SSP 052: What You Need To Know About Bringing A Passion Project To Life w/ Sophia Kruz

For many of us as storytellers, we have ideas for passion project documentaries that we would love to get out into the world one day, but don’t really know where to start. Today’s guest is the go-to documentary filmmaker for women’s rights and is always shining the light on the strength, courage, and dynamism of women around the globe. Her latest documentary, Little Stones follows four women who are using the arts for social change, and she presents their stories in a truly heartfelt and honest way. Sophia Kruz is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and TedX speaker, but the accolades don’t stop there as she’s won many more awards at some of the top film festivals in the world. She’s also the co-founder of Driftseed, a nonprofit seeking to empower women and girls both in the U.S. and around the world through the art of documentary storytelling. Sophia is a firm believer in the power of following your passion and shares some fantastic advice on how to choose your passion projects, and how to find the perfect partners to bring those projects to life. We also talk about the importance of networking as you fundraise for passion projects, and how those connections will have far-reaching benefits for your films beyond the initial monetary contributions. If you have ever struggled with the thought of having to network or don’t know where to start, then this episode will give you some tips that you can use from the beginning of your next project. Do you have a documentary passion project kicking around the back of your mind? What are the struggles you’ve had in getting started? Leave us a comment below! In this episode:

Advice on how to narrow in on your passion projects and choose the right ones to commit to
Why your project partners are crucial to the success of the project
The extreme and far-reaching benefits of networking
The timeframes of making a documentary
Some of the benefits to working for yourself or freelancing

Quotes: “This is hands down the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but also the most rewarding.” (22:32) “Finding partners that are truly engaged and believe in the project is another word of advice I would give to people.” (28:59) “I don’t enjoy fundraising, but it is a great way to have a lot of people learn about your project because you are constantly asking for meetings and getting in front of people and honing your pitch and then they remember you. They are aware of your project and waiting for it to come out, whether or not they ended up donating.” (34:05) Links: Sophia Cruz Productions Follow Sophia on Instagram & Twitter Driftseed Follow Driftseed on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter Little Stones Follow Little Stones on Facebook & Twitter Little Stone Project Panmela Castro Sohini Chakraborty Sister Fa Anna Taylor Zonta International