We recently connected with Stefanie Hubbard and have shared our conversation below.

Stefanie, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned filmmaking by doing. The more films I produce or direct, the more practice I get at this craft, the better I become. It’s really that simple. I didn’t feel ready or qualified when I produced my first movie “Plunder Quest, The Adventures of Thomas Waters” and I felt even less ready when I wrote/directed for the first time for my movie “Lily Darling” a punk rock romance. If I had waited until I felt ready and practiced, I still would not have started yet today. It’s a catch 22. In order to be practiced enough to step out in your craft, you must practice your craft. The best thing I could have done to speed up my learning process is be more consistent with filmmaking from the beginning because nothing compares to being on set, preparing for filming days, watching the edit in post-production and seeing how I could have done it better. Real-life experience goes such a long way. As a filmmaker who started my own independent film studio called Pure Magic Pictures, I would say the skills I find most essential are the ability to adapt to unexpected changes as you go, and if you wait for the right conditions, you won’t start. “If a person waits for perfect weather, he will never plant his seeds. And if he is afraid that every cloud will bring rain, he will never harvest his crops. You don’t know where the wind will blow.” Ecclesiastes 11:4-6. When it comes to obstacles that have stood in my way of learning more, there was a time in my filmmaking career when the gap between movies was longer than I wanted, and during that gap I felt not only like I wasn’t moving forward, but I was moving backwards. Like the things I had learned before were being forgotten and I was losing my edge. Slowing down, or stopping is a huge obstacle to overcome. My good friend at Houndstooth Studios put it this way, “creatives are like sharks, if we stop swimming we will die.” I couldn’t agree more.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Stefanie Hubbard, I am an ex-hairstylist turned movie maker. This career change came about when I married a videographer named Kalani Hubbard, moved from Northern California to New York City together, and started a client servicing video production company. After about 7 years of making videos for clients together, we decided to pursue a passion we never dreamt possible, creating our own narrative feature films. We both love movies so much, so having the privilege of making them is Pure Magic for us – thus the birth of our independent film studio Pure Magic Pictures. In the past few years since starting Pure Magic Pictures, we have made an adventure movie called “Plunder Quest: The Adventures of Thomas Waters” about a scoundrel seeking prohibition-era whiskey in New York, “Lily Darling” an emo teen romance set in the early 2000’s, “Skye Hoshi: Anime Girl” a fantasy film about an anime character who falls out of her poster and becomes real, “The Squatcher’s” a group of friends go looking for Bigfoot, “Face The Music, Greyson Grey” a music-centric enemies to lovers rom-com, and more! I am most proud of writing/directing “Face The Music, Greyson Grey.” I am very impressed with the actors (John Kroner, Regina Famatigan, Katie North, Louis Gaudio) for their performances in this movie, and the film is probably the best one our company has created yet all around. To anyone inspired by my work, I would want you to know that Pure Magic Pictures is just a group of friends having fun and doing what we love together, and by becoming a fan of Pure Magic Pictures, you’re joining a community of enthusiasts. We have a Discord you can join by going to puremagicpictures.com where we talk with our fans, listen to your input, and ask for suggestions for upcoming movies. It’s really a fun and magical thing to be a part of, so I hope you join us!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes! “The Robert Rodriguez: 10 minute Film School” video on YouTube was life changing for me. The video is pretty old now, and the technology in that video is outdated, but the principles still apply. If you haven’t seen it, I promise you it is the best 10 minute time investment you can make if you’re an aspiring filmmaker, or even just looking for some great motivation in life.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission driving my creative journey is to get to do what I love with people I love. Making art with your friends is such a beautiful thing, and I don’t take it for granted, not for one second. I am so thankful for everyone who has been part of this journey with me, and I am full of faith for what the future holds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.puremagicpictures.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefaniehubbard/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@puremagicpictures
• Other: https://discord.com/invite/eDT4xysA33