Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Ann Hammen.
Morgan Ann, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Oshkosh, WI, going into directing wasn’t the most conventional of paths. The first thing I remember wanting to be was an artist and I fell in love with the idea of working within the TV & film industry. My parents put my siblings and me into summer theatre academies and this is where I figured out I wanted to work with screen actors.
I didn’t have the resources to start making shorts from a young age. You learn to share and make do with what’s given when you have a big family, so I would write and study movies instead of making them. You also learn to cooperate and communicate with others which has been abundantly helpful!
Columbia College Chicago was an unforeseen blessing because its customizable program was well-suited for my DIY personality. I zipped through their program in 3 years and by the time I graduated, I was more ready to enter the workforce than I would have been anywhere else.
My first short aired on a TV network in New York. I’d been accepted into and completed the top CCC directing course. The short I’m in the finishing process with currently has been promoted by Canon. I finished a development internship with 87North (David Leitch & Kelly McCormick). And, by the time I graduated, I had production assisted on nine major productions including Shameless, Empire, and Utopia. My start on Utopia started when I hunted down their set in the South Loop and the 2nd AD took a chance on me. For whatever reason that was, I’m eternally grateful. Production assisting humbled me, let me observe professional crews and gave me a network of people who wanted to help me grow. Listening, watching, and learning are my biggest takeaways.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with high honors and a letter of recommendation from an Executive Director from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. I focused on directing and I was featured as a Columbia Student Speaker for our graduating class. Currently, my film Dead Man’s Hand is in its finishing stages, postponed due to COVID, but nonetheless, we’ll get it finished and ready for festivals in 2021!
I now live in Los Angeles, CA, and work full-time on Snowfall (FX). I have projects in development that I hope to direct at the top of 2021. I’m continuing to work hard to achieve my goals to direct professionally. I’ll keep my nose to the grindstone. It’s tough but I’m loving the hustle. This industry is one built from tradesmen’s and artist’s passions which makes it all the more exciting to be a part of.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s not been a smooth road, but my focus and persistence have been my saving grace.
Just before COVID, I felt like I was doing it right. I was a successful student and I was finding work on big things. In my last semester, I was living in LA with student housing. There was a liability risk in allowing students to live on-campus. I had five days to vacate, forcing me to move back to Wisconsin. So many of my friends threw in the towel and left the industry. I was convinced I was done as well. Without a job or a place to live in LA, I was skeptical I’d find my way back. I was in a total slump. But my persistence reignited eventually, and I moved across the country AGAIN for the 3RD TIME in 2020. After a couple of months and likely +100 job applications later, I found a job on Snowfall and have been having a blast!
On a more personal level, I have a hard time believing in myself. I have no advice on how to overcome these uncertainties. I am my own worst critic. But, in a way, I’m glad because it keeps me realistic and gives me the drive to keep working, even if things go my way or astray. I don’t come from a film family or culture. Wisconsin is very industrial and full of corporations and laborers which is where I get my work ethic from. My mom is a geriatric nurse. My dad is a high school tech ed teacher. I’m lucky they’ve supported my goals and encouraged me through my self-doubt – my friends as well.
I’m not able to accurately judge my work. However, I was able to maintain a talented and loyal crew at CCC for whom I’m so grateful. Directing is a team effort and knowing this has helped me as a leader. It’s a game of give-and-take.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I work as an individual so I don’t have a business to market. I self-promote as best as I can but really, the proof is in the pudding.
I’m working to direct action/dramas and I love historically inspired narratives. Things like Jojo Rabbit and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are among my favorite movies. War films with a twist: dramas of opposing perspectives.
I’m most proud of my latest film Dead Man’s Hand (which is yet to be released) but should be ready in December 2020. I’ll always want to improve but there are a couple of moments in the short that demonstrate my strengths in directing action. There’s a lot of blood, stunts, VFX, a beautiful score, and editing that ties it up perfectly.
What sets me apart from others my age is my achievements, my drive, my professionalism, and my interpersonal abilities. Even in moments of uncertainty, it’s imperative the director stay concentrated and strong because when a captain waivers, so too does the ship. Staying calm and adaptable but creative is a tough balancing act. I’ve really found my voice only over the last few years which is late. But it means I know how to listen and therefore empathize which is crucial for both directing actors and a crew. Filmmaking requires trust. I have to use my crew’s strengths where I lack, all the while maintaining a clear sense of direction.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
As I like to put it… someone threw me the ball; I ran with it.
For good luck…
I started on Utopia. I was lucky to stumble past their working trucks one day on my way home in Chicago. I asked a security guard what show it was and I left.
That could have been the end of it.
I got on the train and went two stops before making the decision to get off and walk all the way back to where I started at the Harold Washington Library. The security guard was gone so I researched the show and scoured every floor of this massive library.
To no avail and after an hour of searching, I ended up leaving, deciding if I happened to pass by a crew member in the 50ft between the door and the train platform, I’d ask for a job. I ended up passing the 2nd AD. I made a good first impression and was persistent (but polite) with emails. I got two days booked and I was not about to half-ass it. I worked hard to learn quickly and be reliable. This got me booked the next day and thus the snowball started.
It’s as simple as taking advantage of a good opportunity and not selling yourself short. You have to take a leap of faith and being willing to make yourself uncomfortable in order to learn.
For bad luck…
I’ve had a fair share of trials in my life, most of which are personal, but I never miss the opportunity to grow from them. Even if it’s only to not make the same mistake twice. Knowing where not to go is just as powerful, if not MORE powerful, than the opposite: assuming you know. It’s just a tougher pill to swallow.
This is not that important, but it’s a good example. I applied twice to UT Austin and got rejected twice. I felt like I had failed. I wasn’t good enough to follow my family’s legacy. I couldn’t compete with better filmmakers. The list goes on. But in a way, this put me right where I needed to be. I would have NEVER been able to have worked on so many shows nor had the curricular freedom and acceleration that I had in Chicago had I gone to a place I assumed to be better suited for me.
Find the silver lining.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.morganhammenfilm.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhammen.film/
Image Credit:
Rebecca Leigh, Emily Davis, Nathan Altenbern
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