We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catie Hankins and Jenny De La Fuente. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catie Hankins and Jenny De La Fuente below.

Hi Catie Hankins and Jenny De La Fuente, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

We actually came up with Pink Mud Productions in a natural spring hidden on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, TX that Jenny knew about. We paddle boarded over to the seclude spot, with the intention of finalizing the name of our company. Before this, we had taken an extensive workshop designed to align both of our visions for the company and use that to come up with a name that would accurately represent our united mission. Through the workshop, we chatted about our upbringing and a very specific correlation arose: we both had memories of playing in the mud. Jenny on her ranch in Mexico, recounted splashing in the mud and quickly after heading inside to start dancing to a Britney Spears song, while Catie in Mansfield, TX was hosting a mud party for her several barbies in the summer sunshine. Through this discovery, we recognized we enjoyed embodying both our masculine and feminine energies interchangeably and wanted to bring that into our work. So while soaking in the secret spring, we listed out our top name choices from the workshop, but we intuitively knew none of them were right. Then Catie added another name into the hat: Pink Mud. It was a serendipitous moment: immersed in nature we immediately knew that Pink Mud was our name.

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.

Our film and commercial production company is proudly rooted in the vibrant city of Austin, Texas.

On one hand, we specialize in producing character-driven stories through film. Our goal is to create narratives that resonate and inspire positive change in society. With both founders being professional actors, we focus deeply on exploring the complexities of human nature and uncovering the depths that shape us. Recently, we produced the short film Somewhere You Feel Free and the web series New Me (stay tuned for more episodes), both of which are currently making their way through the festival circuit. We are also in pre-production for three upcoming projects: Hitchhiker, GoodWill, and SexRx.

On the other hand, given our active lifestyles, our commercial focus centers on the fitness and wellness industry in Austin. Whether it’s creating live highlight video recaps, such as our work with The Arterie, social media content, or traditional commercials, we bring the same dedication to every project. We also enjoy partnering with brands and local businesses for product placement and cross-promotion on our narrative projects. Examples include our collaboration with Fit and Fearless for Somewhere You Feel Free and with Apres Glow Tan for our web series New Me. Our traditional commercial work includes Synchronicity Cryo + Wellness and The Pastry Zone Texas, while our live event portfolio features The Arterie at SXSW and Ron2.0.

Jenny –

As an actor, I often felt frustrated by the limited opportunities and lack of control over my career. I found myself at the mercy of others’ approval, which left me feeling disempowered. However, when COVID-19 forced me to slow down, I had a revelation: I could break free from the belief that there was only one path to success in acting. During this time, I enrolled in online filmmaking classes, honed my writing, camera and editing skills independently, and eventually penned a script that I not only starred in but also produced. Embracing these new soft and hard skills allowed me to shatter my self-imposed limitations and take full ownership of my career. This pivotal moment marked my transition from actor to producer—a journey that empowered me to realize that the only barrier standing in my way was myself. With a steadfast commitment to creating stories that resonate deeply with my mission for a more empathetic and free world, in 2024, I co-founded Pink Mud Productions, a film production company based in Austin, Texas. We have successfully produced a web series and a short film, both currently making waves in the festival circuit. Currently, we are in pre-production for three exciting narrative projects: a short film, a proof of concept for a feature film, and a pilot. On a personal level, I am currently crafting my first feature film screenplay, which I plan to produce and star in alongside my esteemed friend and business partner, Catie Hankins.

Catie –

Becoming a producer came out of a necessity, much like Jenny, to have control over my acting career. I wanted to play characters that I just wasn’t getting called in for and to be frank – I was tired of waiting. After many mornings typing away on my laptop with a coffee in hand, I quickly had a script for a comedic web-series that I was ready to produce. While producing was a whirlwind at first, I found I enjoyed bringing people together, watching their passion come out, and having creative control over the final product.

At Pink Mud, for our narrative projects, we want to tell stories that are for the dreamers and feelers. We embrace passion, authentic expression, emotional resonance, and vulnerability. As for our commercial endeavors, we lean into the wellness space, being active members of this community ourselves. We enjoy promoting businesses that encourage a healthy lifestyle such as spas, gyms, holistic centers, ethical resourced restaurants, and more,

What makes Pink Mud different is our focus on playfulness: we foster a joyful, enthusiastic, and collaborative environment aligning on shared goals to work together effectively. We embrace change and uncertainty, adapt with resilience while learning from setbacks and viewing obstacles as stepping stones for unforeseen opportunities. We like to get things DONE.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. All of our clients are either returning clients or recommendations from past clients. We really value being active members of our community by attending screenings, socializing at mixers, and supporting local filmmakers. Through these interactions we have formed strong friendships that often lead to collaboration. We attribute the success of our relationships to being givers, not takers. We are always looking to serve our colleagues in whatever way they may need for their latest project—whether it’s reading a script and giving feedback, attending a table read, or supporting a crowdfunding campaign. We deeply understand the collaborative nature of this industry and believe that lifting one person up lifts everyone.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being actors and film producers we are allowed to live in a world of wonder, which is typically shut off after childhood. We feel extremely lucky to be in a profession where people celebrate this wonder and take it to a new level. We feel extremely lucky to be in a profession where this wonder is celebrated and elevated to new levels. We spend our days exploring characters, discussing plot points in depth, and carefully bringing to life a whole new world with each project. It is the most exciting and rewarding job on the planet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pinkmudproductions.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/pinkmudproductions/
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/pinkmudproductions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pink-mud-productions/
• Twitter: https://x.com/pinkmudprod

Image Credits

Sean Salcido
Eric Booth