Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Baer.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career as an actress, but fate turned me into a director/producer. I was 14 years old when I began classes at the Boston’s Children’s Theater and acted in over two dozen plays before being Taft-Hart lied into the Screen Actors Guild on my 21st birthday. That milestone goal triggered my move west.
My “big plan” was to relocate to Los Angeles with enough money saved to be able to live for two years so that I could give an acting career my full attention. However, once I arrived in California and saw just how expensive it was and I took a job working weekends as a children’s birthday party entertainer. Hey, I was still performing, right? And I was even hobnobbing with industry people —sort of. But most importantly, it was the perfect job to keep my schedule open for auditions during the days. Three months into my children’s performer gig, I arrived a few minutes late to a fancy Beverly Hills party and was fired.
I didn’t know it then, but this was the pivotal moment that would eventually set my producing/directing career in motion. I placed an ad in the paper and began doing my own children’s parties. Within six months my little business grew exponentially. I hired more performers, expanded our services, and before long my company was one of the most successful children’s party providers in Los Angeles. But there was one small problem: This wasn’t what I wanted to be doing with my life. A few years later I sold my business and was planning to use that income to focus full-time on my acting career at long last!
Just then, fate stepped in. The 13-year-old girl I’d been mentoring in the Big Sisters of Los Angeles program ran away from home. I knew that Celeste had been writing a script called PURGATORY HOUSE which dealt with the topics of teen suicide and drug abuse.
Worried about her, and knowing first-hand that art can save lives, I told her that we would do something with her script if she came home. I figured that we could make it into a short film that she could star in. I read her story and was blown away. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen produced before. It was deeply philosophical, with strong, well-defined characters, and profound subtext.
Her story revealing the afterlife journey of a 14-year-old girl was introspective, powerful and enlightening. It was as if Celeste was speaking for a whole generation of kids who felt lost in the same way she did, depicting what it was like to be a teen in today’s media-saturated, disconnected world. I felt like after seeing this movie, an audience would walk away with a deeper understanding of the challenges that today’s teens face in a brand new way.
When I typed her words into a proper screenplay format it was about 50 pages long.
Being so close to feature length we brainstormed some ideas about what she could do to expand it, and before long it was 80 pages. That’s when I decided to use the money from the sale of my business to fund this project as a feature-length movie, instead of my acting career. It felt right.
I had a feeling that Celeste’s story needed to be told, and her voice had to be heard. And I was right! PURGATORY HOUSE screened at over 20 film festivals, won 12 festival awards, 2 Prism nominations and received rave reviews from various respected critics. It even appeared on several “best films of the year” lists before receiving the distribution with one of the largest home video companies in North America.
We had great experiences traveling all over the country with the movie, doing Q&A’s, and meeting new people. But the very best part was that feeling of making a positive difference in lives of other people. Receiving emails and messages from teens and parents from all across the nation was the biggest reward of all.
Now I mainly direct and produce projects, and occasionally I still go back to my roots with some acting.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The entertainment industry can be particularly challenging since you’re always trying to land the next job. It does not give one a great sense of security. You also make a lot of personal sacrifices. For example, my husband Matthew Irving is a cinematographer and we often have to spend months apart. It teaches you to be strong, resourceful and to build solid relationships.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Free Dream Pictures – what should we know?
My company Free Dream Pictures has helmed two critically acclaimed features and five shorts that have appeared collectively in over 80 film festivals, garnered 40 Festival Awards, 2 Prism Award Nominations and 8 year-end “Top Film” lists.
My most recent feature ODD BRODSKY is a quirky comedy about a woman who’ll do almost anything to find her big break in Hollywood that’s available now on VOD. You can find it on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, etc… Also, the tv pilot I directed called “Soci Circle” will have its premiere at Dances With Kidz on June 16th, and then be available online in the fall.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.freedreampictures.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cindysvision
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/oddbrodsky
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cindybaer
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046337/
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