Special 03: Live from SXSW

Career pivots with SXSW Producers

Beyond stoked for this vital convo with two producers with films at SXSW, who pivoted from other careers into producing.

Spoiler alert: We 100% got nachos after.

Elle Roth-Brunet, producer of I Really Love My Husband, sits at the intersection of innovation, business, and storytelling. She's a content strategist, brand builder, and creative producer who deeply believes in the power of representation and storytelling. She's spent her career working at the intersection of Hollywood and big tech/web3.

Elle has dedicated her career to helping 40+ underrepresented voices gain more equity in entertainment through content partnerships with Hello Sunshine, ARRAY, Paul Feig's Powderkeg, the Producers Guild of America, Women In Film, and the Black List. She’s produced 15 shorts, an upcoming feature, Molokai Bound, and has several projects in development. Her shorts are recognized by Slamdance, SXSW, and SeriesFest.

Mark Ankner, producer of Slanted, which won Best Narrative Feature at SXSW, is dedicated to developing and producing creator-driven stories that resonate with culture.

Previously, Mark was instrumental at Endeavor Content, overseeing advisory business, film and television packaging and sales, and creating innovative distribution models for content creators and financiers. Prior to that, Mark was a partner at WME Global, focusing on emerging voices and building companies for established talent. His notable film projects include the Academy Award-winning Call Me By Your Name, Fruitvale Station, and Sorry to Bother You.

Mark pivoted into producing just before the pandemic. His first film was Ponyboi, which premiered in the US Dramatic competition section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, directed by Esteban Arango. This film has been noted for its groundbreaking narrative and representation of diverse voices.

Currently, Mark leads Mountain Top Pictures, an indie film and TV production company dedicated to championing innovative storytelling and supporting emerging talent in the industry.

We had lots of fun while contemplating how to leverage our collective knowledge to solve some of the crises plaguing the producer’s plight.

Tune in!

xx cg

“We need to define what the producer does and then also add value back to what we do. And I think there’s a big education gap and a definition gap.”

- Elle Roth-Brunet

Episode Transcript