Sydney Welsh of Los Angeles on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Sydney Welsh and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sydney, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I am currently writing a very personal, emotionally strenuous feature film that my team is anxiously waiting to get their hands on. Aside from pressure from my team to write our next feature film, it also feels like I’m being called to write this by my younger self, who needed to see these strong emotions justified in media.

The script itself deals with a lot of memories and emotions I tend to steer clear of in a quest to maintain my happy-go-lucky demeanor. As someone who is no stranger to my scripts coming from very real places and personal emotions, it’s been odd to me just how difficult this script has been to write. I suppose, as an artist, this script in particular feels like I’ll be laying my wounded heart out for all the world to judge.

As an artist unashamed to share my opinions and fun ideas through writing, with this particular script, I am forcing myself to do something I have always been afraid of. I’m forcing myself to truly open up to people. As an emotionally guarded person, I’m writing what may end up being the most vulnerable film I ever create. Why would I do something like that? Because I figure if I need to write it, somebody needs to see it.

They say to do the thing you’re most afraid of, and so far, that has been a very freeing experience not only as an artist but also as a human.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sydney Welsh, and I am the owner of Death Rae Productions. An independent film production company that specializes in creating low-budget indie films in both short and feature formats. Known for the feature film “Summa Cum Loser” (2024) and the short films “Wastoids” (2025) and “My Heart is Your Heart” (2023).

As a filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter, I started the company so that myself and my fellow young creatives could have more control over the projects we were making. As well as allowing many of us to break into department head roles that were previously out of reach.

Since I was a kid, I wanted to make movies and tell stories, and now I’ve created a place where I can do just that. We produce films of many genres, but mostly with women at the front and center of our stories. We are currently working very hard on some top-secret projects. In the meantime, you can find our finished projects at deathraeproductions.com.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I have always been a chronic people pleaser, and it really has not done me many favors in life. I am working very hard to unlearn and release this behavior because, at times, it has proven unhelpful to me and my career. I will, however, say that it did in fact serve its purpose.

Through my people pleasing, I have learned the very valuable lesson that every person has their limits, and you have to know when to walk away. But also, you have to listen when your gut tells you to walk away. I’m a highly sensitive person who never wants to tell anyone no or hurt their feelings. When I started my career, this came in handy as I developed a reputation for being a hardworking producer and assistant director who didn’t have the word no in her vocabulary. This led to me getting work but also being overworked, underpaid, and it did not do wonders for my mental health.

As I started my own business, I carried this people-pleasing behavior into the early days of my company. Somehow caring more about what people thought of me than what I thought of them. In any industry, but particularly this one, some people will see that as an opportunity to take advantage, and that’s when I learned that this behavior of mine needed to be released.

The people pleasing wasn’t doing me any favors, but it also wasn’t doing anyone else favors. Being genuinely yourself is what’s going to make you and your business grow, and being a people pleaser isn’t genuine.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it would be “Don’t let them dim your light. You’re a bright light of energy and ideas, and that’s your superpower. Who cares what anyone thinks, just go on being you.” It’s something I think a lot of brilliantly beautiful, genuine little girls need to hear because society really does like to tear us down.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that in order to feel successful I had to adhere to the industry and societal definition of the word success. However, I now believe that we all can decide what our own personal success looks like because it is different to everyone.

The belief that success looks like one thing (ie. successful in business) but if that’s the case why are so many rich people so unhappy. Success can mean so many different things to so many different people. So, now I truly believe that we as individuals have to come up with our own definition for personal success and understand that it’s ever changing as we grow and learn.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I truly believe that I am doing what I was born to do! I have never been any good at doing what I am told to do. In fact, telling me to do something is a sure-fire way to get me not to do something. Call me stubborn, but it has done well for me in life.

I feel like I was born to make my art and do it my way, and that’s honestly the whole reason I started the business. I wanted control over my films, and sometimes doing it yourself is really tough, but that’s what makes it so fulfilling. I’m figuring it out as I go along the way, and at the end of the day, I get to be proud of myself because I did it the way I wanted to with my morals backing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deathraeproductions.com/
• Instagram: deathraeproductions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-welsh-6a83551b3/
• Youtube: @deathraeproductions