We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mary C. Ferrara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mary C. below.
Mary C. , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I had never thought about being a filmmaker growing up or for most of my acting career. Back in 2018, I signed up for a film challenge in NYC. I just signed up to act, thought it would be fun to build connections in the NYC scene. It involved people signing up and then being put into groups where each group would have a week to write, film and edit a film and then it would be screened and judged. Two people in my group were chosen as producers. They both stepped back from producing, so I nervously stepped forward and co-produced with another actress. I had never produced anything before. We were in charge of SAG paperwork, scheduling, etc.. It was one of the scariest things that I ever took on. The short film (with a mostly female cast), a dramedy, was called “Candlestick Justice” and had a nice run on the festival circuit.
After that I got a rush, like maybe I could do a movie by myself? So my short film “Schmoopie” was born (another dramedy) and did well on the festival circuit. I then started writing more and entering writing competitions.. It literally made me feel like like I was that creative little girl again. And a thrill that acting never gave me. I have since written other scripts, and the feature film “Wallie’s Gals,” which is an ensemble comedy that features women over 50 in leading roles. It is currently on the festival circuit.
Mary C. , 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?
“Mary is an actress/filmmaker that brings back the warm and fuzzies of the past. And the pain too. Because sometimes you have to laugh through the tears.”
Mary C. Ferrara is an award-winning actress and filmmaker from Quincy, MA who’s work has drawn both national and international accolades; she draws from her personal experiences in bringing forth films that are both real and relatable. And funny. Because sometimes you have to laugh through the tears.
How it began…
It wasn’t until 1999 that Mary really got “the bug” to perform and be in the Arts. This overworked 28-year old joined an activities organization called “Common Interests.” Their purpose was to organize events for busy adults looking for people to do stuff with. It was through them that she discovered…improv. One of the events Mary went to was a show at the Improv Asylum. After she thought “Why not take a class in this? It might be fun…” She then signed up that year for Level 1 and immediately was hooked on performing. Mary was the first to graduate from both Improv Asylum’s and ImprovBoston’s training programs; and performed in improv and sketch troupes for several years, even performing in NYC and Chicago.
Improv is still an inspiration in her performing, directing and writing. After almost 20 years of performing in improv, theatre, films, and web series (with some directing and writing thrown in), 2018 opened up an opportunity to produce and help direct a SAG film as part of the January 2018 Actor’s Green Room Film Challenge in NYC, the award-winning film “Candlestick Justice” (a First Time Productions film). After that she decided to produce, write, direct, and star in her own film, the award-winning “Schmoopie,” inspired by a break up and her love of animals (Mary has volunteered at the Quincy Animal Shelter since 2008). Under the umbrella of her own production company, Call it a Whim Productions, she has continued to write; notably, she wrote the award-winning short script called “Red Shirt,” about comedy about a woman who goes on a blind date not knowing anything about her date other than he has a red shirt; she then runs into a high school classmate before she can meet him and chaos ensues. She then wrote the feature comedy, “Wallie’s Gals.” In this film, Mary is very proud of having given fun comedic roles, including leading roles, to women over 50. This demographic can be so great in front of the camera; we don’t see enough meaty comedic roles out there for them.
What sets Mary apart in writing is she tends to add callbacks in her films and the endings may harken back in some way to the beginning. Some may describe her humor as a bit dark, bawdy, and a nod to British-style humor.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The journey of “Wallie’s Gals” definitely tested my resilience. I was still a very new filmmaker, and doing this kind of film, with a cast of 43 (!), took a lot of work. I will be honest the project could have benefited from more pre-production planning, but at the time I just didn’t know much about that stuff. You can have acted on film sets for 20 years but it doesn’t necessarily mean you know the nuts and bolts of it all.
When we started the film I had left a full-time job the year before and was temping, making very little money. I was nervous of keeping it in pre-production for too long because things happen, like people move away or join the Union (initially the project was Non-Union, but later became SAG). Because of financial issues the first year (2019) I suffered from anxiety frequently. I was buying scratch tickets a lot, even tried to pawn off earrings. That same year I had a fundraiser that really didn’t hit the cusp of how much the movie would end up costing, so I maxed out credit cards, etc.. Despite it all, I was persistent to continue even if I was running on empty financially. I knew this was a project that could open doors, and even though there were bumps along the way, I was determined to overcome them. I even learned some new things to keep it going. I felt in the end that the movie wasn’t for me, but really for all the people that invested their time to be in the film.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
“The Four Agreements” is a great book!
“Be impeccable with your word”
“Do not take anything personally”
“Do not make assumptions”
“Always do your best”
Definitely changed my outlook and how I work with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.callitawhimproductions.com
- Instagram: marecferrara
- Facebook: marycferraraactress
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryferrara/
- Twitter: marycferrara
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@callitawhimproductions9265
- Other: Acting website: www.marycferrara.com
