Monica Brady

Unaffiliated

1) What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
My first professionally directed work would be my feature film Above All Things shot last June 2016…still finishing it up!! Very excited for the final finished product.

2) How did you get into directing?
I got into directing via writing. I wrote things that I wanted to see on screen, stories I wanted told. Whilst writing, you live in the world you are creating for so long that you just want to bring it to life … which lead me to directing.

3) What is your most recent project?
My most recent directing project is a full length feature film Above All Things. We are just finishing up the final sound mix this week.

4) What is the best part of being a director?
The best part of being a director is telling stories and working with a team to tell that story. I like working with actors as they bring characters to life in unpredictable ways! Also all the changing technology is amazing! We can do so much now with available equipment.

5) What is the worst part of being a director?
Is there a worst part? I love it all even the stress and struggles. Maybe that is the worst part, the stress is difficult at times but it is so rewarding it outweighs all the stress!

6) What is your current career focus: commercials & branded content, TV, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre—comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
My career focus is on movies and TV. We are in the golden age of story telling on all the screens (big and small) and i am excited to be a part of that. Genres that excite me are dramas, documentaries, and huge VFX movies like I want to direct the Fast and Furious Part 10. Yes, I am very serious!

7) 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?
My mentors, that I met through my first film, are Summer Crockett-Moore and Tony Glazer. They are a husband and wife dynamic duo that took me under their wing and I am eternally grateful for that. I learned from the two of them that you work with what you have and make that work … and you keep moving forward … ever forward .. and hang on!

8) Who is your favorite director and why?
Danny Boyle is my favorite director because he directs so WELL in ALL genres and is willing to take chances. From Trainspotting to 127 Hours to Millions to SlumDog Millionaire all the way to Sunshine—he just has so much fun with film and stories. Who saw the 3rd act Sun Zombie coming in Sunshine on the Icarus 2? I didn’t! And the Icarus 2 – great title for a spaceship flying towards the sun!

9) What is your favorite movie? Your favorite television/online program? Your favorite commercial or branded content?
There are too many movies to have a favorite!

A few of my favorite TV shows are Game of Thrones, The Wire followed by Battlestar Gallactica (the newer one). Great characters, great story arcs. My favorite form of branded content are movie trailers one of my favorites being The Social Network and another one being Fury. I can watch them over and over. I have an odd favorite commercial—it was a Volkswagen commercial called “The Big Day” from several years ago; it had a twist at the end that I always loved … we thought it was a groom trying to get to his own wedding but then when he gets to the church we see that he is there to stop the wedding and that “she” (possibly the love of his life) is marrying someone else but the car that brought him there was a VW Jetta. Amen!

10) Tell us about your background (i.e. where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
I grew up all over the Eastern Seaboard but I knew at an early age that I would live in NYC for the rest of my life. My family roots are deep here in New York State. I have worked on many different types of jobs but my favorite one is doing the Golden Trailer Awards which is the Oscars for Motion picture trailers in May/June of each year! Trailers Rule as they are mini-art forms unto themselves a mix of mini-movie and commercial!

Contact

Monica Brady
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