up on a farm in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, I had no idea that I was living this idyllic life. I rode my bike on country roads with my sisters and cousins. We fished, swam, rode horses, drove tractors, picked berries with my grandma, and even occasionally sang to cows for fun.

Every summer there was the Fiddler’s Convention that was a major highlight of the season. Musicians would come from all over to play their Old-Time and Bluegrass music. Many of these pickers and fiddlers were also friends and neighbors living in the mountains around us. They weren’t formally trained but played music by ear that had been passed down from one generation to the next. Our family would dance, flatfoot, and socialize every summer at the world’s oldest Fiddler’s Convention.
All the while, I fantasized about escaping country life as I watched the world outside of my own existence by going to the movies and tuning in to the few tv channels we could pick up with our antenna. I dreamed of one day living in Manhattan or Los Angeles. It was only years later after traveling around the world and residing in NY and LA that I realized the magic of my upbringing. This area of the country had often been portrayed in a negative light and I wanted to expose the beauty of this place with its kind, authentic, and talented people.

When I went back home as an adult to attend the Old Time Fiddler’s Convention, I couldn’t believe the number of kids playing instruments and jamming with their elders. These kids weren’t holding or staring at cell phones but were fully engaged and playing their hearts out. This was so refreshing and I became determined to film a music documentary about this amazing Appalachia community and culture that few people were aware of.

I reached out to my sister Vicki Vlasic and together we pursued filming FIDDLIN’. For many reasons, it is the most gratifying project I have worked on. We had local friends and family members pitch in to help our film come to fruition. We threw cameras at our nieces and nephews, our mom cooked for the crew, and our dad set up camp.

We were also able to garner the interest of some very talented post and production people I had gotten to know in Hollywood. Long time friend Jill Mazursky came on as a producer and opened many doors. She brought on our phenomenal editor Janice Hampton, who was just coming off a Leonard Nimoy doc. Janice introduced us to award-winning composer Nicholas Pike. Nick then got us into an amazing soundstage and helped bring on music editor, Jonathan Miller. It was like a snowball effect and we suddenly had a real dream team.

It is all about the team and having a great collaboration with people you want to continue pursuing projects with in the future. Post is everything and if you have hard-working excited people, they also know others to contact. For FIDDLIN’ that was essential as we had been a very low budget project and our film needed a bit of help especially with it being so music centric.
This was a learning experience like no other. Everyone brings different talents and it really does take a village to make a movie. We received personal quotes for our film from people like Steve Martin, Quincy Jones, and Peter Farrelly. FIDDLIN’ garnered over 100 press articles and interviews and in the end won over 25 awards. FIDDLIN’ was an audience favorite winner in multiple film festivals. This was due in part to our enthusiastic team, including Utopia, our distributor, and our working producers, who were all part of the process.
Another rewarding aspect of making the film was meeting and getting to know the amazingly talented musicians who dedicated their time and incredible talents.. They were the heart and soul of the foot stomping doc coming to life on screen. FIDDLIN’ was a small but mighty film.
Only a few months after we finished our festival run and a U.S. Theatrical Event Tour playing upwards of 50 markets, the pandemic hit. We were incredibly thankful about our timing. We had worked tirelessly for three years from start to finish and were thrilled we had the opportunity to share our movie with so many people around the globe during that time. FIDDLIN’ continues to play on multiple streamers and we still get emails from people asking about our film and some of its talent. Best of all, returning home to document this wonderful culture further enforced how lucky I was to grow up in such a special and beautiful place.

WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE FIDDLIN’ JOURNEY?

Money! Did I just admit that? Yep, money….It not only takes a ton of determination and passion to make a film, it takes funds. We really had no idea what we were getting into initially. A small group of us, including my sister Vicki, Jill Mazursky, and Jill Sorensen put in enough money to start shooting the film with almost everyone volunteering their time.

