We recently connected with Breanne Nicole Wilson and have shared our conversation below.
Breanne Nicole, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
It’s hard for me to choose one meaningful project I’ve done so far, as they’ve all meant a lot to me and I’ve enjoyed working on them. So, I’m going to discuss two of them; the series I’ve been writing and building the concept for since 2016, and my current short film in pre-production, “Bone Rush.”
“Shenanigans” is a series I’ve been working on since my second semester of college. It started out as a class assignment in my non-fiction screenwriting class at CU Denver. It was a concept I built in honor of and dedicated to my grandfather and my childhood friend Nick, who both had passed away a few months prior. My class and professor liked it so much that I was asked to pitch it for CU Denver’s web series once I became a junior. I did, and was able to expand on the episodes and ideas explored in the series. It wasn’t chosen to be produced. However it did come in second place, and left me with ownership of it and the freedom to expand on it even more.
Throughout the pandemic I worked on it, rewriting and re-working the episodes. I ended up with a 30-minute pilot and seven subsequent episodes, now ready for pitching and producing. I entered the pilot into a ton of screenwriting competitions over the last year, and it’s won 26 awards, and has been nominated or scored finalist or semi-finalist for 10 more, both in the US and worldwide. I’m thrilled that others are loving it as much as I do, and I’m going to be producing it in late 2025/early 2026! I can’t wait to make the project that has been my baby for so long, and help bring more representation and roles to elderly actors too!
“Bone Rush” is a historical adventure short that I’m currently in pre-production for. I’m very excited for this project, and it means a lot to me as well because I’m working with a lot of my friends from film school. The concept is by Cooper Knight, who has been my friend since my first year of college, I’m co-writing and producing it with Jacob Kimmick, who I consider an adopted brother and my filmmaking partner since our sophomore year, and Ian Sim is directing it – who I’ve known since my senior year. We all graduated together, and the whole process has been a huge collaboration. A period piece is a different kind of challenge, and it takes place during the early days of paleontology. Personally, I was a huge dinosaur kid growing up, so this hits home in a lot of ways. I can’t wait to bring “Bone Rush” to life with my friends!
Breanne Nicole, 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?
I’m Breanne Nicole Wilson, and I am the owner and founder of Leaky Skylight Pictures LLC, an independent film production company. I got my start in the film industry as an actor. I grew up doing theatre and I always knew I wanted to act, but I couldn’t afford drama school. So instead, I ended up at CU Denver studying film and TV production. It was there that I learned I could do more, and I wanted to. I specialized in writing and producing in school, and I auditioned and did volunteer PA work on the side. I also worked as a videographer/producer/editor for the CU Denver Student Agency, which paired students with independent businesses and organizations in Denver to create promotional videos, mini-documentaries, informational videos, and more. I was even a teaching assistant for their summer LYNX filmmaking camp for high school students.
I graduated in 2019 and went straight to work for Starz, and started auditioning and taking acting classes outside of work. I began booking some indie films, voice-over jobs, and even some theatre again. I signed with my agent in 2015, and have since been building connections within the industry, and working with everyone I can.
I started Leaky Skylight Pictures in 2021, and produced our first project a few months later – “Iridium Springs,” a post-apocalyptic comedy pilot. Since then, I’ve also produced my own comedic short film, “Office Chatter,” which is still in the film festival circuit and has been in over 25 film festivals both nationally and internationally, and has won over 16 awards so far. We are currently in pre-production for our next film, “Bone Rush,” a historical adventure short. Outside of Leaky Skylight Pictures, I’m producing a sci-fi feature called “Sirona 2: Valkyrie’s Shadow,” as well, also in pre-production. I am occasionally a guest speaker at CU Denver’s LYNX Camp, too.
Leaky Skylight Pictures has a mission to make film fun. We specialize in comedy, but are now exploring other genres like historical and adventure. Our films are for everyone. We help with overall producing films, which includes finding resources and personnel, crowdfunding, budgeting, film festival searching and submissions, logistics, and everything in between. I like to make our sets a fun place to work, so everyone has a good experience. I also love getting students involved, and try to provide PA work for them as well, so they can start building their resumes and making industry connections.
