From IT to Indie: Interview with Lauren Bancroft
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In this episode of the Switching Two podcast, Heather and Jess welcome Lauren Bancroft, who shares her journey from a 14-year career in IT to becoming an independent producer in Los Angeles. She discusses her early interest in filmmaking, the importance of community in the industry, and her health and wellness journey. Lauren emphasizes the skills she transferred from IT to production, her experiences in indie filmmaking, and her commitment to creating respectful work environments. She also highlights her notable projects, including a Doctor Who fan documentary and a Billie Eilish documentary for Disney+. The conversation concludes with Lauren's optimistic view on the future of the industry and the importance of kindness and respect on set.
About Lauren Bancroft
Lauren Bancroft is a Los Angeles-based producer most known for the documentary The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles with Billie Eilish (Disney+), and the renowned sketch comedy show CBS Showcase 2022-2025 (Paramount). Also, for short films Mosquito Lady (Beyond Fest 2023, BFI London Film Festival 2024), Bad Rabbit (Hulu), Wild Bitch (SXSW 2022, “Best Thriller” at the Oscar-qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival 2022), and Navel Gazers (“Best Sci-Fi” at the Micheaux Film Festival 2021). Lauren’s brand is undeniably human stories in remarkable worlds. She is a Blackmagic Collective Producing Fellow and in 2022, founded Bancroffed Inc., with a commitment to supporting women, and underrepresented voices in all aspects of the storytelling space. Lauren is driven by her love of dark comedy, documentaries, Doctor Who, and meticulously folded laundry.
Takeaways
Lauren Bancroft is an independent producer based in Los Angeles.
She transitioned from a 14-year IT career to filmmaking.
Her early interest in filmmaking began with digital video editing in junior high.
Lauren emphasizes the importance of community in the filmmaking process.
She co-founded a hobbyist production group that produced over 60 digital shorts.
Her health and wellness journey has significantly impacted her work as a producer.
Lauren prioritizes self-care and sets boundaries in her work life.
She has produced a Doctor Who fan documentary and a Billie Eilish documentary for Disney+.
Lauren believes in creating respectful and kind work environments on set.
She encourages others to value their diverse experiences in their career paths.
Lauren’s Links
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Heather (00:03)
Heather for Jess. Can you switch to two?
Jess (00:04)
Go for Jess.
Switching.
Heather (00:09)
Hey, I'm Heather. We're two multi-hyphenate creatives figuring it out in real time.
Jess (00:10)
and I'm Jess.
from on set and in the studio to deadlines, pivots, side hustles, and starting over.
Heather (00:21)
We talk about the messy, brilliant, behind-the-scenes reality of working in production, broadcast, content, and everything in between.
Jess (00:29)
Tune in for fresh tea, hot takes, industry guests, and the occasional chaos.
Heather (00:34)
This is switching to the side channel for creative conversations. All right. We're on two. Hi, Jess. Welcome to our episode. We are so excited. We have Lauren Bancroft on the podcast today. Lauren is a Los Angeles based producer. She is most known for the documentary, The Making of Happier Than Ever, A Love Letter to Los Angeles with Billie Eilish on Disney Plus.
Jess (00:38)
We're glad you're here.
Hey Heather, welcome to our episode.
Heather (01:04)
and the renowned sketch comedy show CBS Showcase on Paramount. Lauren has also done a ton of independent film, which she will talk about. And she worked on a South by Southwest best thriller at the Oscar qualifying Holly Shorts Film Festival in 2022. And she says that she is a Blackmagic Collective producing fellow.
She's also the founder of Bann Croft Inc., which is a production company and is committed to supporting women and underrepresented voices in all aspects of the storytelling space. And Lauren is driven by her love of dark comedy documentaries, Doctor Who, and meticulously folded laundry, she says.
Jess (01:46)
meticulously folded laundry. I cannot speak to that, but I know you're a fantastic folder.
Heather (01:48)
Yes, yeah.
Jess (01:54)
Every time we're like on set and we're like pulling out a new shirt or something, Heather's like meticulously folded it. And I just, no, I think it's just, I think that's what it is. You have a very special skill that I don't have and I'm jealous of it, but yeah. Yeah.
Heather (01:58)
maybe that's a producer trait. Or just all the years I worked in retail in college.
Well, apparently Lauren has that skill
too. But Lauren brings so much great insight to the table around just being a producer in all aspects of different types of projects. She's made a major career pivot, which she talks about, which I think is really interesting. yeah, we just, we get into a lot of things.
Jess (02:33)
Yeah, she's amazing and she talks a lot about wellness and taking care of yourself in this industry as well. And I love that and excited for you all to hear about it.
Heather (02:40)
self care.
All right, well, without further ado, let's get into it.
Heather (02:49)
Hi, Lauren. Welcome.
Lauren Bancroft (02:51)
Hi, thank you. Yay!
Jess (02:53)
Welcome!
Heather (02:55)
Yeah, thank you for being here. We're super excited to chat with you today. Can you just tell everyone like who you are?
Lauren Bancroft (03:03)
Sure. Hello, my name is Lauren Bancroft. I'm an independent producer out of Los Angeles. I started my own production company in May of 2022 called Bancroft, Inc. I've produced ⁓ features, web series, short films, podcasts, commercial content, a bunch of cool stuff, documentary and narrative. Yeah, I do a lot of stuff.
Heather (03:28)
Yes, that is true. Lauren does a lot of things and that's why I'm excited to have you on the podcast today because I think, you know, just talking more about being a multi-hyphenate and all of the things that go into that. But I want to start it off by hearing from you, like what were the early days like for you? Where did you grow up? You know, what made you want to go into this industry? Did you have?
Lauren Bancroft (03:31)
Mm-hmm.
Heather (03:55)
family connections or did you know you wanted to be in production or did you kind of stumble into it? Let us know.
Lauren Bancroft (04:01)
Boy, I wish I had family connections. I think I would probably be in a very different place right now if I did. But yeah, I was born outside Boston, raised in southern New Hampshire, lived there for up until I was about 24, and then I moved across the country. But I mean, I've always had an interest in filmmaking. I was one of those kids with a digital camera in my youth, shooting and making silly little videos for my friends.
I actually, when I was in junior high, I was in a program called the Technology Students Association, TSA. And I actually placed first in the state in digital video editing and digital photography when I was in seventh grade. So I've been interested for a long time. And then when I was in high school, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a two-year career course around video production and broadcasting.
So I got my first taste of structured education around filmmaking when my junior and senior year of high school. And that took a couple college courses around film and a little bit there. But as a freshman and sophomore in college, you don't really get to get your hands dirty, right? You've got to take all those general requirements, right? So yeah, I mean, was interested in filmmaking, but I never really considered it.
seriously as a career. I actually ended up working in IT for about 14 years before I completely pivoted to like, I'm happiest when I'm on set. So the fact that I haven't tried to pursue that seems kind of crazy. So it's been a little over seven years since I made that change. And I am glad that I did. That is probably my proudest moment of myself is when I gave my notice.
Heather (05:41)
I love that. Well, I kind of had a similar journey because I was always like sort of doing it on the side, but I never fully committed. People would say, what, what do you want to do when you're out? was like, Oh, I want to go to law school or I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that. So I'm curious for you. Why, what was your reasoning? If you know what it was, like why you didn't take it head on as a career path initially, was it kind of like your family or just stuff like where you grew up or
Lauren Bancroft (05:47)
Mm-hmm.
