We recently connected with Zuzu Weingart and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zuzu, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Our most recent feature film, Cuisine de la ‘Pocalypse, currently holds the biggest place in my heart for favorite project. It’s a post-apocalyptic comedy about not letting the end of the world get in the way of following your dreams. It’s a silly adventure of a film that was born out of a love for good food and 90s cinema. Kyle Weingart(my husband) wrote and directed the film and I produced and played the role of Laura alongside the talented Kevin Jack, Natasha Leggero, Emilio Rivera and Kevin Sorbo. We started conceptualizing this project in 2018 when we lived in California. We actually found a box of MRE’s (military Meals Ready to Eat) at a yard sale and it sparked the idea to make a show about cooking in the apocalypse. This idea snowballed into a bigger idea and eventually landed on a story of a man, played by Kevin Jack, living in an apocalyptic shanty-town producing a cooking show with his two nieces. When he accidentally exposes his town’s location to the dangers of the apocalypse, he has to go on a cross country apocalyptic adventure to try to save the town, all while maintaining his fine dining standards along the way. It’s so goofy and so much fun. Working on this project for years with my husband, then brining in a crew of over 50 people to help us bring it to life was such a surreal experience. We are currently negotiating distribution for this project. To follow the progress of the film and learn where to see it, you can visit our website or social media accounts. 99productionsmt.com We can’t wait to show it to the world!

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

Sure! I’m Zuzu, a SAG/AFTRA actress and producer currently based in Montana but above all else, I’m a Christian, a mom and a wife. I have three beautiful children and my goal has always been to show them that following your dreams is far more fulfilling than any other path and if you can make a career out of it, that’s just icing on the cake. My husband, Kyle Weingart, and I both attended the University of Montana and shortly after getting our BAs we moved to LA to start our film careers. After working in LA for a few years and learning the ins and outs of the industry, we came to the realization that we wanted to start producing our own content. In 2019 we moved home to Montana to start our production company 99 Productions and together we’ve created a network of artists, friends and creatives in the film industry that we call our film family. Independent film has been the perfect form of media for us to use as a creative outlet to share our stories and artistry with the world.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In November 2019 we uprooted our family of 5 and moved from LA to Montana with a big idea to start 99 Productions. We signed the papers and made it all official in January 2020 and within a couple very short months the world shut down with the Covid pandemic. As new business owners we knew we had to pivot quickly if we wanted to stay afloat. Businesses were closing left and right, but the successful businesses, we noticed, were the ones that had an active social media presence. The world was locked in their homes, but still very present on social media. Rather than narrative film, we placed our focus on social media content creation for small businesses in our area. This was such a special time for us because it allowed us to build relationships with local businesses and build a presence for ourselves in our community. We’ve since pivoted again and refocused 99 Productions to align with our original vision, but we still have close relationships with many of our initial clients and we continue to produce social media content along with feature films because we found such joy in it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think we’re all made with creativity inside us somewhere, and it’s cool to see it come out in different avenues for each individual. I’m certain that I was born with a deep love for acting, a need for it. My husband is the same way with writing and directing. Both such different ways to express creativity, but complementing each other so well. We need each other to fulfill our artistry. One lesson I’ve tried to instill in my children is “collaboration over competition”. In such a world as this we need to lift each other up, root for one another and give one another the support that we all crave. Showing your art to the world in any form is a very vulnerable thing and having support behind it makes all the difference. I’ve always been one to root for the underdog. Go to the independent theaters, see the film on the marquee you’ve never heard of, give a follow back to the artist that followed you on insta, support one another and collaborate rather than compete. It’s always made me feel happier at the end of the day.

Contact Info:

• Website: 99productionsmt.com AND zuzuweingart.com
• Instagram: @99productionsmt AND @zuzuweingart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99productionsmt