Acknowledgments

If I were to thank all the people I want to, this section would be longer than the book itself. So I will try to keep it as brief as possible. A big giant thank you to Kate Robbins, my brilliant and talented film partner for over ten years. Kate’s input, suggestions, and advice during my writing process was invaluable, and her partnership over the years has been a gift.

A sincere thank you to Michele Cronin at Focal Press for believing in me and my book. Michele’s professional guidance and never-ending encouragement saw me through the entire process.

I am extremely appreciative to my generous colleagues who gave their time to be interviewed for the book: Ellen Pittleman, Becky Smith, Jim Pasternak, Richard Marshall, Jerome Courshon, JC Calciano, Stacey Parks, Marc Rosenbush, Alethea Root, and Justin Trefgarne. Their stories and experiences are far more than informative – they’re brilliant and inspiring!

Thank you to Mike Tarzian for the much-needed help defining the important differences between the responsibilities of the producer and the line producer. I want to thank Laura Brennan and Heather Hale for their input and guidance on the glossary. And attorney Rick Rosenthal for defining legal terms related to the business plan package. Eve Honthaner deserves a big thank you for introducing me to Focal Press and for letting me use part of her amazing Filmmaker’s Website Resource Guide. And I’d like to thank Amy Campione for her help with the Resource Guide’s updates.

I really want to thank the hundreds of people who participated in my Indie Film Producing workshops. Their commitment to this industry was contagious and their excitement and passion to produce films inspired me to write this book. Also, I think my film investors and all my talented cast and skilled and knowledgeable crew deserve a standing ovation and my heartfelt thank you.

I have had incredible mentors over the years, and I want to specifically thank Michel Shane, Ram Bergman, and Pen Densham for contributing their brilliant knowledge of this industry and for their guidance and encouragement. My coaches deserve a special thank you as well. Like my mentors, I have been blessed with the best. I truly appreciate Heidi Wall (my partner for ten years in the Flash Forward Institute) and Geanne Frank, who pushed me lovingly beyond what I thought possible. And thank you to a couple of my early coaches, Pontish Yeramyan and Judy Billman. Long before I moved to Hollywood, they saw me as far bigger and greater than I ever saw myself. I chose their picture of me. All my coaches had the patience of a saint and the wisdom of a master.

A gigantic debt of gratitude goes out to my parents; although both deceased, they are with me every day. I thank them for giving me life, love, and guidance and for setting the brilliant example of living life with dignity and grace. Thank you to Dad for his calm and stable presence and to Mom for her contagious passion and unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And thank you to my five sisters and two brothers for their encouragement and for their patience in allowing me to disappear for weeks at a time as I wrote this book.

Finally, a humongous thank you to my adorable husband. He is the love of my life, my best friend, my genius collaborator, and the funniest man I know. He takes unconditional love to a whole new level, and without his undying support, this book could not have come to fruition. Life with my husband is a magical ride … a continual exploration of possibility and expansion.