We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bethanie Ackerman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bethanie below.
Hi Bethanie, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I was 16 years old when I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative career. I visited Los Angeles for the first time when I was 16, and went on the WB tour. As we toured the studios and saw the making behind my favorite films, the overwhelming feeling of home was too much for me to ignore. Almost 2 years later, when I was almost 18, I was taking an IB Film course in High-School, where I first studied films and made some small projects. I knew then that this is exactly what I needed to do, and where I needed to be.
Bethanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m almost 24, and from Indiana, originally. Not only did I know Indiana wasn’t the best place to be an up-and-coming filmmaker, I couldn’t stand the cold. So, when I turned 22, I moved out to Los Angeles to get my masters of fine arts in Filmmaking. Shortly after, my Partner of almost 4 years now moved out with me. A fun fact about me- I am an identical twin!
I graduate in August of 2024, and mainly I do a lot of line producing work, which I love! And sprinkled in with some directing here and there which I also love.
I am a HUGE horror fan. I love anything involving horror, gore, guts, etc. My thesis film, “Dead Born”, is a gruesome horror film, chalked up to the likes of “Terrifier 2”, “A Serbian Film” and “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” all thrown into a blender and spit out the other end.
I have a strong drive to succeed, as well as an incredibly easy time with management of a large group, and organization. I am very organized so line producing comes very easy to me.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to move so far from home (although I consider CA my home) In order to pursue my passion, and pursue the career I know I am meant to be in.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, there is two aspects. One- seeing the project being on its feet. So many people don’t realize the hard work and stress, and sometimes last-minute scrambling that goes on behind the scenes to get a film on its feet. Seeing the crew get together the first day on set, and everyone finally being able to put their crafts to work all together is incredibly rewarding.
Two – the final product, and seeing it the first time. There’s so many months, sometimes years, of hard work that goes into making the movie a reality. Behind the scenes, during pre-production, during the set, and in post production. Finally getting to sit with the group of people that made this vision come to reality is so special
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
There’s a few. But, the biggest one, is that I feel like this is exactly where I was meant to be. A lot of my life I never quite felt like I was in the right place, or was where I was supposed to be. When I moved out to CA, my sister, Brooke, noted that I finally seemed like I was somewhere I should always have been.
I want to help inspire others, especially women, to follow that passion. When they step on a set, and the amount of homey-ness brings tears to their eyes- I want them to follow that passion the way I am. I want them to find what they love, and jump on it.
I also have always had a passion for horror films, so, if I can do the aforementioned through horror, that would be the dream.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm15277055/
- Instagram: @bethanieackerman
- Facebook: Bethanie Ackerman
Image Credits
N/a