We recently connected with Frances Causey and have shared our conversation below.

Frances , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

It is not easy for me to name the most meaningful project because I only make films that derive from original ideas. Because feature documentary films are so difficult to make, I have to feel very passionate about each one. I spend about 4 years making and distributing them. That said, I am really, really honored to be currently working with a Navajo filmmaker on a film about her family’s history and how they have were impacted by the defeat at the hands of the United States in 1864 at Canyon de Chelly. The effects o this tragedy still echo today in her family.

Frances , 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 began my career with the first 24-hour news network-CNN. When I arrived there right out of college, CNN was just 6 years old! It was an amazing experience. At a young age, I was given a lot of responsibility as a manager on the National Desk which was the foundation of the newsroom. On a typical day, I’d take 500 or so phone calls, managing breaking news- not only for CNN- but for the subsidiary networks that utilized our national coverage. . Everything pivoted from the National Desk. It was really crazy! But I learned about story development and managing people and resources at the same time. It was a holistic experience that is still with me today and helped me build Frances Causey Films. On any given film, I will work with 25-30 contractors from pre-production to distribution so I am wearing a lot of hats during that process. Because of my time at CNN, I am able to create my films and perhaps most importantly, get them across the finish line on budget.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I left CNN, it was a very scary time. I left a perfectly good, well-paying Job to start my own production company in 2000. As I look back on it now, I say to myself ‘what was I thinking?!’ But it all worked out. I said YES to everything that came my way. Through networking, I connected right away with a funder and we made “The Wendell Scott Story” for the History Channel and two more episodes on the crazy, early origins of stock car racing which was built by moonshiners and outlaws. So I had some early success after leaving CNN and I built upon that. I made the decision to move to Arizona and pretty much had to start from scratch. I worked for 3 months at the local ABC affiliate in Tucson which some might say was a step down from CNN but I did whatever I needed to do to survive. While at KGUN, I was offered a job running the film department at a western movie town, Old Tucson Studios. The experience at Old Tucson was very pivotal because I learned so much about scripted production which was so different than non-fiction filmmaking. From OTS, a new funder emerged and I went on to make, “Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?” which was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. From there, my business really took off.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Again, I met my partner on “Heist” because I said YES! We met through a mutual friend and decided to self-fund the production initially. It was a big risk but then we networked and the funder emerged and we were paid back. Probably the best decision I ever made was I realized that the documentary film market is largely a non-profit one. There is so much content, it can be hard to get any return on investment in the marketplace. I discovered that the IRS allows creatives like me to receive donations using a 501-C3 fiscal film sponsor. Utilizing that vehicle, I made “Heist” and began to build the creative team that is largely still with me today.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Frances Causey
• Linkedin: Frances Causey
• Twitter: Frances Causey Films
• Other: Instagram: Frances Causey Films

  website is francescauseyfilms.com

Image Credits

Christina Wieboldt