Heather (06:10)
Was there anything like that? just curious. I think this is a path for a lot of us. We fight it for a while until we just go, no, I have to go this way.
Lauren Bancroft (06:16)
Mm.
Yeah, I mean, I think for me, I had worked in IT starting when I was 14. So all throughout high school, I had a job at this IT company and they gave me a lot of on the job training and a lot of the technical skills. I could, I was building and repairing servers and backup servers and firewalls and workstations, like, you know, several hours after school, every, you five days a week, right? I was working at this company. And when I realized that college wasn't for me, I'm like, well, what am I going to do?
And I called that IT company and I'm like, do you want me back full time? And they're like, yes, we do. Come on back. So then I just kind of continued the path that I was kind of already on. and while I was working there full time, post college, I actually started doing standup comedy as well. So I was working at the IT company. I was working part time at Texas roadhouse and I was pursuing standup, which was like two to five nights a week. I was doing open mic. So I was doing all this stuff and.
I'm like, after 10 years of working at this IT company, including high school, I'm like, I, I think I want to leave New England. I think I want to make a change. I'm like, where can I go where I have a little bit of support and I could continue doing standup. And the answer to that was Southern California. So I picked Los Angeles. I actually had a sister living in Anaheim and another sister in Hollywood at the time that I moved. So I'm like, oh, I already have a bit of a support system. So I decided to.
pick Los Angeles. ⁓ And then while I was here, I got to do, I co-founded a hobbyist production group attached to an improv school that I was taking classes at. So through that, was, I think that was about a year and a half that we were a group of being produced over 60 digital shorts in a year and a half with no budget. But that was kind of like my proper film school. And that's when I realized that I loved being on set. And that's when I kind of learned what a producer even did, which was.
make lists and check things off of lists is really what the producer does in my opinion. so yeah, realizing that I love being on set really gave me like, well, then what am I doing still being in IT? I'm in, I'm literally living in Hollywood. I'm where the, like the birth of the entertainment industry happened. This is like, this is a great place for me to start to pivot and realize that
Heather (08:26)
All
Lauren Bancroft (08:39)
I could pursue this and then I, you know, and I decided to do it and I gave my notice and so yeah, I think it was just like, I had already kind of started forging a path on the IT side and the thought of, I was like college isn't for me, I'm gonna pivot to not being a full-time student and I think pivoting to also pursuing filmmaking in a part of the country where that really wasn't, I mean, I'm sure there's obviously is filmmaking and media happening.
in all corners of the United States and all over the world. But for me, I didn't have connections. I didn't have structured education separate from that high school class. yeah, I think it just didn't even cross my mind to pursue production after I left college until I came out here, got a taste of it, found a community around it, because I was still doing standup out here. And that was like, I had a community of people who could write and direct and act, but they didn't know how to make the lists.
They didn't know how to produce the turn the script into a digital short. So I got to use my skills from IT in the world of hobbyist production, essentially. And that's when I'm like, I really like this. I can pursue it. You I'm not stuck in IT. If I decide I'm stuck, then I'm stuck. But I decided that I wasn't. So now it's what I'm doing full time.
Jess (09:57)
I was going to ask, were there a lot of skills that you found that translated as from your IT job to kind of producing and filmmaking? What were some of those?
Heather (09:57)
I think that's the clue.
Lauren Bancroft (10:07)
Yeah, 100 % and I'm grateful for them every day. Cause 14 years, that's a long time to be in the wrong industry for me, right? Like that's a lot of time. So I do, when I start feeling like that, I have to remind myself that I still use problem solving and troubleshooting every single day. I still use my written and verbal communication skills. I still use, you know, documenting systems and infrastructure. Cause I have my own production company. So like I need to know.
business level and also for my clients, what systems work and what I want each of my sets to be like. still, obviously, people management. As the producer, I hire people and I have to manage them and I manage their personalities and their problems as they come up and their feedback if they ever give me any. I have to have hard conversations, which when I worked in IT, I was middle management as well. So I did have firsthand experience with not only hiring people,
in vetting people, but once I hire them, onboarding them, and then managing their personalities. So I mean, those are just some of the things that I use every single day from when I was working in IT. So I am very grateful. when I think about those 14 years, I'm like, nope, I learned a lot. I grew. There is value in those years. And that is fine.
Heather (11:27)
I love that. think I was just talking to ⁓ someone finishing up their college education and wanting to go into production the other day. And they're asking me all these questions. And they were like, well, what did your resume look like when you applied to this program? Or what did it look like when you went here? So I shared it with them. And they were like, wow, you had a lot of experience. And I said, And like,
Lauren Bancroft (11:49)
Ha ha ha
Heather (11:51)
I think there were a lot of times where at the moment I was kind of kicking myself going, I wish I wouldn't have detoured so much. But now to your point, Lauren, I'm so grateful for all the, when I worked in an office, when I was a personal assistant, when I worked a retail job or manned a phone or, you know, did anything like that. It taught me all of these kinds of intangible skills that, you know, really just make you better at being a producer or just take your job in general. So.
Lauren Bancroft (12:06)
Mm-hmm.
Heather (12:21)
Yeah, so grateful for those things. So I would think what you're kind of getting at is, you know, go out and do all the things that you can because those skills are going to help you. think people shy away from that sometimes.
Lauren Bancroft (12:33)
For sure, yeah, I've definitely had conversations with people. think shortly after I made the change to leave IT, I think I had posted on social media about it and I was contacted by a handful of people who were also not happy with the career that they were in and they were considering a career change and they were just like, but you're starting over. I'm like, in a way I'm starting over, but I'm not really, I'm not starting from zero. I have this skillset, I have this experience that I'm...
bringing with me. It's not like I'm switching to like, I want to be a professional snowboarder. you know, I'm sure troubleshooting and communication would be important in that world too, but like, it's not really starting from zero. And I valued those conversations because it really, that's what I got from them. Like I got to share my experience and how it worked for me. And then I got to be like, ⁓ no, it's not, I have this and there's value in this experience.
Heather (13:31)
Yeah, those problem solving skills, I think, are so helpful, especially when you've experienced life outside of production. I think there's a lot of people who also have been very fortunate to just go right from school into these large film and television product. They interned they kind of just took that, which is great. But I think that they're so sort of in that bubble. They're just not as scrappy with problem solving. And so I've been in situations like they're like, well, how did you think of that?
I don't know, you know, but when you have to be scrappy, you kind of figure out ways to make things happen. ⁓ You know, just critical thinking. that's OK. I do want to ask. So you came out here to be like a standup comedian. Was that like your primary goal?
Lauren Bancroft (14:05)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
So it was, I mean when I was in New England, I got paid to do stand-up as much as I did it for free. So it was another part-time job back when I was in New England. And when I moved out here, I'm like, I want to continue doing it. I was taking improv and sketch comedy classes at a great theater here in Hollywood. So I was pursuing comedy. I think ultimately the idea of being a professional stand-up comedy
stand-up comedian was not really the goal, but something with comedy was, because I, just growing up, I was always the funny one. I was making my friends and family laugh. So yeah, when I started doing stand-up, I'm like, this feels good. This feels right. I want to keep doing this. So when I was thinking about moving, I'm like, I want to be sure that I'm moving to a part of the country where I can continue this hobby. And like I said, Los Angeles was definitely one of those places.
So I don't know. I don't think it was a serious goal to be a professional standup, but I really, there was like an itch that standup scratched for me that I really wanted to keep going.