We wanted an experienced DP and found Joshua Ausley from North Carolina who was one of the first crew to come on board. After initial filming, we started exploring different ways to raise money, like ask friends, which is never great, but we also started a Go Fund Me page, applied for grants, and basically just kept proceeding with the film however we could. A grant from The Rogovy Foundation was awarded to us which we were thrilled about. From The Heart Productions became our fiscal sponsor. Donations from music lovers started coming in and the film just kept rolling. People got excited and started donating small amounts of money to get credits. This all didn’t just happen overnight- it took lots of time and perseverance.
We were also fortunate to find a few more producers who came on board when we most needed them! Whew…. Maybe we would have gotten the film done sooner if we had the money up front but it all worked out in the end, better than we ever could have imagined. We were determined to complete it and my sister Vicki and I worked tirelessly just doing what had to be done. Often new filmmakers do not realize how much money it takes to complete a film, especially in post. And then after that, there is the marketing costs, which was an entirely massive second effort we didn’t plan for. The learning curve was huge but it was all worth it.

Julie , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My ability to pivot and try different approaches to solving problems or disappointments that I have had along the way is one of the most important things that keeps me going. This was not the case earlier in my career as I often let what I perceived as a rejection or failure affect me for too long.

As I mentioned, I had this plan from a young age that I somehow wanted to get to NY or LA where I could pursue the entertainment business. Not a lot of people from where I grew up went away to college and even fewer took off to a big city where they knew no one.

During my upbringing, I had chores and also helped at my dad’s store. That was fun at the time and it felt like an accomplishment. I also enjoyed going with my dad to feed the cows and ride around in his big truck. I only mention these things as I believe being exposed to many sorts of jobs or experiences gives you a broader outlook and a knack for dealing with issues that fly your way when you get to where you want to go. It also taught me I had to finish things before I could do something else and I still have that feeling when working on a project.

By the time I graduated high school, I had worked at a variety of jobs, besides helping at the family store. I had been a lifeguard, a babysitter, and a waitress. I even worked at the radio station for a stint on Saturdays. In college, these experiences helped me earn extra cash which I tried to save so I could get to my next place, New York. What I realize now, is that sometimes doing things that maybe aren’t your end goal give you skills that help later.

I was also very involved in extracurricular activities, including theater. I attribute my high school drama teacher with giving me lots of inspiration and encouragement. I believe my life would have been very different without her guidance and enthusiasm. I’ve talked a bit about the earlier phase of my life but I think without all this I would be in a very different place and these things helped form me to be the creative that I am today. Sometimes the kind words or support that one person gives you in life can change your trajectory.

In New York, I modeled while I studied and pursued acting. It was a difficult but extraordinary existence. I was so excited to be there and tried to take in all I could. I eventually started going back and forth between New York and LA. Though I didn’t have the success I would ultimately have liked as an actress, I tried to move through the disappointments and feel inspired about the accomplishments.

I loved acting and when a friend suggested I join him in an LA filmmaking group where you learned other aspects of the business, I jumped on board. Soon I was writing, directing, filming and script supervising. I was also acting as we took on every position in this collaboration. It was a fun, supportive adventure and I realized that in the entertainment business, which is pretty harsh, it is great to try other aspects of the business to give you a better understanding of the whole spectrum. As an actor, it hadn’t occurred to me how different things were on the other side of the camera. It was eye-opening and there is nothing like learning and being exposed to new things, at any stage of life.

After the foray into this filmmaking group, and following a difficult divorce, I was invited by my friend Jodie Fisher to take a trip to Cannes. A few days before we left with our friend Hayley Mortison, I felt a strong desire to do something creative on the trip and bought a small handheld camera to document our adventure. I came up with the title CANNES WITHOUT A PLAN, which it definitely was! We had no crew and just sort of filmed it on the fly. I used mirror shots to try to get the three of us together and Hayley or Jodie would sometimes film me with one of them. I even gave the camera to strangers a few times to capture us all. I also asked Jodie and Hayley questions along the way, hoping we could create a flow and storyline later on. I definitely annoyed them with my camera but we had a blast and are all so happy to have experienced that journey together. After returning, I showed the footage to my friend director/editor Jeff Kanew and he agreed to edit our film. Jeff , who had directed REVENGE OF THE NERDS and edited ORDINARY PEOPLE, among many other projects, clearly did this as a favor. We were fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker take on this little film and work his magic. Again, I can’t emphasize the importance of a visionary in an editor. I don’t think anyone other than Jeff could have put this experimental escapade together. Unfortunately, due to life circumstances at that time, we weren’t able to finish all the post for the film and set it aside for a while.

