having worked for the big studios, columbia, hbo, miramax, you both went independent.t for you to do, keri? i'm late coming to independent. i think stephanie has been a producerfor longer, but i felt it was my time to try something new, and i had never bet on myself and done something entrepreneurial, and i felt i wanted to get closer to storytelling, to be setting my own terms in a way and using the experiences i had, so i was giving it a shot, i just started really. is a frightening, stepping out on your own? it is, but again, you are caught by the community that you have come to know and you can reach out and call and get advice, and it is frightening, but it is also... exciting! ..it�*s a time in my life i think when it's ok to shake it up a little bit. stephanie, i know you went as far as selling your house to start your own company. idid. big move! would not do that again. i started producing because if you're at the studio, it is a slog — i was there for a decade, but i think it was 20 years ago — yes, 20 years ago this year that i formed homegrown pictures, and

prior to that, she worked as a senior executive at miramax and hbo. welcome.nk you, it's great to be here. stephanie allain is a film producer and writer and the newly elected copresident of the producers guild of america — the first woman of colour to hold the position. stefanie served nine years as vice—president of women in film and runs her own company, homegrown pictures, which focuses on creating content by and about women and people of colour. keri and stephanie, welcome to you both. happy to be here. keri, you were set in a korean theatre, but there's a plot twist when hollywood came calling. tell us about what happened. that was a very early plot twisted in my career. i was coming out of college and i was going to go work in a theatre, and i had a a friend who was working at hbo, which at that time was a very start—up network, a long time ago... and she said well, you are going to go work in the theatre but there is some guy coming who's going to be making plays for television on hbo, you could maybe be his assistant, and so i got thatjob as a secreta

and back to sundance. then moved to miramax and back to sundance-— to sundance.u grew u . to sundance. stefanie you grew u- there to sundance. stefanie you grew up there is _ to sundance. stefanie you grew up there is a — to sundance. stefanie you grew up there is a cinema _ to sundance. stefanie you grew up there is a cinema and - to sundance. stefanie you grew up there is a cinema and spent| up there is a cinema and spent a lot of time outside the cinema trying to get in. tell me about that. i cinema trying to get in. tell me about that.— me about that. i also love stories. — me about that. i also love stories. i _ me about that. i also love stories, i loved _ me about that. i also love stories, i loved reading, | me about that. i also love stories, i loved reading, i| me about that. i also love - stories, i loved reading, iwas an avid — stories, i loved reading, iwas an avid reader, and the thing that— an avid reader, and the thing that really triggered my interest was two films, the godfather and the exorcist, i had read _ godfather and the exorcist, i had re