Heather (15:25)
That's very cool. I think that's also just, we'll talk about this a little bit later, but I think going back to the whole thing of all these skills, we've talked about this before, Jess and I have, that you pick up along the way, help you and your experience in comedy and as a standup comic, I think will help you even behind the scenes, as you kind of went through.
Lauren Bancroft (15:35)
Mm.
Yeah, 100%. Yeah, I definitely think that. I mean, my sense of humor has helped me when I was working in IT. Like, I literally had annual reviews where the positive feedback was my use of humor in everyday interactions and like written in verbal communications with my coworkers. being able to have a sense of humor about things and being likable, like, there is such value in that as well. It's like, some people are like, you're the producer. Like, you don't...
Jess (15:49)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (16:16)
You don't, not everybody has to like you. It's like, no, that's true, but like, aren't things easier when they do? Like when you're, you approach interactions with humor and kindness and respect, like, isn't that just a better situation that people, for people to be in and for yourself to be in? you don't know, like why, why put energy into making things hostile when they don't need to be? So I definitely think my sense of humor, it really helps in every kind of communication.
you know, from IT to definitely on set when tensions can be really high. It's like, you know, you can crack a joke, make people laugh, and it can break the tension a little bit.
Jess (16:56)
And even being able to think on your feet. I think that's an important skill that you've learned from all of your different experiences, but really translates to film and production.
Lauren Bancroft (17:00)
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Agreed, yeah. And I love when a problem comes up. Because one of favorite things I loved about being a bench technician in high school, like building and repairing these computers, somebody would drop something off and be like, it's not turning on. And I'm like, great. Now I get to go, analytically go through all of the different things that it could be, rule things out, swap out parts, whatever I have to do. And it's that same process when a project or when a problem comes up on set. It's like,
This is the problem. This is what we need to get to. And like how quickly my brain goes through like, it's like a Rolodex flipping through. It's like, ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba. It's just like, there's even a sound effect like what I just did. It's like, what? This? No. This? No. This? Maybe? Okay. What about this? Also, maybe. These two. Okay. What's best of these two? What needs to happen for these two to be the solutions? And it's really fun. It's like,
It's that problem solving, it's that like, troubleshooting itch that I think IT scratched for a long time. But I still get to do that. So that I'm not like, excited when there's a problem. I'm excited when I get to solve a problem.
Jess (18:16)
Yeah, it's one of the most satisfying feelings in the world, I think.
Lauren Bancroft (18:19)
Mm-hmm. It really,
it really is, yeah.
Heather (18:22)
Especially for things so often, I'll talk to other members of crew and they're just, how do you do that? I think just certain people's brains take to this. to me, because I'm sure for both of you, it feels natural in a way because we're just sort of built like that. And so we go, yeah. And it feels easy to kind of get around to the answer to solving what you need to solve. But I think it's such an intangible skill in many ways that.
you know, people can look easy or can look like you're not really doing much. had a professor tell me once, she's a producer, and she said, the best producers on set look like they're not doing a whole lot. Like they, you know, because they've already done all the things. ⁓ The ones who are running around crazy, stressed out, yelling at people, well, they're not, they're not so great. They look like they're doing a lot, but they're actually not that great of a producer. So yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (19:02)
Ha ha.
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Agreed.
Heather (19:17)
so I want to know, okay, so timeline, you're here in Los Angeles, you're doing standup, you, become a part of this hobbyist production group. Can we talk about that? Did you, were you one of the founders of this and like, what was the background? How did this come to be? Cause it's cool.
Lauren Bancroft (19:21)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, so I was taking classes at the Nerdist Improv School, which was on Sunset in Hollywood. The Nerdist Improv School would then become the Ruby LA, but at the time it was the Nerdist Improv School. And I was interning and taking classes there. And I think there was like this, there was this group of comedians who were taking classes and interning and maybe they had like, they had like a
different shows, but not house teams. It was like this pre-house team group of people who had a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy for the school and for being creative, but they weren't yet on a team where they had to write and perform a live hour of comedy every month, or they weren't on an improv team where they performed on a weekly basis, right? So, but we had like a hunger. So I actually kind of, I think I accidentally showed up to the very first meeting. It was like Saturday at like noon.
was a random Saturday, I stumbled in and there were like 30 people there. And I'm like, this is a really great turnout. And I heard what it was and I'm like, okay, great. But people had brought sketches to do when we did cold reads of the sketches. And I, because I had my IT skillset, I happened to be like taking notes and like taking minutes of the meeting and what sketches we read. And...
After that first meeting, I was invited to be an associate producer of the group in general. So I got to be part of the team that ran the meetings. And again, I kept taking those minutes and distributing it. We also had our Rodriguez lists, which I was kind of in charge of making sure we got updated. If gear broke, we took that off the Rodriguez list, right? Or we didn't have access to a specific location anymore. Or someone had a car, like a van, and then they got rid of the van. It's like, well, we don't have that van anymore. So no one count on the van.
but yeah, so I was there. went almost every Saturday. We did cold reads, of sketches, but we had a rule where if you wrote the sketch, you could not also produce it because it would just get too bogged down, right? It would be too, one person had too much control and too much responsibility. So that would mean we do a cold read of a sketch. Some people throw in pitch ideas or, or, you know, pitch, adjustments or jokes.
and then somebody would have to raise their hand and say, I like that script enough to where I want to produce it. And I, the first time I did that, seeing the writer's face light up, like they were so floored and ecstatic. They were so ecstatic that someone else besides them liked their
four or five page script enough to say, want to commit the next six to eight weeks to shepherding it into ready to post on YouTube, which was a lot of effort. It's a huge, it's a heavy lift. mean, you both know producing is a heavy lift, especially with no budget in a community with, we're only using the resources that we have, that we already have access to. So yeah, that was.
That was like the first time I really realized what producing even was, was when I said, I will produce this. And then I'm like, okay, now I need to figure out what that means. And I'm like, well, let's make a list of what locations we need. Let's make a list of what wardrobe we need. What props do we need? You know, what I need to find is who's going to direct this. I need to find who in the group wants to direct, okay? Which who in the group wants to direct, do I think would be a good fit for this? Who's in the group who has a camera or who knows how to DP?
would be interested and available to shoot this. When could we shoot it? All this stuff. So it's just like taking the script and breaking it down into those lists and then executing what needs to happen for it to turn into a real thing. you know, now I thought that producing was first ADing for a long time, because I was also making the schedule. I was also like, you know, helping with the director with the shot list, which is all stuff that I need to know as a producer. But I mean,
in the low budget indie producing, sometimes the producer, you are doing all of those hats. Sometimes you are the first aidie. Sometimes you are the production designer. Sometimes you are wardrobe or, know, zhuzhing hair in between takes. I mean, it can be anything.
Jess (23:53)
Yeah, absolutely. think there's such an advantage to being in the small group and learning all the different roles.
Lauren Bancroft (24:01)
Yeah.
Jess (24:02)
And, and being able to kind of experiment with different things. I had a very similar experience where I was wearing many hats in a role and then, you know, learning, that's actually the first AD's job. That's not my job. I need to, you know, step back from that. So it's, it's so cool, but then you learn how it is and you can understand what they're doing and, and, and you have a little bit more empathy for everybody on set because you understand all the different things that they're needing to do, especially as you get on bigger sets. Absolutely.
Lauren Bancroft (24:14)
Yep.
Mm-hmm. Agreed.
Yep.