Leaky Skylight Pictures does not give up easily, and I’m not lax about my work. I have a drive and determination to get things done, and I’m proud to say that Leaky Skylight Pictures has never had an unfinished project to date. I consider my word my bond, and when I say I will get something done, I always do. And I LOVE what I do.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’m sure a lot of people can relate – both creatives and non-creatives – but the pandemic was probably the worst time in my professional life. My contract at Starz had ended, my plans to move to LA or London had been cancelled by Lockdown, and finding creative work was harder than ever. I was unemployed for a while, and my mental health was deteriorating as fast as my bank account. However, I kept applying for jobs at media companies in Colorado, I kept taking acting classes (online only at the time), and I kept auditioning and seeking out creative film work. I ended up having a short contract producer role with a local production company for about two months, helping to make high school graduation videos. I also was able to book two roles in independent films. One was called “Dragon Blue,” and it went on to have a very successful festival run (and I did my first on-camera stunt), and the other was a feature called “Say Something Funny.” But work in general was getting sparse as the year went on, and I had to get out of my house and work – not only for my wallet but for my sanity as well. So, when The Edge Ziplines and Adventures (then titled Castle Rock Ziplines and Adventures) posted a job opening, I immediately applied and got it! It was a whole new world for me, and I learned and did a lot of things that I never would have gotten to otherwise. I’m grateful for my job and experience there. It helped me make it through the difficult 2020 fall and winter.
The following February was when I started Leaky Skylight Pictures. I really had no idea what I was doing or what was going to happen, but I knew I had to do it. I had to learn how to file for an LLC, how to own a business, how all the paperwork was done, etc. I wasn’t taught that in school, so it was a lot of late-night Google searching. I still kept at the work/audition search, although I was really questioning if the industry was even going to exist anymore, and if I even needed to go get a new degree. I had no desire for that, but I think we were all questioning things at the time. However, my concerns disappeared when I was hired at NBC Universal a few months later, and Leaky Skylight Pictures began pre-production for “Iridium Springs” just three weeks after that. Ever since, all my work has paid off, and I’m so glad I never gave in and gave up.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
YES! When I left college, I had absolutely no idea where to start with resources. I had to learn and figure it out as I went, and learn from other people and the internet. Acting classes are one of the best things you can do starting out – especially for actors, but directors should take at least one too. As a director, an acting class will give you an idea how actors think, and you’ll be able to communicate your ideas with them on set better, and they will give you a better performance. You also meet industry peers in acting classes, which can lead to jobs and auditions. Getting hired has a lot to do with who you know, and acting classes were how I started building my own network.
There are hundreds of social groups on Facebook that post film jobs, and there are websites like Backstage, ActorsAccess, Mandy, Crew Up, Casting Networks, and more where you can find both casting and crew calls. There are also meetup groups, local industry parties, panels, and coffee talks that anyone can attend with groups like WIFCO, the CVFA and others. The more you put yourself out there and meet people, and the more you projects you do – including volunteer work – the more people get to know you and will want to work with you. Get business cards and hand them out to everybody. The bottom line is promote yourself and get yourself in front of other industry professionals as much as you can.
Crowdfunding is also a huge challenge, and there are too many platforms to choose from. It can be overwhelming, especially when first starting out. I used Seed & Spark for my last two campaigns, and both were successful. Something not everyone knows about Seed & Spark is that they offer personalized feedback from their professional team on your campaign before you can publish it. I think that’s a helpful feature, because building a good crowdfunding campaign can be tough.
Also, social media is important. It can be exhausting, but make sure your socials and websites are up to date. I’ve gotten more jobs and requests from my social media updates than anywhere else. The more you post, the bigger your following tends to get, but remember to make your posts fun and entertaining. Don’t bore your audience, even if you’re posting something just silly or funny. Just keep promoting yourself and your work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leakyskylightpictures.com
- Instagram: @leakyskylightpictures
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089604109250
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeakySkylightPicturesLLC
