Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Somers.
Karen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a documentary director, producer, camera operator in addition to being a working photographer. I predominantly work for the studios and broadcasters here in Hollywood in addition to Fortune 500 companies creating inspiring, branded docu-content.
I didn’t start in filmmaking, I began with a theater degree in performance in Canada with dreams of working in Hollywood. I ended up getting lucky as an actor, working in film, stage, and TV in Canada and the states after graduation, but soon realized that I didn’t want to be in front of the camera. The producers and director I worked with took my breath away with what they did over the course of a shoot. I wanted to be behind-the-scenes crafting the story, hiring the teams, solving the endless problems that are inherent to production. So I did.
I asked a producer I was working with for a job at the bottom of the call sheet and didn’t look back. I’ve done every dirty job on the set and then some in an effort to learn everything. Now I own a small production house here in Hollywood and spend my time telling inspiring, cinematic stories for all sorts of clients. I’m an active member of the PGA (serving on the Education Committee), the International Cinematographer’s Guild and am in the Documentary Peer Group for the Academy of Radio and Television Arts (serving on the Board of Governors Bylaws Committee). I am the eldest of six children with several parental units and have a great husband and two goofy dogs. I feel lucky to be where I am today and look forward to producing my first Podcast and another long-form documentary this year.
Has it been a smooth road?
Ahhh, the smooth road – has anyone that has had the big dream had that? Maybe, but I haven’t met any of them and I’ve interviewed the best of the best in many walks of life in my job. Shall we start with the Dalai Lama?
What I’ve learned is that the object of this exercise is to get up. You will fail, multiple times, you can count on that. Everyone and their brother wants to work in the entertainment business so the competition is fierce. The ones that really fail don’t get up. Your job, when you fall, is to get up and take the lessons you’ve learned along the way and apply them to the next job.
If you are going to shoot for the moon in your chosen occupation, be prepared to build your tolerance for failure it is the hidden secret to success and the tool to mastering your craft. I’ve spend an awful lot of time, face planted in any number of things that I considered massive failures at the time, but in retrospect realize that they were opportunities to learn, build and perfect. It’s all horribly painful, so much so I couldn’t breath but thanks to the good advice of those that have gone before me, I now know, just get back up and keep moving. You will beat the majority of your competition with your resiliency first and the opportunities you create as you master your talent.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Karen Somers + Co story. Tell us more about the business.
Karen Somers + Co specializes in inspiring, branded content. We are a small media company that creates short-form documentaries, long-form docs and photography. I think it’s important to be focused on the beauty and inspiration of the story no matter what the assignment is. I’m proud to be an accomplished female filmmaker and photographer that has a unique voice in Hollywood.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The biggest shifts in my world are in branded content. The studios are moving away from the long from documentary-style content in Behind-The-Scenes storytelling that has been prolific for years. Because of the rise of social media, budgets contracting and the need for content expanding as well as the growth of digital platforms like Netflix and Amazon, the demand for behind-the-scenes content has significantly decreased.
Conversely, the need for inspiring brand storytelling is on the rise. The agencies that have served these clients in the past are under a lot of pressure to create content for smaller budgets while increasing the output. That’s where boutique production houses like mine come into play. We increasingly working directly with a client’s marketing team, without the middleman of an agency, to craft beautiful, inspiring storytelling for their brands that speaks to the hearts and minds of their clients. There is a collective yearning for inspiration, for connection – brands recognize this and are seeking beautiful, cinematic expressions of storytelling that speak to that desire.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.karensomers.com
- Phone: 818-613-4068
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: KarenSomersCo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenSomersCo/
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