Heather (24:32)
Now
the transition is different when you come up through like indie production or just you kind of jump into it in this way versus starting out as a PA on these really big and then you work up that way because the transition you're like, oh, okay, so I'm not supposed to do that. I'm not supposed to do, I don't touch that. Oh, okay, got it for sure. So the jump sometimes is a little bit different, but I think it is.
Lauren Bancroft (24:56)
Yep.
Heather (25:00)
so important to have some background knowledge. I mean, I think every producer and director should take an acting class. And I think that, you know, everybody on set should know how to set up a C-stand and, you know, properly like wrap up cable. And I don't know, I just think these are all like really great skills that they don't always teach you in school or you may kind of dance around them if you go more of a different route. But I think it's so important as a producer to know
what everybody's dealing with just a little bit. I think it just makes you better at your job, you know?
Jess (25:35)
Well, and I think you also never know where you're going to end up. You know, you never know if you're going to be on a smaller crew or, or a bigger crew. And you might be that person that's like, you're one of the lead producers, but you need to help, help wrangle cable because you know how to wrangle cable and they need somebody to help with that. So.
Heather (25:39)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (25:54)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Heather (25:54)
Yeah, it also helps
you from getting, you know, tricked at all for with rental houses or people saying, yeah, I need this thing or need that thing. It just makes you a savvier producer too, when you know more of the technical stuff or what goes into all these little roles, because you can go, ⁓ no, no, I know about this. We don't need that. Or that's not, you know, it's not time to tell people how to do their job. But I think sometimes you can say, Hey, actually, that might not be the best here.
Lauren Bancroft (26:00)
Ha
Mmm.
Heather (26:20)
What about this? It just makes you better at like kind of helping to solve problems or bring stuff to the table. So that's cool. I wish that there was still this group. What happened to the group?
Lauren Bancroft (26:26)
Mm-hmm, agreed.
yeah,
well, I mentioned that we were all pre-house team, right? Well, a bunch of us got added to house teams, which is what we wanted, right? We wanted to be at the stage that group was created. We were in that, like, we had that energy, but we didn't have the structure of being able to contribute to the programming of the theater on a regular basis. And then I was added to a house sketch team called the Burbs. ⁓ We're still...
Heather (26:40)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (26:56)
very active Facebook chat that we were still creating together. I love the burb so much. But yeah, all of the founding members were added to one, if not two, house sketch teams, which is again, what we wanted. But when that like founding group moved on, the rest of the group kind of started fizzling, which makes sense. It's just a natural progression, but a year and a half, 60 digital shorts is a pretty good showing, I think. ⁓ Yeah, it was...
Heather (27:20)
alone.
Lauren Bancroft (27:23)
It was great. It really was valuable. And then I moved on to the burbs and I got to continue, I got to continue writing and producing not just digital content or video content, but also, you know, we had a live, we did a live brand new live hour of sketch comedy every month. So it's like, we, got to be involved in that and I got to create with a reliable group of very funny people. And then I also,
joined a Doctor Who sketch comedy group as well. So for the last 10 years or so, I've had both of these still community-based, comedy-based groups that I can continue to create within. And even though I produce professionally now, without these groups, without Senior Ditch Day, the hobbyist group, without the Burbs, and without Idiot's Lantern, I would not be where I am now, because I was able to...
create and learn skills on low budget sets while I was still working in IT. So I really got to like through these community comedy based groups. I mean, I definitely would not be where I'm at right now without them.
Heather (28:27)
Yeah, you built your own little ⁓ curriculum. It's kind of along the way. I think that's such an important point. And I want to talk more about this because having a community and having a, when you become more seen as a professional and you're more forward facing, I think there's pressure to kind of, of course, be at a certain level. But in this industry, I think you do need to keep working those muscles.
Lauren Bancroft (28:32)
Yeah.
Heather (28:53)
practicing and being with other creatives and kind of the sandbox environment with low stakes. ⁓ And so I think that's really cool that you've found those places and stayed in touch with these people because even just someone to share ideas with I think is so important to have ⁓ not be in a silo, you know.
Lauren Bancroft (28:59)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I agree. I do think, I mean, I'm very fortunate to have these groups in this community of comedy and production. But I think professionally speaking, I do find producing to be very solitary and occasionally very lonely because on the lower budget stuff, it's like, well, they can barely afford one producer. That's me. Yeah. I mean, Heather, you and I, we came...
Heather (29:35)
It's just you, yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (29:39)
into contact with each other because I was looking for some producing help on a commercial, with a commercial client that I had, where I'm like, I get to build in a little bit to have help. It really is. It's like such a special situation when I get to have some help. that was like one of the first times, Heather, you and I working together, was the first time there was another producer on a project of mine that wasn't like,
Heather (29:49)
It's a luxury.
Lauren Bancroft (30:05)
an executive producer, like higher level, not really doing the, you know, boots on the ground day to day type of producing work, which is, you know, very different producing roles, obviously. But yeah, I think in the last like year or so, I've been trying to be more intentional about checking in with, for the most part, female producers about, you know, socializing in between these networking events that we run into, we run into each other, like going out of my way to support the projects that they're
Heather (30:25)
Mm-hmm.
Lauren Bancroft (30:34)
that they're working on and like celebrating their wins with them because I really crave that kind of producing solidarity that I do feel like I don't get to have on not just on my projects, but then in between the projects of like wanting to commiserate on like, you know, during the pandemic, I think was when I first realized that it's like, I can't like call up a DP of mine who I know and love and be complaining about the lack of work.
because we're not one for one. Like I usually get to hire them and I love hiring people. I love getting to pay people and finding people I love who are good at their job, who are good people and getting to give them money for their talent. I love that. But I can't be like complaining to crew that I hire because it's, doesn't feel the same. It feels weird to me to be doing that. But I looked around and I'm like, I don't feel like I have a network of producers that I can connect with.
to even just like have the solidarity that I'm craving in this really crazy, unprecedented time, right? So I'm still, it's very intentional. I'm trying to be more intentional about forming that community, even if it's starting as just, you know, five or six female producers who I want to support in between projects.
Heather (31:53)
Yeah, that's so cool. That's so important because I think when you are, especially in these smaller budget indie commercial, you know, advertising, whatever it is, there are so many people looking to you and they're also, you're the person they're doing their thing. You're there to support them and make it happen. And, you know, you want to maintain a certain level of course, professionalism, but also they are looking at you like to,
have the tone for the set, the tone for the project. ⁓ so you want to, you know, but sometimes you need to talk about stuff or be like, what, what do we do here? What's going on? And that's hard sometimes.
Lauren Bancroft (32:25)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, man. For sure. Yeah. Yep.
Jess (32:38)
I feel like we can all be in such a silo and, and we're so, I think one of the traits that you have as a person who's a producer is you just, crave those, problem solving and you crave like being onto the next project and, and what's the next task that I need to complete. I want to keep doing all that. then you, weeks later, you find out, you realize, I haven't like talked to anybody.
Heather (32:41)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (32:57)
Mm-hmm.
Heather (33:03)
I haven't spoken to a human.
Jess (33:05)
I haven't spoken to a human in weeks.
Lauren Bancroft (33:07)
Yeah. Meanwhile, you've been
over-functioning this entire time, not stopping, continuing to make those to-do lists, check things off those to-do lists, and then you're like, holy crap, a whole month has gone by, and you haven't done anything to further the very human need for community.
Jess (33:26)
Yeah, and I think too, I like speaking from personal experience, I think oftentimes we're so overwhelmed and overworked and we tend to do that to ourselves. But
Lauren Bancroft (33:38)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Jess (33:40)
get into this kind of, you know, and then you're like, I don't have time to, I don't have the energy.
Heather (33:45)
It takes energy, too, to reach out.
Lauren Bancroft (33:47)
It sure does.
Yeah.
Jess (33:48)
I don't have
the emotional energy to be connecting with somebody. So I think it's so cool that you're being so intentional about making time to process and debrief and also make connections with people that are outside of your work day.
Lauren Bancroft (34:03)
Mm.
Yeah, I'm definitely trying. Definitely trying to make an effort. ⁓ But I mean, it can only, I mean, I've also been on a bit of like a, not self-help journey, but like mental health and like prioritizing myself kind of journey for the last year or so. And part of that has been like, it will only be good for future Lauren to have community when she needs community. So if that's the case, today Lauren has gotta put in.
Heather (34:10)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (34:32)
And it can just be like a text checking in with a producer friend, be like, hey, how's it going? How's that project? How's that crowdfunding campaign going? It's like, can I go to that screening that you talked about, like you posted online about? Can I come? Can I come support? What can I do, but knowing that I shouldn't be overwhelming myself with that kind of stuff either? It's like, I need to have a base that I protect, and that's a new skill that I'm also trying to learn.
Jess (34:57)
Yeah, it's very much like
Heather (34:57)
Yes.
Jess (34:59)
almost exercising for me. know a lot of people really love exercising, but I don't. ⁓ And I, and I love like, you know, there's a love hate relationship, right? And so, you know, it's like, okay, I got to do the exercise so that it's good for future me. I got to, I got to, I got to send that text message, even though like I'm feeling anxious about it or what if they don't text me back or whatever, what if I'm bothering them? And then, but then, you know, you end up going to get coffee with somebody and have like a super great time and it's, and then you're like, wow, passed me.
Lauren Bancroft (35:03)
Yeah.
Yep.
Yeah.
Jess (35:29)
Thank you.
Lauren Bancroft (35:29)
Yep, exactly.
Heather (35:30)
It always
takes work to get there. And then once you, you know, I mean, I'd rather stay in my cave with my spreadsheets, but I'm just like, Heather, you know, you should really go to the screening and you should really do it. And then you get out and you're like, this is so, this is so awesome. So I think it definitely takes effort. And I think it's something we should all be mindful of in this industry. Like, Hey, we want people to support us. You support them, you know, anytime you can. ⁓ like you said, Lauren, though we have to be mindful, but like sometimes once you get yourself to do it,
Lauren Bancroft (35:37)
Ha!
Heather (35:59)
You're kind of like the gym. just got to show up. And then once you show up, it takes care of itself. actually, you're really excited that you went. But I love that you brought this up, Lauren. I do want to talk about your sort of, in whatever capacity you want to your health and wellness journey, because I think as producers, I think as women in this industry, especially producers who are very much on the production side, on set, on the ground, self-care.
Lauren Bancroft (36:06)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah
Heather (36:26)
is a whole thing and I think
it deserves to be talked about a little bit.
Lauren Bancroft (36:33)
Yeah, yeah, no, I'm happy to talk about it. Honestly, I feel like I'm talking to people about it too much. So thank you for the, thank you for asking. Yeah, in January of this year, I got my very first gym membership. And with that came an hour long, free hour long coaching session with an in-house trainer. And I did it like two days after I got my gym membership, I did the free hour. And that before I left that day, I bought a three month.
A three times a week, three month commitment. made it to myself that I was going to be working with this personal trainer at least three days a week. And it was, it was just so crazy that I did that because I had never been to a gym before outside of like teen night at the Y when I was in junior high, you know, where they would sell you Domino's pizza, which is mixed signals. Right. So yeah, I decided to prioritize myself, make a three month commitment.
to lock in the right for the personal trainer. And then three months rolled around and I'm like, I'm seeing results. I'm feeling better. I'm, you know, there was a little bit of a weight, but weight concern on my end, but it was mostly around, I had lower back pain from a set injury. I had been carrying it around for three years. So in fall of last year, I did physical therapy for the first time. And when it was wrapping up, because I was coming to an end of
what my insurance said they'd pay for, right? I talked to my physical therapist and I'm like, so what kind of weights should I get at home if I want to keep this progress going? And he's like, you could just join a gym. And I'm like, right, right, right. Okay, cool, cool. I guess I could, I guess I could join a gym. And then I did. So I'm like, I want to continue the progress that I had made in physical therapy around my back injury. Cause it was
I was carrying it for three years. Whenever I bent down or twisted or lifted anything, it was the amount of mental and emotional energy that went into just moving my body in a way that gave me such anxiety of like, am I gonna pinch a nerve right now? Am I gonna throw my back out and be stuck in a recliner for three days? Because that's how bad it was.
It had only flared up since my injury. It had only flared up, I would say three times in three years, but it made such an impact that I'm like, I need to finally take care of this. So that was the driving force to get me to the gym, to commit to myself, whether I could afford it or not, to a personal trainer, to continue the progress. And in eight and a half months, I've lost 22 pounds. I still go to the gym.
I'm now up to four times a week working with my trainer. I'm now doing cardio twice a week. So to go from, I'm doing meal prep as well. I'm prepping seven days worth of food every Sunday. I spend three or four hours on meal prep for my food for the entire week. And it's just crazy. It's just crazy. Cause I've, I've always been an over-functioner. I've always been an overachiever, but I have never prioritized taking care of myself.
in almost any way. Like, my needs always, always get kicked down the field, always get, you know, kicked to the curb. And I actually was looking at like a before and after progress photo of myself last week from January to last week. And I like disassociated because I did not recognize the person in the photo from the most recent update, the progress photo, because that person takes care of herself.
And that was the thought of, don't love, who is that? Cause I don't take care of myself, but this person does. And then to be like, holy shit, that is me. I have been doing that. And it's been crazy, but I love it. It's just been such an eye-opening experience for me to go from zero to a hundred essentially, but to know that.
putting myself first is my new default. And that includes, you know, physical needs around nutrition, around movement and exercising. And it's, you know, sometimes there'll be jobs, when I'm on jobs that are, I'm not able to go to the gym six times a week, which sounds insane for me to say. So that's not gonna be every week I get to do that. But while I can, I'm gonna prioritize it because it really does affect my mental health.
And it affects my overall mood and happiness. To be able to do this and to be like, I'm making a commitment and then to stick to that commitment when it only benefits me is a huge step for me and my growth personally.
Heather (41:16)
That's incredible. think, gosh, there's so much to unpack here. being in this industry, I don't think people who haven't worked in production, I don't think you can explain how hard it is on your body. I think you're like, I see it as a pressure cooker when you're on set, especially as a producer, but in all the roles, but especially as a producer, you don't realize the emotional load that you're carrying around.
Lauren Bancroft (41:30)
Mmm.
Mm.
Heather (41:43)
And I think as well being a woman and coming into production, I think I had this idea that I stuck to for a very long time. I don't know where it came from, but was like, don't sit down on set. You don't sit down. If you are a good PA, you don't sit. And for years, this was like, can't, I can't see, no one can see me sitting down. You have to be doing something. And I think we,
Lauren Bancroft (41:59)
my god.
Mmm Yeah, that's like an
in food service. It's like if you if you can lean you can clean Like if you can lean like you can be Which is such a crazy?
Heather (42:14)
Yes, yes. Yeah, there was these like weird
things that we carry around with us that, you know, we have to, you know, kind of meet this certain level to prove ourselves in a way. And I also think, you know, being on set can be, it's your whole life. And so there's a lot of different things that are like, well, you you make a routine and it's like, we're in an industry, there's not routine. Like there's no routine.
Lauren Bancroft (42:40)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Heather (42:43)
you know, you have to make structure for yourself. And like you said, Lauren, it's like, you have to do it when you can. And sometimes, you know, you might not be able to, and you understand that, but being able to create a structure for yourself and prioritize yourself just so you can make the best choices, you know, in any given circumstance is so important. And I think anyone in production, you know, needs to really like take a look and be like, okay, how can we
protect ourself and advocate for ourself on set or off, you know?
Jess (43:15)
going back into that. It's so it's so challenging because I feel like your work brain is like, no, I got to sit back. I have to stay at the computer. I have to stay on set or I'm too tired or I deserve a rest day, which you do deserve rest days. But yeah, being able to kind of like get into a groove is so challenging and finding a routine. Like, how do you when you have those days, like how do you
Lauren Bancroft (43:25)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Jess (43:41)
How do you not fall into just being like, I don't feel like going today, and then falling into that cycle of like, oh, the next day, oh, I don't feel like today. And how do you overcome that? I don't know if you experienced that, but if you do, how do you overcome that?
Lauren Bancroft (43:52)
Yeah. Well... No, no!
Heather (43:53)
Yeah.
And are you
bringing your food to set?
Jess (43:59)
Mmm.
Lauren Bancroft (44:00)
Yes. Yeah.
Heather (44:01)
Okay. Okay. Answer Jess's question,
but I wanted to add this to it. Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (44:04)
Yeah, no, I've been like, as far as meal prep goes, like I'm going to a friend's house tonight and it's like, I'm bringing my little meal prep dinner. Like I'm bringing my food. Like I've been, you know, John, my husband plays softball on Tuesday nights and Tuesday nights I show up with my meal prep and I'm eating in the stands. Like I'm, I made these meals. I committed the three to four hours every week to make the meals. I don't want to waste that energy or that time. I don't want to waste the money on the food, but also.
I know that I've seen progress because I've been committed to eating specifically what I've been eating and I've been feeling great because of it. So yeah, I am a little meal prep weirdo now. mean, that's also fine and an adjustment for myself. But as far as like, what do I do when I don't feel like doing it? Which is absolutely, some days I'm like, bleh. But I think having a personal trainer.
literally waiting for me at the gym at a certain time, certain days of the week. Like that time slot is mine and I have to show up because he's waiting on me. And I love every four weeks or so getting to take a new photo where I could see my muscles. I could see that I'm stronger than I've ever been. I haven't had back pain in eight months.
It's been about eight, like that's insane to have experienced it for three years. It's also a little embarrassing when you think about it, because like, if I had done this two and a half years ago, I wouldn't have had to carry that pain. But in that space, I was deprioritizing myself, my physical needs, my health and my emotional and mental needs. All of that was wrapped up where it's like, if I had just unlearned
the habits that had kept me in that deprioritization place, I didn't have to carry that pain for three years. I did not have to do it, but I did it. And there is a little bit of shame associated with that, I think, because, you know, it's just, it's embarrassing. And I'm saying that on a recorded line on a podcast, but like, it really is like, I didn't have to deal with this for as long as I did.
Heather (46:17)
Yeah,
preventative too. mean, I think I was on a set recently back to the standing thing. I'm directing, I'm standing in front of the monitor, probably like this, you know, and a grip comes over and he pops open a director's chair and sets it down. And he was like, how old are you? And I told him, and he goes, sit down. I'm like, okay. I was like, no, and he's like, sit down, you know? So I think it's like these things that you just wish. mean, that look, we have to show up and we have to do the work and we have to do the thing, but
Lauren Bancroft (46:27)
Mm-hmm.
⁓
Heather (46:47)
You can start early and really like build this into your structure and build this into, you know, how you show up, especially in our work on a production to take care of yourself in all the ways that you can just to have that longevity I think is just so important. I'm curious, Lauren, now, how is being on set for you? Have you changed any of the things that maybe you would have done in the past, whether it's bringing your own food? Is it?
Are you doing like micro workouts on set? Like how are you overcompensating? when you, you know, how are you structuring your life? You know, a lot of times on set too, when we're working on productions, we can't get the recommended sleep. It's just impossible. Like it's physically impossible to do that. So I'm just curious if you have any like tips or anything for that you're now doing that's helped you having this new mindset.
Lauren Bancroft (47:30)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Yeah, think, I mean, the first thing is building in support for myself. Building in when I need to have, you know, one PA isn't gonna cut it. I need to have a production coordinator and I need to have minimum two PAs, depending on the job. Every job is different, obviously, but not, the default is not, okay, I can just do that. I can just be the only one to set up the tables and chairs. I can be the only one to like load in.
product for the shoot. I can just do that. I'll just do that. I don't do that anymore. And that's on the mental and professional side where it's like, can I do everything? Maybe I could, but I could also maybe injure myself again and then be back in that same position of I can't finish the rest of the shoot. The anxiety around how I move and how I move even just for those three years, how I adjusted in my sleep at night. Would I would wake up enough to be like, ⁓
like really heightened and be like, can't move in a careless way because I could throw my back out in my sleep. Like that kind of anxiety, like I'm so grateful that I've shed that now because I have the core strength, because I have the muscles to support my own body. So, ⁓ so yeah, I think working in support is a non-negotiable now where my default is not, I'll just do everything. My default is now what kind of support can I get?
Heather (49:00)
Okay.
Lauren Bancroft (49:03)
what kind of help can I get from the beginning, from the budgeting stage? It's like, I'm not gonna be fighting for support. Because if I have to fight for support, I'm setting myself up to potentially get physically injured. And then also, having to do everything yourself mentally is so taxing. When you already have to be thinking about so many different things as a producer. If you don't have the budget to hire someone to do a job,
You have to be the one to think about what could be a whole department. It could be a whole team of people normally would be doing this, but it falls on your shoulders because no one else is getting paid to think about it. You have to be thinking about it. And that's a huge mental load too that every producer carries, especially lower budget indie producers. yeah, so I think working in support, bringing my
meals to set, think is good. It also keeps me away from the more processed food or I'm trying to bring fruit instead of snacks. I'm not doing mini workouts on set yet. I don't know. We'll see. Maybe that could be a future version of me. But I mean, being on set is physically taxing as far as like, when you're on set, you're not going to get less than 10,000 steps in a day. And that's a good day, right?
⁓ so yeah, I mean, think as far as tips, it's like when you can prioritize taking care of yourself in whatever way you feel like you're able to, but then know that as a producer, there are going to be week, weeks, months where you're not able to commit, but what can you do? And like, don't overwhelm yourself in any direction and don't beat yourself up if, you know, if you got a, got a job for a month and you can't get to the gym six times a week. It's like.
First of all, I'm insane for doing that period. So don't let that be the standard. That's nuts. But I do love it and I'm gonna keep doing it for as long as I can.
Heather (50:59)
Yeah,
it's just like adjusting your way of thinking because we have periods of, you know, kind of feast or famine, right? And so it's when the project is there, you have to do it. But then we have the luxury of being, you know, freelancers and the way we work in our industry, that there are some down times. And so you can, you know, kind of spend some extra time that maybe someone else might not in it just in a different way. We have to like rethink about our our structure. But it sounds like to just being proactive. mean,
Lauren Bancroft (51:05)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Heather (51:28)
you know, can prevent a lot of things too. Prevent injury on set and just take care of yourself for the long, long haul.
