We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Heim recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Samantha , thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Growing up I ignored film credits and, honestly, I didn’t know the difference between the several producer titles. Always working in a space of content creation, before that was attributed to social media, I’ve been fascinated with capturing the every day minutia of life. It took several jobs and working behind the camera, in the edit room and with various clients to realize that I love the leadership, organization and logistic aspects of filmmaking. I learned over years of muted opinions, almost stepping on toes and an obsession with budgeting that these were producer qualities. Years ago knowing this about myself I would have listened and trusted my ideas earlier. I would have attended filmmaking meetups and networking events with more self-assuredness and with intentions to connect with like-minded folks who would invest in my ideas. The most important skill for growing as a producer is to live and breathe flexibility and to minimize taking things personally. If you can be rejected many times over, but still have trust in yourself and reset, try again and go, then you’ll be unstoppable. There were hundreds of obstacles that stood in the way of me learning more. But, the biggest was myself, and will continue to be the roar of my ego colliding with my fear of failure.
Samantha , 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?
I grew up in the PNW as the oldest child. As a kid, I stole my parents’ camera to stage photoshoots with my stuffed animals, and I once attempted to write down every conversation I had in one day. I attended WWU in Bellingham, WA and received my undergrad in Visual Journalism and double-minored in Cultural Anthropology and International Studies. I’ve always called myself a renaissance soul because my interests have always varied within the creative world. From managing events and social media at a climbing gym to managing content at Petzl, I established relationships and connections within the outdoor industry. During my time at Petzl I began producing short profile pieces on our ambassadors in the Professional Division, as well as comprehensive training videos for Petzl’s fall protection gear. After four years of corporate work I felt ready to embark on a career of my own.
As a producer I work with directors and executive producers to make the best film possible, from securing location to crew to cast to staying within budget. I often equate producing to a project manager. And, it’s always about problem solving because problems always arise in filmmaking, especially with doc films when the budget is often low to none with a small team.
I don’t think there’s much that sets me apart; I don’t possess any more exceptional skills than the next producer. Rather, I have a deep desire and passion to tell stories about our shared humanity. I know when to be quiet and I know when to talk – the power of the introvert, I suppose.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’m driven by community building and direct impact work. Nothing lights me up more than blending communities to make our world feel a little smaller, which is why I love documentary filmmaking. We can explore new worlds, listen and learn from people unlike ourselves, and through this build relationships, which will (hopefully) have a positive long-lasting impact. Then, by sharing the film, we can expand and educate thousands of people who want to watch, learn and ask questions.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I’ve always been a hustler and I think I’ll always be one. While working a corporate job I would take meetings during the one-hour lunch break and work on the weekends. I once took PTO while dog-sitting to work a local producing gig. That may have been too much. But, I had to find my threshold of overwhelm. This level of hustle isn’t recommended, but at times, it feels necessary because as an entrepreneur no one is doing it but you. Sure, you have mentors and friends/family for support, but when all of that is stripped away it’s YOU sending the follow-up emails, YOU double checking call sheets at 8:45pm and YOU getting rehired because of this initial hustle.
Contact Info:
- Website: kamekoproductions.com
- Instagram: @samheim
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthaheim/