We recently connected with Sophie Worm and have shared our conversation below.

Sophie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

I recently read an opinion piece entitled “Hollywood is dead” by Justine Batemen and I couldn’t agree more. The industry is dead, or for those of us who have trouble letting go, it’s dying. As a person who has dedicated their career and free time to all things film, the gravitas of this notion is terrifying. If there are no movies to make, what will I work on? If there are no movies to watch, what will I do with my free time? Additionally, the industry is now under siege with the inevitable integration of AGI. So it really begs the question, why continue? Well, instead of being ruled by fear and doubt, I am choosing to view this industry death similarly to how I view the death card in tarot; when something ends, there’s room for something new to begin. There are a myriad of options that could happen but I think major shifts we will see in the next 5 years are; a surge of independent filmmaking, interactive storytelling, more short form content, increased demand for new and diverse voices, streaming dominance and AI generated content. Hollywood may be dead but the art of storytelling has not died with it.

Sophie, 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’ve been a storyteller since I was old enough to hold a knife and fork and give them personalities with dramatic story arcs. I was raised by creative parents who exposed me to just about every type of art making and much to their delight, I went to art school where I studied animation and film. After college, I impulsively bought a one way ticket to New York, and after an insane amount of cold calls found a job at Big Sky Edit in Manhattan. With time and experience I became an editor and have worked on many projects including; Netflix’s Homecoming by Beyoncé, Prime’s Free Meek, Hulu’s Up Early Tonight, and a myriad of commercial work. But what really floats my boat is the art of telling a good joke, humor is so subjective and personal. It really feels like an accomplishment when you can make a diverse audience laugh. It’s another accomplishment to make people think and remember. My short film “The Art Assistant” showed at the Sunscreen Film Festival this year, and I received a notable piece of feedback: “Wow, that made me laugh so much, but I am gonna have to sit with that for a few days.” To me, that is the measure of creating a successful work of art.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve spent time unlearning the concept that I shouldn’t hinge my self worth and artistic vocation off of institutions I am rejected from. This year I wrote and directed a short film called “The Art Assistant”. It is a mockumentary about AI and the fine art world. It is 9 minutes of slapstick that I shot with my best friend at an incredible artist residency called Prairie Ronde. It was so fun to make and it felt like I had created something that is truly aligned with my artistic perspective. I was optimistic when submitting to festivals but was thoroughly shocked by the results. The rejection list far outweighed the accepted list. I spent many hours pondering the film’s exclusion; genre, nepotism, budget, runtime etc, but the reason that gnawed at me the most was, quality. Did I not create something of quality that was relevant and worth being selected? But the unlearning led to learning. The film premiered at the Atlanta Comedy Film Festival, which led to a connection that led to the film heading to The Sunscreen Film Festival, which led to making connections with international filmmakers. The reach of this whole experience was enlightening, and helped me reframe my thinking about filmmaking. I created something I think is worth showing, the whole process made me a better storyteller, the festival circuit taught me about the mechanics of networking, the film won awards, and I made friends with some incredibly talented filmmakers along the way. All and all, net positive. The lesson I unlearned, made room for growth.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The entire process; the potential of a new idea, the suffering of bringing it to life, and the unexpected way it is received when released into the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sophieworm.com
• Instagram: @sophie_worm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-worm
• Other: https://vimeo.com/sophieworm, https://imdb.me/sophie-worm