Lauren Bancroft (51:36)
For sure, yeah. And taking care of yourself, think for me, has also looked like setting my work boundaries around what time do I check my work email? What time do I stop checking my work email? Like, I am very fortunate, like, I don't check my work email on weekends. If I check my work email on a weekend, I'm like, ah, no, they got me. They being my thumb that automatically opens my Gmail app on my phone, right? It's like, no, stop, stop.
Heather (52:04)
It's
like a reflex.
Lauren Bancroft (52:05)
Exactly, yeah. But it's, you know, it's around like being sure that you're taking a lunch break, not just stepping away to eat food and then coming right back to your desk and continuing working. It's like, I really feel when I don't take at least a 30 minute break. It's like I'm five o'clock rolls around and I'm crabby and I'm, you know, I'm crabby and hungry. And it's like, well, I could just be, you know, if I'd taken a break, I could just be hungry. But now I'm crabby and hungry. So, yeah, I think as far as like being
Heather (52:30)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Lauren Bancroft (52:33)
self-employed and being a freelancer, like setting those types of boundaries, just like day-to-day boundaries, if you can. It also goes a long way. I mean, for me, anyway.
Heather (52:43)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, for sure. Well, I feel like we could do a whole series on all of this, but I feel like this was some great info and tips and everything. want to jump into talking about some of the projects that you've worked on. I know you've done a Disney Plus documentary. You have your CBS showcase from commercials. Any films like?
Lauren Bancroft (53:02)
Mm-hmm.
Heather (53:07)
Can you talk about some of your favorite projects to work on and why, or maybe some things that really stand out for you?
Lauren Bancroft (53:14)
Sure. So I think one project that is, we're currently in our film festival run right now, is a Doctor Who fan documentary called Endoctrinated. It is a documentary that I was invited to join about three years ago. They did their interviews about nine years ago. So it was very much in progress when I was invited to come aboard. Initially, I was...
offered story producer because they had 27 hours of footage, but no one had made the transcripts yet. No one had gone through to like really break down what is the story in here? What is like, what are the themes? What's the overlap? What makes each subject special? And also what supports the thesis that the documentary is setting out to, you know, to support. So, so yeah, I
got to, I'm a huge fan of documentaries. I consume more documentaries than I do anything else. I feel like I'm running out. If you have any recs, please do send them over. But I just, I'm such a huge fan of documentaries. So this presented an opportunity to like, I got to find the story in a fandom that I'm very much a part of. I love Doctor Who. My husband and I met on a Doctor Who podcast. So like, it's very important to both of us.
⁓ so I got to really try this for the first time. And like, when I was invited, I told the producer, I'm like, I've never done this before. And he's like, yeah, okay. And I'm like, great. As long as we're all on the same page about this being a completely new thing to me. But from the very beginning, he trusted me and I, you know, I was a story producer for a while and about a year into my joining the project, our editor stepped away. And then they were like, who's going to edit this?
And they said, Lauren, do you want to? Cause I was the most familiar with the, most familiar with the footage and with the, had made the paper transcripts that the editor had cut together. And, I said, yes. I'm like, do I? Yeah. Because I had never done that before. I had edited a lot of, you know, sketches over the years, my own projects, but I had never edited a feature and I had never edited a documentary period. And I'm like, do I want to? Hell yeah.
Hell yeah, I want every project I want to be, I need to be learning and growing every project because I would get bored otherwise. So I'm really grateful that this team trusted me and I have this documentary now that I am so immensely proud of that I could watch. I mean, every time I watch it, I'm like, my gosh, it worked.
It worked and it's like, it's a heartfelt documentary and like when I see it with a crowd, people cry when they, when I want them to cry and people laugh when I wanted them to laugh. And it's really just such a rewarding experience to be trusted by a team and to have the privilege to make such creative decisions. Cause usually in a documentary world, the director is the one right? Who sits down with the editor, who's finding and crafting that story and
because of everyone else on the team had a lot of other stuff going on. Two of them are film professors at Baylor University. They have full lives outside of this decade long documentary process, right? So I got to come in with fresh eyes. They had nothing but trust for me and they gave me the freedom to get to find the story. So it was a really special, it was just like a really special project for a couple of different reasons, but it's just like, wow, to get to...
It's like a stand-up in a way where it's like, I want people to laugh at certain times. I want to be like, I'm going to make you laugh here. And then when it works, it's like, yes. Yes, we did it. It worked. And I feel that way when I get to watch this documentary with a room full of people who have never seen it and maybe who aren't even Doctor Who fans. We've gotten really great feedback from people who have never even seen the show, which was also such a driving force.
in me crafting the story. I want it to be accessible. I don't want it to rely on, you know what this 64 year long British sci-fi show is? You don't have to know. You don't have to know a single thing about it. But yeah, it's a really satisfying project and we don't have distribution just yet. I'll actually be QCing Final Color later today. Yeah, and that will be the end of finishing, which is we're all looking forward to, but.
Yeah, I'm just really excited to see where it goes and to hopefully continue sharing it with fans and non-fans alike.
Jess (57:47)
I just see such a connection between what you were telling us about your IT career and the skills that you picked up from there to your, your, this new project, this, you know, there's like your problem solving that I like to call it like Tetris in of people's soundbites and everything. And I just see such, such a, just like a full circle for you just going from your
Lauren Bancroft (58:04)
yeah, yup. Yes.
Jess (58:15)
beginnings of your career to now.
Lauren Bancroft (58:17)
So it's just like, you the problem is the 27 hours of footage and the solving it is evoking the reaction I want from the audience, proving that we did it. We did it. But yeah, it's really, it's such a great project. I really hope that the world gets to see it.
Heather (58:35)
they will, I'm sure you're going to make sure they do. Yeah.
Jess (58:35)
Absolutely. Congratulations.
Lauren Bancroft (58:37)
Yeah.
Thank you,
thank you. Yeah, I just gotta teach myself distribution and that will be good.
Heather (58:45)
It's like you just, once you figure it out, know, you just, you basically just are like, okay, what's my next problem? All right, I'll just figure this out. And that's how, you know, because there's no roadmap. There really isn't. It's just, you know, but I want to know briefly, like, how did this differ for you from, the Billie Eilish documentary for Disney plus, because like, was that planned to be a docu with that concert or was that a response to the pandemic? Like, I don't know.
Lauren Bancroft (58:50)
Bye.
No.
Heather (59:13)
but I'm sure that was a lot more structured going in in a different way.
Lauren Bancroft (59:18)
Yeah,
yeah, for sure. So the making of Happier Than Ever, A Love Letter to Hollywood is the name of the documentary. And from the get-go, it was always a companion piece to her visual album. So I believe they dropped within a couple days of each other on Disney +, when they did premiere. But essentially, I was an employee at a production company called Special Order Inc., a wonderful boutique production company located in downtown.
