We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cassie LeFevre a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Cassie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?
Heroes come in many different forms and shapes for everyone. For me, that form and shape drastically evolved over time. When I was quite young, I imagine I idolized the color blue. A little older: Winnie the Pooh. Elementary school: Scooby-Doo. Then, of course, Steve Nash—because apparently in middle school I completely lost my sense for natural, satisfying, lyrical rhymes.
Except at the same time that I was revering Steve Nash for his selflessness on and off the court, there was also a lot of life happening to me. Specifically, I’m referring to a stretch of homelessness that my family and I endured during my teenage years. We were living on-and-off in a tent and cheap, grubby hotel rooms, jumping from one place to another, constantly grasping for a physical foothold. It was myself, one of my older brothers, my mom, and our two dogs in a position that really could have torn us apart and ruined our perspective—but it only brought us all closer together and opened our eyes to what was really, truly important in our lives.
That’s when my hero changed for the fifth and final time. Or, rather, it’s the moment I realized what a hero actually looked like, and I can tell you unequivocally: a hero looks like my mom. Someone who is kind, brilliant, and resilient beyond words. Someone who can be going through hell behind closed doors and still greets everyone she meets with a smile. Someone who is so completely, wholly unselfish that she can hardly buy new socks for herself but she’ll move mountains to ensure her kid can have a new laptop. Someone who trusts and loves with their whole heart, fully and unapologetically. Someone who has enough internal strength and motivation to power through anything.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I still idolize blue, Pooh, and Scoobert Doo—Steve Nash to some degree too—but compared to my mom, there’s no competition. I don’t even care that she ruins the rhyme.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As I touched upon briefly with the previous question, the time I spent homeless with my family was very transformative for me—not only because it helped me to understand just how awesome my mom and brothers were, but also because it solidified my passion for storytelling.
Besides my family (which included our dogs, by the way), my two tried-and-true escapes during that period were sports and stories/art. I witnessed firsthand their power and potential for positive influence: giving me confidence, structure, community, sympathy, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. In the times that I felt the most different, sports and art gave me a baseline. Regularly driving with my brother from the campsite to my school’s outdoor court to shoot hoops together; going to school and practice with dirt-encrusted clothes; joking with teammates on the bus ride to a tournament; playing the one-word story game before my family and I went to bed each night inside our trusty tent… Those moments served as an important part of my own story.
The vital epiphany I ended up having years later was that those stories held power too. They held weight, just like the stories I had greedily consumed in the media. The stories that so badly need to be heard and that we’re dying to tell so we can feel understood.
Our stories.
Today, that’s what my business is all about: discovering and telling stories—the ones that infuse our work, embody who we are, help us connect to each other, and make us feel. The ones that are very real even when they are very fictional as well as the ones that are us.
I created Barn and the Biscuit Entertainment after graduating from the University of Colorado-Denver’s College of Arts & Media in 2021. Although I studied film & television production, I now use my award-winning film background to supplement a variety of different creative avenues, telling stories in a variety of different, non-exclusive forms. Primarily, I work as the Media & Communications Specialist at Girls Rugby Inc. and as Marketing Assistant for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, but I also produce my own content and work freelance in film production, writing (copy & screen), and media management & marketing.
A couple of film-related projects I’m currently working on include: producing and doing sound design on an animated short film directed by the supremely talented Marin Lepore of Sad Girl Productions; co-producing a feature film in development with Desert Girl Films and Sur Creations (headed by two of my old professors/mentors at UCD, Jessica McGaugh and Roma Sur respectively); and writing my own feature-length screenplay (a western action-comedy) that I plan to send out to festivals and workshops very soon.
As part of my roles with Girls Rugby and the Denver Philharmonic, I get to promote two wonderful non-profits while continuing to develop my artistic instincts, which is a dream pairing alongside my freelance and film endeavors. I create, manage, and implement social media strategies; write press releases & feature profiles; film and edit interviews & promos; and spearhead email marketing campaigns among a nice bouquet of other assignments.