Several months ago we resurrected CANNES WITHOUT A PLAN, updated it, put in music, and finished all post items.. We added an epilogue as to what happened to the three women since the trip. Our comedy/documentary is about three divorcees taking off on an impromptu romp to the south of France leaving behind 5 kids, 5 dogs, and all their inhibitions. It is an important narrative for women that regardless of age, it is never too late to throw caution to the wind, and ‘take the trip!’ I believe it is even more relevant now than when we filmed it. We had a side screening this year during the Cannes Film Festival and it seemed to resonate with both men and women. It’s a wild ride. We are also excited to have acquired distribution from Echelon Studios and look forward to the unknown.

I could not have made FIDDLIN’ had I not done CANNES WITHOUT A PLAN. And If I had not joined that filmmaking group, I would not have done either film. Inspiration comes from experience and doing. It can also come from hoping and dreaming, but that is not enough. You have to take the plunge.

Since directing these two films, I have written a tv pilot and a feature with my writing partner, Jill Sorensen. This new pilot is a gender-flipped dramedy series about a ‘matriarchy run amok’. We have won several script competitions and have plans to film a fun and unusual feature project in January.

As with any aspect of this business, there is always the fear factor and it never leaves you. As a creative, you want people to get something out of what you create and for it to resonate in some way. I believe your focus can’t totally be on that outcome however, or you risk losing your own creative flow. Some things work and some things don’t, and that’s life. You just have to fight through the fear and do what you do and if it works, great. If not, move on. I remember getting frustrated in a tennis lesson after missing a ball. The coach said get ready for the next ball and forget about what is behind you that you can’t change. That struck a chord with me.

During my early career as an actor, when I didn’t get a particular role, I wasted time going over what I could have done differently, when there was nothing I could do to change that outcome. These perceived failures then carried over to my next auditions. If I could offer advice from my experiences, it would be to try to let a disappointment go and move on as quickly as possible. Turn the experience into a positive and know you learned something from what is behind you and just prepare for the next ball or opportunity coming your way. I believe this goes for any aspect of the filmmaking business and pretty much any other venture in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.juliesimone.biz www.fiddlinmovie.com www.canneswithoutaplan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliesimone310/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliesimone17
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-simone-01905b32/

Image Credits

FIDDLIN’ TEAM WITH CAMERA; JULIE SIMONE, WILLY VLASIC , LIAM GANNON , JOSHUA AUSLEY, MACK SOVERIGN, VICKI VLASIC, TOM HAUSER,

FIDDLIN’ TEAM WITH GUITAR: KURT GIBBS, LYNN LEVY , JULIE SIMONE, JAKE KRACK VICKI VLASIC, JOANNE WEISEL, RICK VLASIC

SUNSET PHOTO: Jill Mazursky Julie Simone

IN FILM POSTER FIDDLIN” Green is Martha Spencer
IN FILM POSTeR FIDDLIN’ Red is Jake Krack
IN HORIZONTAL Fiddlin’ Still with dog is: Matt Kinman, Martha Spencer, Luke Bell

Photos of Julie (me) with Blonde are of of me with my sister Vicki Vlasic

Photo of Cannes Film Festival 2024 is Hayley Mortison, Julie Simone, Jodie Fisher

Photos with CANNES WITHOUT A PLAN POSTER is Julie Simone, Jodie Fisher, Hayley Mortison

Photo in Cowboy Hats: Kurt Gibbs, Julie Simone

Photo between 2 photos of me on red carpet: Julie Simone, Lynn Levy

Last Photo: Hayley Mortison, Jeff Kanew (editor of Cannes Without A Plan), Julie Simone, Jodie Fisher