We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Seligman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Sara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.
I have had the good fortune to work for many talented and generous folks. Sometimes it has been actual training, other times I learned invaluable skills by observing. What has had the biggest impact, are those bosses that have taken a leap of faith with me. Starting with Lauren for giving me my first job on a network show. Debbie for taking a chance on me. Matteo and Victoria for giving me my first chance at producing commercials. Jennifer and Brittney who guided me and opened so many doors for me. Lorie for pushing for the opportunity for me to jump into production supervising, and later advocating for me to join the studio team. All the producers and execs (Nikki, Grady, Anne, Mattie, Marianne, Guillermo, Ricardo, Chris, and Courtney) who made it possible for me to direct.
I know there are additional folks who were not my bosses who have made it possible for me to get to where I am today and have opened doors, shared their advice, or turned into meaningful mentors.
At the end of the day, it has always been a combination of luck, timing, and being ready for when the first two meet. I have jumped into opportunities regardless of my fears. Most big steps ahead in our careers are into positions that you will feel underqualified for. Directing your first feature, TV show, commercial… those are big jumps and you need to jump all in and trust all the skills you have learned, and be intelligent and flexible enough to adjust, learn, and grow during the process.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a Mexican Film and Television director, producer, and writer. I love the collaborative nature and process of creating shows and movies, and I also find great pleasure in being a part of the creation of entertainment. To me, movies and TV shows have always been a great source of inspiration, learning, experiencing other lives and perspectives, or even just escaping our reality. When I have the opportunity to work on projects I try to ensure the process is enjoyable, empowering, and enriching for everyone, when I have a say, I strive to hire a diverse team behind and in front of the camera.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Growing up I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but despite my best efforts, I did not succeed. I initially saw the 8 years I spent professionally training, and the many sacrifices my family and I made for that as a waste, since I failed to become a dancer. I remind myself that every experience has given me perspectives and knowledge that will hopefully make me a better director. I try to remind myself that every detour my career has taken, and every delay in getting to the next directing opportunity will only prepare me to do a better job when the time comes.
Even though directors and producers are at the helm of projects which can involve hundreds of people. Leadership skills and techniques are not something that’s usually taught in Filmmaking courses. I believe that while the creative skills of the director are fundamental, their ability to successfully communicate, collaborate, empower, inspire, and lead is equally important to the success of the process. I have had the fortune to learn a lot from Line-producer and producer mentors and had some more from when I got my bachelor’s and took a few leadership classes. I don’t think the classes are necessary, but learning, planning, and using any free resources like podcasts, books, and online courses will be super helpful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vimeo.com/saraseligman
- Instagram: @saraseligman