My general methodology and procedure may differ from others in my field because I do approach my work as a storyteller first. Initially, I thought that would make me a less natural marketer, but as it turns out, it has only been a benefit. It’s what allows me to create engaging, cinematic videos that stand out from the crowd and connect with audiences or pen consistent, genuine, brand-accurate messaging. It is, in totality, what makes me unique.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are many rewarding aspects of being a creative, not the least of which being that you’re able to exercise that part of your brain most every day—even if you’re not doing it for a living.
It’s also worth mentioning how singular the experience of making a film is. The way one idea gets translated, developed, and built upon by a dozen more voices as it goes along, starting with one script written by a writer(s) on to the producer(s), director(s), set designer(s), actor(s) and so on and so forth. By the end, the original idea may be something else entirely, but for better or worse, that is the beauty of the process. It is a fusion of many perspectives & visions. When done well, they sing in harmony to create something truly astonishing.
However, foremost for me right now when it comes to the most rewarding part of being professionally creative (I should trademark that) is the feeling that my efforts aren’t being wasted. I’m able to do the work that I love, in the place that I love, and it is going towards something worthwhile.
I get to work for a 75-year-old orchestra that’s been invested in the Denver community since 1948—and give back to the arts. Plus, I get to work for a young but no less influential, values-based organization in Girls Rugby whose mission it is to empower young athletes nationwide—and give back to sports.
I’m involved with the passions that built me and my story most every single day. I’m no philosopher, but that’s damn-near the definition of fulfillment, especially when you enjoy collaborating with your coworkers and you’re able to do it all close to the people you love the most.
I’m a lucky woman, that’s for sure.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I’m not sure the same stigma associated with film school exists today as it did for previous generations, but if there’s one area that some non-creatives (and especially hesitant-to-disapproving parents of hopeful film students) don’t understand about going to film/media school is that there are a lot more avenues to successful & rewarding careers after graduation than one might think.
The common misconception is that if you have a BFA in film, you must go to LA, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver—one of those big production hubs—to make a living in the industry, which itself is as competitive, fast-paced, and demanding as they come. Work elsewhere is few and far between, more focused on commercials and documentaries than the narrative work that brought so many film students to the profession in the first place. Therefore, a film degree is a waste of time and money, and those students would be better suited if they changed their major to something more financially predictable before it’s too late.
This viewpoint isn’t necessarily wrong in one respect. It can indeed be challenging to find regular, narrative work in non-traditional film markets. Certainly, in Colorado, it’s hard to argue this is not the case today. That doesn’t mean there aren’t talented, thriving narrative filmmakers based in these communities; it simply means their narrative efforts may not be their primary money driver.
What this viewpoint does get woefully wrong though is the simple notion that a film degree is a one-way street, funneling film students in one direction to flounder or flourish. Truthfully, like a lot of other concentrations, the number of ways a film school graduate can make use of their skills/specialty is boundless. You don’t actually have to go to Hollywood to survive. You can still find an opportunity where you can do a lot of the same exact things you would making films just in a different capacity, under a different umbrella.
Using myself as an example, a marketing-related career certainly isn’t what a lot of prospective film students would think about pursuing post-grad, but it is one option of a viable, fulfilling profession (among many) available for those willing to go a little unconventional with their choices. You still get to shoot & edit photos/videos, share experiences, write, be creative, connect with other people—all the things that filmmakers/artists/
Broadening out the example to friends & classmates with which I graduated… Some, like me, stayed in Colorado and have found regular work in live broadcasting, at film festivals, theatres & programmers, and as editors for documentaries, commercials, and other brand-related work. While others did go to LA/NY/Atlanta and are thriving if you can think of that. Both things are possible!
Hell, another one of my college friends literally works for NASA now. Who could have guessed that as a professional track for a film student? Not us. (Shoutout Taylor Neumann!)
The point is: there are a lot of potential paths that film students can take—even more than I mentioned here (and not simply because naming any role after mentioning NASA feels a little unfair). But between me and my (more) talented friends & classmates, there should be ample enough proof that a film degree can provide you more opportunities than you ever could have imagined. The only limit is your determination, work ethic, and ability to think professionally creative (trademark pending).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barnandthebiscuit.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fevreish/
- Other: Denver Philharmonic Orchestra: https://denverphilharmonic.org/ Girls Rugby: https://www.girlsrugbyinc.com/