And Interscope had hired Special Order to do a handful of projects. I got to do a very cool video, a performance video with Olivia Rodrigo as well, because they also rep her, or they're also Olivia's label. So they came to, because they were partnering with Disney on, they essentially co-funded the documentary that I had the opportunity to produce. So they came to Special Order and they were like, we're thinking about doing this documentary, would you want to handle it? So
and it's going to live on Disney+. We're like, yeah, absolutely. So I was fortunate to be an employee, a producing employee of Special Order at the time that crossed our founder's desk. And I got to produce it, which was great. And it was definitely a different experience because I got to be on set, obviously. And because we weren't just BTS, we were documenting the creative process that went into the visual album.
which was great. It was a really wonderful visual album. But we got to do sit down interviews with Robert Rodriguez of the Rodriguez lists that I had mentioned previously, ⁓ named for Robert Rodriguez, who notoriously wrote to what he had access to, low budget indie filmmaking 101. because he directed the visual album, so we got to do a sit down interview with him. There were significant animation interstitials in the visual album as well. We got to interview the creative director and the visionary behind the
those animations. Yeah, a lot of like the key staff of the documentary, we got to interview Billy and Phineas obviously and their parents because it's a family affair over there. So yeah, it was really cool to to get to like to get to be there to be flies on the wall during this seven day shoot at the Hollywood Bowl over like we wrapped it like three or four a.m. every night for her to be singing to get to see her.
sing live and then get the recording and then lip sync to her own voice, her own live, which is how they did the visual album, was really cool. And also to hear all of this music before the album even came out, because the visual album came out, that was the release of the album. So I got to hear all this amazing Billie Eilish music before many, many people got to hear it. So that was really cool. But as far as...
Heather (1:01:55)
Some serious
NDAs there, I'm sure.
Lauren Bancroft (1:01:58)
Yeah, for sure,
for sure. So yeah, it was, we had maybe 10 people, two different camera crews running around the bowl trying to capture what would go into telling the creative story. So I, yeah, I didn't have a ton to do with the creative of that documentary, because my boss, the founder of Special Order, David Clare, he was the director. So he, and he was also on set with us. He was with one camera crew, I was with the other.
But yeah, we had things that we wanted to capture, and I had to make sure that the B camera team was tackling that. So yeah, mean, was definitely a different experience, because then in indoctrinated, the story we're telling is three American Doctor Who fans who were inspired by the show to make the world a better place. So that's the crux of the doc. It's not about the show. It's about the impact of the show, right? So definitely documenting two different things. And the Billie Eilish documentary was also only 35 minutes.
We've got about an hour and a half for the indoctrinated one. But yeah, I mean, it was a really great experience. Everybody was very nice. It was weird. That was actually my first time at the Hollywood Bowl was getting to be there with this production crew shooting this Billie Eilish concert into the wee hours of the night. So it was a really cool experience. And also to like, you know, see the trailer when it was released online that Disney marketing handled cutting the trailer.
And then when it came out to get to sit in my living room and watch a documentary that I produced, it's like, you know, producer Lauren Bancroft right in the credits. I'm like, that's very, it feels very cool. ⁓ And now I have that credit and that's usually the one that people say, ooh, the most at, which I am fine with. Yeah.
Heather (1:03:41)
That's cool. That's awesome.
Okay, so the last thing I'm going to ask you, a lot of people are, you know, kind of, there's a lot of negative tones right now. But in one sentence, can you tell me what actually excites you about the future of our industry?
Lauren Bancroft (1:03:54)
in one sentence.
Heather (1:03:58)
phrase.
Lauren Bancroft (1:04:00)
What excites me about the future of our industry is the amount of people that I talk to about my vision for sets being filled with respect and kindness and patience, and to hear how much that resonates with the people I'm talking to. This is not a concept, a foreign concept. I'm not the first to say it or think it, but it's like when I'm talking to people.
out in the world and the amount of times I like take a dig at capitalism and then they're like, right? And I'm like, great, you're on my level. You get it. Like you're on the same page. So it's really heartening for me when I'm like, I don't handle, I don't deal with people who yell on my sets. People don't yell on my sets. And they were like, yeah, great. It's like that people want that. People want.
Heather (1:04:54)
You just have to be the person to say it, know, to do it. yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (1:04:57)
Right, right.
So yeah, it's like people want that. People want that and I'm gonna keep providing that work experience for people that I hire on every job that I have, every project that I work on. And I do that for the crew and for the cast and for me, because nobody wants that to be, why does that have to be how it is? It doesn't. It literally doesn't. And anyone who says that it does, previous generation,
Heather (1:05:20)
It doesn't. It does not.
Lauren Bancroft (1:05:27)
That's like a very old school way to be. And that is not something that I subscribe to. So more than a sentence, but I like when I talk to others, crew or fellow producers, and they're like, I'm on the same page as you. I agree. And I hope that they're taking the mission forward as well.
Heather (1:05:49)
I love it. I love it. Yes, we all need to do that. And I think more people, like you said, want that. Then they say, it doesn't have to be like that. can have a respect. We can take care of ourselves. We can keep doing the thing. So I love it.
Lauren Bancroft (1:06:02)
Yep.
Jess (1:06:03)
I just wanted to jump in to say how important that is that you're saying that because I know for me, I had some examples of leadership that were the opposite. And so a lot of us kind of, you know, mimicked that and didn't realize that it could be different and better and you could be positive. And I walk into Heather's office and there's a sign every time I walk in there, it says nice kids only.
Heather (1:06:04)
Yeah.
Lauren Bancroft (1:06:13)
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I love that.
Jess (1:06:30)
And I love
it. And I think that what you said, Lauren, just resonates so much. the industry can be, people can be nice to each other and respectful to each other and kind to each other and still make really fantastic art.
Lauren Bancroft (1:06:39)
Mm-hmm.
Yep. Yep. 100%. Yeah. And anyone who says otherwise, they have an agenda. What is it from Princess Bride? Anyone who says differently is selling something. Life is pain. Yeah. Anyway.
Heather (1:06:53)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I love it. What a perfect note to end on. Lauren, thank you for being with us today. ⁓ So much great information. Where can people find you if they want to get in touch with you? Where are you at?
Lauren Bancroft (1:07:00)
Yeah.
Happy to be here.
Yeah, so I'm on Instagram, TikTok, Blue Sky, Twitter still. ⁓ Yeah, I'm on all those places. My handle is Bancroft, B-A-N-C-R-O-F-F-E-D, like my last name, but kind of not. Also, thank you. I am, yeah, I'm trying to make more content, get it out in the world, because why not? Why not?
Heather (1:07:26)
Lauren posted a lot of great content, you guys.
Lauren Bancroft (1:07:35)
But yeah, and I hope my personality is coming through in that content too, hopefully. But yeah, find me in all those places or BancroftInc.com. You could send me a, if you got a project you want to pitch me, I mean, you can send it, I'll read it when I can, but yeah, there you go.
Heather (1:07:50)
Fantastic. Amazing.
Jess (1:07:51)
Amazing!
Lauren Bancroft (1:07:52)
Yay! You're
Jess (1:07:53)
Thank you so much!
Heather (1:07:55)
Thanks,
Heather (1:07:57)
All right, that's the show for today, but before we switch back, we want to remind you.
Jess (1:08:02)
Subscribe to the pod, follow us on socials, get on our mailing list. You can check out all of the good info and stuff that we're posting and it helps support our podcast.
Heather (1:08:14)
Yeah, we wanna hear from you. If you've got any comments, feedback, guest suggestions, send us, yeah, send us a DM or you can email us from our website. We'd love to hear from you.
Jess (1:08:18)
stories.
Heather (1:08:25)
Thanks for listening to Switching Two, hosted and edited by Heather Kate Duncan and Jess Boyer. Original music by Top Flow courtesy of the Pixabay royalty free music library, recorded on location in Los Angeles, California. Follow us on social at SwitchingTwoPod. Show notes and transcripts can be found at SwitchingTwoPod.com.
