511: AWARD-WINNING WRITER-DIR LISA FRANCE

511: AWARD-WINNING WRITER-DIR LISA FRANCE

Author: Hilliard Guess January 27, 2025 Duration: 2:14:01

In this super fun episode, Hilliard & guest co-host actor/writer/dir Denzel Whitaker sit down for an in-depth conversation with award-winning writer-dir-producer LISA FRANCE. If you ever had questions about how to become an Episodic Director, this might be the podcast for you!


Lisa France is an entertainment vet with over 25+ years in the business as a writer, director and producer. She began her film and TV career from the ground up. PA, AD, set dec, camera operator, props, 2nd AD, driver, stand-in, extra, etc.  She attributes her extensive entertainment job resume to her ability to think quickly in difficult production situations.  Eventually she landed a stunt gig with Spike Lee in He Got Game and a stunt acting job on The Summer of Sam and did stunts on a variety of other TV shows and films, most notably, The Sopranos.


France directed, co-wrote and produced her first feature film, "Anne B. Real" in 2003, which won more than 40 film festival awards and nominations around the world, including two Independent Spirit Award nominations. She then directed two more award-winning independent films in rapid succession, both were distributed on Netflix, Starz and AMC theaters. Her first documentary, "Roll with Me", also garnered numerous awards, debuted at The Woodstock Film Festival and was a 2018 Slamdance Official Selection later acquired and distributed by Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Releasing. 

France has directed numerous thrillers and Christmas movies for Lifetime, BounceTV, OWN Hulu and Tubi. During the height of the pandemic, France directed and produced on Season 5 and 6, the critically acclaimed, award winning series "Queen Sugar" by creator Ava DuVernay. France recently directed episodes of the hit FOX series "The Cleaning Lady" and "Naomi" which is currently streaming on HBO MAX. 


France produced "The Herricanes" which just debuted and won a Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award at SXSW and is actually playing in theaters this month. France is a proud member of AWD, the LGBTQ+ community, the DGA, WGA, and SAG-AFTRA.


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Step inside a space where the polished veneer of Hollywood gets stripped away, replaced by the raw, unfiltered conversations happening behind the scenes. Screenwriters' Rant Room is guided by Hilliard Guess, a working WGA writer, director, and producer whose own path includes a role as Director of Development and now executive producing an Amazon series. He brings that grounded, insider perspective to every episode. Rather than rehearsed interviews, you’ll hear the kind of frank talk that happens after a long day on set or in a writers’ room. Hilliard sits down with guests or engages with rotating co-hosts, and together they drop what he aptly calls "industry bombs"-those unvarnished truths, frustrating anecdotes, and hard-won insights about writing, producing, and surviving in TV and film. The tone is as hilarious as it is candid, making the complex machinery of entertainment feel human and relatable. This isn't a lecture on structure; it's a living, breathing, and often laughing chronicle of the creative grind. For anyone curious about the real stories behind the screen, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the rants, revelations, and camaraderie that define a life in storytelling.
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