Panel Introductions & Backgrounds

• Nick Luciano: Actor, director, writer, editor from Pennsylvania
  • Film production degree from Penn State
  • 16 years at Disney, moved to LA without job in 2009 Honda Fit
  • Started with improv at UCB Theater (2015-2020)
• Hector: Coordinator at Disney Junior, writer/director
  • From Mexico City, UCLA Producers Program graduate
  • 6 years at Disney as second exec on current series
  • Manages 5-6 shows simultaneously across all production stages
• Joy Regulano: Actress, writer, comedian, producer
  • UC Berkeley theater/Southeast Asian studies major
  • 9 years in restaurants while pursuing acting/writing
  • Staff writer credits: Netflix, Sesame Street, Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight
• Charlotte Oxley: Director, cinematographer, first AD
  • UCLA film/TV with cognitive science minor
  • Freelances for Industrial Light & Magic Stagecraft
  • Thesis film completed successful festival circuit

Goals of Making Short Films

• Experimentation and skill development
  • Test if you enjoy being on set
  • Learn communication style with crew
  • Identify personal strengths/weaknesses
• Professional advancement
  • Festival circuit exposure leads to representation
  • Calling card for features/episodic work
  • Proof of concept for larger projects
• Networking and collaboration
  • Meet other filmmakers at festivals
  • Build crew relationships for future projects
  • Travel opportunities to unique locations

Balancing Day Jobs with Creative Work

• Disney employment strategies
  • Keep “church and state” separation between day job and personal projects
  • Hector got “marginal trouble” when short hit Hollywood Reporter front page
  • Generally supportive if not competing directly with employer
• Time management approaches
  • Hector: Early morning/late evening meetings around 9-7 work schedule
  • Charlotte: Prefers intense work periods followed by breaks
  • Joy: Took sick days for acting auditions (with showrunner knowledge)
• Financial considerations
  • Nick: 15 years at Disney provides stability for festival travel, health benefits
  • Joy: Restaurant work provided flexibility, made SAG health insurance intermittently
  • Charlotte: Freelance allows project selection but requires income planning

Networking Strategies & Relationship Building

• Cold outreach effectiveness
  • Email people whose work you admire from festival programs
  • LinkedIn messaging with specific questions/interests
  • Follow up on brief conversations with concrete asks
• Social connections matter long-term
  • Joy’s Nickelodeon intern contact led to job 10 years later
  • Hector’s sushi restaurant encounter became his manager
  • UCB improv community created lasting collaborations
• Documentation systems
  • Hector: Excel sheets with names, meeting locations, conversation topics
  • Charlotte: Notes app for immediate capture, transfer to spreadsheet later
  • Instagram stories for staying visible in network rotation

Festival Strategy & Submission Process

• Key resources
  • Film Freeway: Primary submission platform with festival categorization
  • Movie Maker Magazine: Annual top 50 festivals worth submission fees
  • Research essential to avoid scam festivals (avoid “Awards” in name)
• Strategic considerations
  • Plan premiere rights carefully (world vs. North American vs. regional)
  • Major festivals (Sundance, etc.) extremely competitive for shorts
  • Smaller regional festivals often provide best networking opportunities