Alison Rich

Imposter

What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
In 2022 I directed both an independent short that premiered at The Sundance Film Festival called Training Wheels, and I was also commissioned to direct a branded digital series for a tech company called Continuous Improvement. I offer both just depending on how you define the term professionally.

I independently directed Training Wheels and was not paid for it, but it’s what led me to getting commercial representation at Imposter and was viewed widely, starting with its premiere at Sundance.

Continuous Improvement was my first professional directing gig in the sense that I got it through my commercial representation at Imposter, and I was paid for it. I wrote and directed a four part short form branded digital series for the tech company Gainsight. It was my first time working with a client where I had to make sure I was delivering what they wanted, while also sharing my expertise on the funniest, sharpest way to deliver their vision. It was a fabulous experience and has informed much of my subsequent directing work.

How did you get into directing?
I came to directing from comedy writing and acting. I’ve worked professionally for over a decade as an actor and writer. I’ve written on TV shows including Saturday Night Live and ABCs The Goldbergs. And I’ve acted in various tv shows and movies including 2 Broke Girls, The Goldbergs, Drunk History, The Other Two and more. I started directing because I knew I wanted to create my own movies and tv shows, so I figured I should grow in my understanding of filmmaking. I did not initially think I’d want to become a director. Rather I thought I’d learn more about directing, so I could hire directors for future projects, but once I started directing, I knew it was meant to be a major part of my career.

I love the process of bringing a script to life. I love the collaboration and think my natural talents lend themselves really well to directing. I’m a strong communicator. I have a clear internal sense of the sorts of emotions and/or laughs I’m trying to get from a moment. Since I’ve worked as an actor, I know how to elicit awesome, fresh performances out of actors. And since I’ve worked as a writer, I understand the mechanics and considerations of storytelling on a deep level.

What is your most recent project?
I recently directed multiple social media spots for a national Metro PCS campaign called Nada Yada Island. It was the second iteration of a campaign spoofing reality shows like Love Island and Love is Blind, featuring beloved reality stars of the last several years. The directors for the main unit tv spots were seasoned comedy veterans Nathan Fielder, Jason Woliner, and Ana Fabrega. It was an absolute thrill to support their vision through the social media spots.

What is the best part of being a director?
Oh man I love so many aspects of directing. It’s hard to choose one. I just love the feeling of bringing a project to life. I love being on set. I love taking something that started out as an idea on paper and turning it into a concrete final project through collaboration with multiple brilliant minds.

If I had to highlight one aspect, I’d say I find particular joy in working through the edit with my editor. It feels truly collaborative because my editor and I bring different skills to the table, but we’re working toward a common goal and respect each other’s perspectives so much. The edit process to me feels like solving a mystery or putting together a puzzle. It totally thrills me.

What is the worst part of being a director?
There really isn’t much I dislike about directing. I find it all really enjoyable. If I had to name something it might be the long hours, but there’s also something really gratifying about putting in a long days work!

What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, television, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre–comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
My current career focus is comedic filmmaking and for me that breaks down into two components. The first component is continuing to grow as commercial director specializing in comedy. The second component is bringing my own independent comedic projects to life.

In terms of genre, my focus will always be comedy and beyond that I tend to gravitate toward projects focused on women’s issues. This year I directed a four part campaign for a women’s wellness brand called Arrae and it was an absolute delight. The campaign focused on women’s vaginal health which is something I’ve struggled with. And it felt so good to present this product in a hilarious and relatable way, especially considering for many women the subject comes with a lot of shame and embarrassment. I feel particularly passionate about directing commercial work for women’s products because I think women are deeply affected by the message we receive through advertising and I’d like to help make sure the messages we send women are positive and inspiring.<

Have you a mentor and if so, who is that person (or persons) and what has been the lesson learned from that mentoring which resonates with you?
I haven’t had a single mentor, but I’ve been lucky to foster relationships with multiple people who are farther along in their careers who I go to for advice and guidance. That includes more experienced filmmakers as well as my EPs at Imposter. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned from them is the only way to grow as an artist is to just make more stuff. Don’t worry too much about how skilled you are at this very moment. Just keep working on growing and don’t judge yourself too harshly along the way. And then inevitably you will grow, and it’s exciting to see how far your growth can go.

Who is your favorite director and why?
This is a tough question, but one name that comes to mind is Yorgos Lanthimos. I haven’t loved all of his films, but I really loved his movie Poor Things. The visuals were absolutely incredible. The performances were fresh, moving, and fearless. The world he created was so delightful. And Emma Stone’s character Bella Baxter was so raw, charming, and hilarious. I also enjoyed his films The Favourite and The Lobster. I love how he puts forward these very odd worlds but uses them to explore really relatable characters, relationships, and emotions. I aspire to create similarly eccentric worlds while inhabiting them with honest portrayals of humanity.

What is your favorite movie? Your favorite television/online program? Your favorite commercial or branded content? (Response may be up to 1250 characters)
I find my favorite movie varies every few years as I enter different phases of my life. What I can say is my favorite movie of the year so far is The Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat. I loved this movie for so many reasons. First, I just really resonated with the subject matter – the way in which women can feel disposable as they age. As an actress, writer, and director in comedy in her 30s, I often feel like I’m running out of time, when for many of my male peers, they feel like they’re just getting started. Secondly, I loved the film because I just really clicked with the tone and visual style. I loved the campiness. I loved the juxtaposition of comedy and horror. I loved the inventive shots. They felt fresh without distracting from the story. I loved that the script was a bit sparse because it left time and space for these really evocative images. The whole film was just stunning, hilarious, and had me thoroughly engaged from start to finish.

Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
I’m from Long Island. I came up in the New York comedy scene at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater where I trained in improv and sketch writing. From there, I started creating my own work and booking professional acting and writing jobs. My first writing job was for Billy Eichner’s frenetic man on the street show, Billy on the Street. Then I was cast in the CBS Diversity showcase which took me out to LA. I went on to book multiple commercials as an actor. I did campaigns for brands like Nickelodeon and Red Robin. I booked my first series regular role as a cast member for a Hulu show called Resident Advisors. Then I was flown out to test for Saturday Night Live and ended up being added to the writing staff. While at SNL I met Andy Samberg who cast me in Party Over Here, an all female sketch show, that unfortunately only lasted one season on Fox. After Party Over Here I continued to develop my own work while simultaneously getting hired as a recurring character on ABCs The Goldbergs. I then went on to join the writing staff of The Goldbergs and was part of the show for several seasons. After The Goldbergs I jumped into directing and made three shorts, the first premiering at SXSW, and the other two premiering at Sundance.

Have you had occasion to bring your storytelling/directorial talent to bear in the Metaverse, tapping into the potential of AR, VR, AI, NFTs and/or experiential fare? If so, tell us about that work and what lessons you have taken away from the experience?
I haven’t had the opportunity to do too much with these new technologies though I have had a bit of experience with AI. On my second Sundance short Pathological, my colorist used AI to fix some lighting issues in certain scenes. I was really impressed with the result and while I, like many creatives, have misgivings about AI, I’m also excited for how it can help young filmmakers bring their stories to life on a budget. I’ve also had a bit of experience seeing how AI can be used for pre-visualization work. The fact that there are programs like Midjourney that allow you to input prompts for a certain image you have in your mind and it can produce something pretty decent is inarguably impressive. I worry about the jobs that these programs will take from creatives, but I’m also excited for how these programs will help artists more clearly communicate their vision.

Contact

Avtar Khalsa, avtar@imposter.tv, at Imposter @ https://imposter.tv