Story & Lesson Highlights with Emily Zercher

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Emily Zercher. Check out our conversation below.

Emily, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
How about a moment that made me laugh and feel proud?

My husband, who is my filmmaker partner in crime, and I have a principle in life: When life serves you a giant, steaming plate of “Go F Yourself,” you can either cry or laugh it off. Our latest film is exactly that philosophy in action. We took the incredibly infuriating experience of having the down payment for our new house stolen via wire fraud and transformed it into a comedy revenge film.

It definitely wasn’t funny at first. It took time (and maybe a little bit of screaming into a dark void) before we could find humor in it, but once we did, the process became pure joy. We filled the movie with some of the most brilliantly unhinged comedic improvisors out there- Jaime Moyer, Rob Belushi, Adam Peacock, Brett Maline, and even brought in the master of joy himself, Richard Riehle. Filming with them meant we were laughing our asses off every single day.

The story could have easily leaned into being a dark crime drama, but that wasn’t the catharsis we wanted. We wanted to reclaim the narrative. We wanted to choose joy. And honestly? I’m proud of the version of myself who can not only laugh at my mistakes, but literally put them on a screen so the entire world can laugh with me. We all need to give ourselves permission to laugh – especially at ourselves. The combination of healing through humor has been revolutionary.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Emily Zercher and I am a producer as well as a model booker for high end events in Los Angeles. Just as Ken’s job is “beach”, my job is “chaos management” when it comes to film production as well as live events and award shows. I have a musical theater background, so I prefer to bring some “zhuzh” to the chaos whenever possible.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
There are a few moments that shaped me, but the one that continues to define how I see the world happened when my dad was in hospice with terminal cancer. I always say that you learn the most about living from those facing death – The minuscule nothing issues that bother us daily are no longer a problem and we face life with a confident certainty that we only wish we could have had during our time on this planet.
The one thing that stood out to me the most is a list of people that my dad had handwritten on a piece of folded up paper that he wanted to forgive before he passed. He called people, invited them over and would sit down with them and have open conversations. I was never present for those conversations, but I’d see his list each day and each day a new name crossed off and a new weight lifted off his shoulders.
That list taught me more than any lecture or life lesson ever could. It showed me that despite our disagreements or differences, sitting down with someone- truly talking, listening, and meeting them with honesty- is transformative. When you speak to someone as if it might be your last conversation, all that remains is humanity. And that humanity gives us a kind of weightless freedom.
We are social creatures – We need a tribe, we need to be accepted, we need to feel listened to and respected. Oftentimes, life moves too fast for us to indulge in those conversations; But, in the end, the connections we had on this planet are all that really matters.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
To my childhood self- Lean into the weird & relax…. You are who you are and that’s exactly what you need to be.
I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect and to appear a certain way. I also took life WAYYYY too seriously, even as a kid – In fact, I still do. I wrote contracts for myself in elementary school, I requested extra work just to prove that I could do it before everyone was done with their normal amounts of work… I wasn’t given anything special to do it, I just wanted to do things like that to prove it to myself, but it was completely unnecessary. I still do that. My friends joke that I endured 34 hours of insanely painful, unmedicated contractions during the birth of my daughter simply because I wanted to be able to prove it to myself… And to be able to use that as a pedestal of power for the future me that may doubt herself. They’re kind of right. Don’t get me wrong – I am not saying that that is a healthy way to do things, but it’s a constant for me that shows up during challenges in my life and I am conscious of it.

And to my younger self from just one week ago – Thank you. You’re exactly where you need to be. Anything that comes your way, you can handle.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies in this industry is that the people are difficult. The truth is, the industry is difficult… Most of us are just dreamers who’ve been toughened by an environment where hard work doesn’t always pay off – success is subjective, and there’s no finish line, just the next project, the next hurdle….
That all being said, this industry is a heart monitor – It’s up, it’s down… and oftentimes, you feel like you’re flatlining, but a few quick electric shocks to the heart and you’re right back in the game again. You will feel your highest of highs and lowest of lows and have to learn how to maintain a harmonious balance between the two. It’s going to feel impossible at times, but that’s where the shock to the heart is needed and no one brings that heartbeat more than artists and collaborators in this industry.

People aren’t the problem… They’re navigating the impossible and the ones who truly love creating will always push through the noise.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Doubting myself. Placing oneself into a box of pseudo rules and self doubt is the quickest way to remain exactly where you are. We are told that we have to adhere to rules, and yes, it is part of being a member of a functioning society, but when it comes to our personal goals? Rules are optional.

My favorite awards speech that I had the honor of hearing in person was from Alex Borstein at the 2019 Emmys and it’s become a sort of mantra for me:
“I want to dedicate this to the strength of a woman — My grandmother turned to a guard – she was in line to be shot into a pit – and she said, “What happens if I step out of line?” And he said, “I don’t have the heart to shoot you but somebody will.” And she stepped out of line, and for that I am here, and for that my children are here. So step out of line, ladies. Step out of line!”

I know that story is far deeper than everyday self-doubt, but the message is universal: Trust your instincts, silence the fear, and step out of line. We’d all get so much further if we did.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9162463/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerchinator/?hl=en

Image Credits
Getty: Araya Doheny
Zachary Dix
Enrico Dall
Johnny Call
Bill Ostroff- First Glance Films