LearnStorm Growth Mindset: Film director on her career journey

My name is Olivia Tahi. I'm 30 years old. I'm a film director, and I make approximately $80,000 a year. I currently work at a video production company here in Colorado called Mightier. I do a range of things; sometimes I'm directing, sometimes I'm editing, other times I'm creating storyboards or scripts, or just coming up with concepts for clients. A lot of it is just meeting with clients, talking to them, making sure everything's on track, and that we're getting their vision right.

Yeah, I think when you're in a small business, you kind of have to wear a ton of hats. It's not one of those jobs where everything is very siloed, and you have just one job and that's what you have to focus on. I think I'm lucky in that I get to touch a lot of things at work because if I can set up the storyboard for success, that way when I'm on set later, I, you know, I'm so grateful to the Olivia of two months ago where I set myself up for success.

And then, you know, going into post-production as well, making sure I'm slating in properly. So just being thorough at every stage, because there's a very good chance I'll have to deal with it later. I have had 10 internships, and I have been working in this industry for 10 years. This is now my first full-paying job where I actually have benefits and I know when my next paycheck is going to come in.

I cannot even tell you the amount of thankless, grubby jobs I have done to get to where I am now. I think it's important to remember that whoever you're working for, or if you're just starting out, the person who's maybe in charge of your project has also paid those same dues. The people who might be a little higher up than you have had a lot of experience doing these things, and it's important to just learn from them.

Instead of talking so much, just remember to listen first and foremost. My long-term goals are to get signed with a larger production company where I am just working whenever I win a bid. That would mean probably working less hours, but the stakes are so much higher because that's maybe my only job for the month. My goal is to have a job like that where I may be working one out of every four weeks a month.

That lets me focus on my own projects. My ultimate plan is to take all of these work opportunities and positions to get better at being a director and ultimately create my first feature film. If you are interested in being a film director, then my first piece of advice is going to be to just shoot. Just shoot your own movies! There is no reason why you can't make a film with the tools that you have.

There are so many wonderful films now being shot on an iPhone, and if you have an iPhone or a smartphone, that means that you have what it takes equipment-wise to make a feature film. So grab your friends, you know, find a weekend and just make stuff happen! Because you won't learn as much about directing from a book or from a website as you will than just being on a shoot and trying to make your dream come true.

I will say some of the pitfalls, though, are that it's hard to get validation. It's hard to get recognition because there are so many other filmmakers out there, and you really just have to find your own voice. In the beginning, you might be trying to copy other artists, and like that's understandable because you're trying to figure out your style. But I would say find your voice; find the movie that you want to watch, and make sure that you're the one who makes it.