We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lara Stolman . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lara below.

Lara, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Making “Swim Team,” an independent documentary film, was the biggest professional risk I’ve ever taken. I had to practically pay for it myself, without any assurance that I would recoup the investment (which I ultimately did). It was indeed an investment in myself and throughout my attitude was this is happening, I will do this regardless of the naysayers and there were plenty.

I could have continued to work for hire which is how I had pursued my career beforehand but when one does that, one doesn’t get to choose one’s projects or have the kind of editorial and creative control I craved. When I met the “Swim Team” families and heard their struggles I knew their stories had to be told and I was the one to do it.

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?

I’ve always been immersed in and involved in the arts. As a child, I was taken to theater, ballet, the symphony and watched a lot of films. I acted and sang, danced and wrote from an early age as well. Making television and film wasn’t something I planned for back then but when I found myself pursuing it in college, it just felt like me.

I attended Columbia in New York City and majored in political science. Living in New York, I was able to see and discover all the culture being made around me and that fueled my passion to work in media and in the city I had come to love.

My academic leanings and interest in research and storytelling eventually found their best expression in news and documentary filmmaking. I worked for NBC News for a number of years producing news, specials and long-form programs. I also worked for several other broadcasters including HBO, MTV and the BBC. Recently I made the independent documentary film “Swim Team,” about a competitive swim team in New Jersey of teenagers on the autism spectrum. Making an independent film was a tremendous learning experience. The production part I had done a lot of but the marketing and distribution was new and I had to figure it out so my film found its audience. The film debuted theatrically at IFC Center in New York and I was fortunate that the film was selected for PBS’ POV for the broadcast premiere. We are still licensing the film all over the world and I continue to screen it and speak about it in community settings.

We’ve all gotten used to being able to watch films at home, on our phones or wherever we want. But there are multiple benefits to live screenings of a film about a social issue and in particular disability inclusion, like mine. Live film screenings are an opportunity for people to get together, meet one another, discuss challenges they may share and find community when it is most needed.

Through “Swim Team” I was invited to be a part of American Film Showcase and serve as a cultural envoy for the State Department. I have since traveled to Kazakhstan, Albania, Ecuador and Ethiopia to teach documentary filmmaking and screen my work. Being able to share my experience and inspire the next generation of storytellers is my honor and it gives me the most joy.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being a creative isn’t something I chose – I feel very much that it chose me. I am compelled to do the work of storytelling and making sense and meaning of what’s going on in the world and in my life. To be honest there is plenty of work that I do in the service of my creative projects that is not rewarding at all but I think the most rewarding part is being able to connect with others in the process. I have met so many wonderful, interesting people during my work in film and television, from the subjects of my projects and experts I interview to my creative collaborators to the screening hosts who plan film events in my honor. I have been doing a lot of speaking and teaching lately and I love to meet and connect with students too.

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

I once worked on a cable TV series for about a year. It was contributing to the cultural conversation at the time and was critically acclaimed. At first, it seemed a risk to even take the job. I had to take a step back in position and title because that’s all that was on offer but I did it because I believed very much in the production team and wanted the chance to work with them. It was a great experience that brought new friendships, new work colleagues and I grew and learned in ways I didn’t expect.

But after a year or so the network cancelled the show and we were all out of work within weeks. It was terribly demoralizing. I recall not stopping for a minute – I just got right back on the saddle, pitching, interviewing, and networking. I wanted to work. I couldn’t afford to feel sorry for myself. And I found myself leaping positions and titles in my very next job, with some of the same people I had been working with on the series. So it worked out!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.larastolman.com
• Instagram: @swimteamthefilm
• Facebook: facebook.com/swimteamthefilm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larastolman/

Image Credits
Nicole Chan Andy Foster