Rising Stars: Meet Miranda Spigener-sapon of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Spigener-sapon

Hi Miranda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you for this opportunity! I was born and raised in Pasadena, Texas (neighboring Greater Houston area). I am a writer/director/producer. I attended film school at UT/Austin and my first short film, my undergrad project, TRUE was purchased and screened by L’Entrepôt Cinema in Paris, France (1997). While studying film I worked full time in documentation and technical writing for a NASA contractor.

My first job directing out of college was in television, an art magazine show, EAT ART for PBS that aired in 5 US markets (Houston, Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles). I worked as an editor assistant at a post production house which helped me gain film editing experience and later was promoted to the company’s new division where I was head of acquisitions and in this position I learned a lot about film/tv distribution. That job moved me to LA in early 2000. After that job, I went back to Houston and I held a position as development manager at a production studio where I managed new film projects, programs and was key in coordinating a cultural film festival. Following that, in late 2000 I Executive Produced/Wrote/Directed MARISA ROMANOV, a neo-noir short that debuted in 2001 at the International Venice Film Festival Official Shorts Selection and received Audience Choice. The short also screened that year at Berlin Film Festival in the Alternate Selection. Since then I have produced and directed a number of local, regional and national commercial spots for television, including my documentary WALK ON, about hippotherapy for the disabled that aired in rotation on The Learning Channel (TLC). This project led me to being a hired as an independent producer on projects at Discovery Networks. Fast forward to present I began working in entertainment and literary PR that led me to permanently move back to Los Angeles in 2011. In 2012 I met my husband Felipe who is a positive and tremendous support to me and my work I continues to work as a publicist full time until 2015 when I started to focus my career on writing, directing and producing. In 2017, I produced and directed the documentary feature, MASCULINITY THAT INSPIRES CHANGE and directed the short film THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS. These film were acquired by Amazon Prime. Additionally, I signed a 4-book deal for my debut novel CHARLES, Book I of the Marisa Romanov stories. LIFELINES, a psychological drama adapted from a short skit I wrote in high school at 17 as my entry to get into film school, was optioned and produced in 2019. It will premiere May 2025 as my narrative feature length film as a director. Most recently, WHAT IT MEANS… my social justice documentary film on female reproductive rights, won Best Documentary at the BSSAV Film Festival in Los Angeles on September 2024. The film is currently screening in other film festivals and public television networks such as: Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions UK 2024, Houston Media Source TV and accepted to have a world premiere at Cannes, May 2025.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In this business nothing is smooth, in fact it’s a constant struggle just to get your work heard, seen or gain opportunities as a director and writer. I won’t go into the crazy details, but in short, I’ve had literary agents and managers who proved to be not so honest and forthcoming with me and my team, but I always try to find the silver lining in everything. No matter what life throws in your path, whereas it be nefarious people or events, you always keep a mindful and kind attitude and don’t let it get the best of you. Some of these challenges may have slowed me down, but I found a way to persevere and find the light in the darkness.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a writer/director/producer and up and coming showrunner. I have worked almost every type of job from a Set PA to First AD on set and several different areas of the creative arts since I was 16. I feel it is important to really know how a production operates and get to know every aspect of production if you want to work in this industry. I really enjoy the times on set. My skillset is made up from times in the production office working with producers, financiers, other seasoned writers, many who have become long-term mentors and close friends to getting down and dirty on set during production. I have worked in the camera department, sound, lighting, director’s unit and on into post-production .

At 16, I sold my first article that made front page, section B in a local Houston, Texas area newspaper. That article later won the WCOP Journalism Award (Writers Club of Pasadena, a writer’s society that once had Pulitzer Prize winner Pearl S Buck and Larry McMurtry as members). This led to other journalism jobs. At 21, Isold may play The Flame to be performed as a short-run in 1997 at Off-Broadway NYC’s Bleecker Street Theatre. It was praised by The Village Voice. That same year I was hired to direct that same play at Vaccarro’s New York Deli Theatre in Houston and it received praise by The Houston Press. That play was adapted from a short story I wrote called Frozen in Time that won in WCOP’s short-story showcase. Fast forward to 2017, I was hired to direct that play in a 20th Anniversary run at Metropolis Santa Monica and it gained praise by theatre critic Matt Cooper in The Los Angles Times and also praise in the west coast edition of Broadway World. The next year, a few producers at Santa Monica’s Metropolis hired me adapt and direct my sci-fi/time-travel romance short story to a play for a one night show on Valentine’s Day, 2018 and gaining praise by Broadway World critic, Stephi Wild.

I feel that by working in an almost every department on set, it me shape my career, build valuable relationships, and develop priceless friendships in the industry while I also improved and polished my skills as a filmmaker.

I love writing and directing the most. Being a Showrunner is a tough gig. I was hired to direct, develop and run the show of an unscripted/non-fiction podcast called Inspire Change with Gunter. I had developed this series with a long time PR client and associate, Gunter Swoboda (a renowned Australian psychologist/author/speaker and mentor). It was originally a very short 6-8 minute episode, weekly social change podcast on men inspiring change and an extension of Gunter’s Making Good Men Great global movement.. By the end of season one, iHeartMedia had picked us up and renewed us for a season two and longer episodes. We are now about to begin our 7th season, January 2025. The podcast gets 75k downloads globally per week and is #1 in Australia and #5 in USA according to Feedspot. Running and producing a weekly show is a lot of work. You have to deal with not just the creative content of the show, but also deal with the day to day operations with the network to make sure the ratings are up there, deal with sponsors and advertisers, and everything else that helps keep it on the air! It’s a tough job, but I love every minute of it. My favorite part of the creative /entertainment industry is writing and directing. I love crafting and seeing the vision from concept to finish.

I also have a publishing background from my years in the early 2000’s as a publishing executive/head of book publicity for a New York mid-size publisher and also hired as a consultant for 2 of the big 5 publishers. I later, started a publishing tier of our company Bonfire Cinema to publish books using my former experience in the New York City publishing world. I love books, reading, writing and I wanted to start this division to help provide outstanding publishing opportunities for other writers that is on the same level as the big publishing houses. My long-time best friend and business partner, DeVonna Prinzi and I founded a production company Noirtainment Productions that specializes in neo-noir projects and then later, Bonfire Cinema, a multi-platform indie production studio that creates and develops projects that find the light through the darkness and help leave a mindful message to assist in making the world a better place. Our motto for Noirtainment and Bonfire Cinema is “finding the light through the darkness.” We also founded a PR firm that is still in soft launch called Lavender Sage PR with company message of: “Where every brand shines with clarity and calm creativity.” We have a team under our mentorship and guidance to to run the company and client campaigns. The PR firm also represents me, Noirtainment, Bonfire Cinema and our projects.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Don’t take anything or anyone for granted. Be kind to everyone even if they are not so kind to you. Always show gratitude and joy in everything you do, even at times when it is hard as hell to maintain that “smile”. Just keep a good, mindful and balanced outlook and attitude. By applying these few simple things, it helps me to keep pushing forward and also helping to mentor other young, upcoming creatives and artists. Together, we can all leave the world a little better than we found it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bonfirecinema.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/tenaciousmiranda
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miranda.spigener
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandaks
• Twitter: https://x.com/mirandaspigener
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003476/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1