But Now What

Flipping the Script: Two Dynamic Women Take Power into
Their Own Hands Within the Independent Film Industry

Lights, Camera, Action!!! The film, television, and music video industries have copious amounts of women being captured on the silver screen but a large disparity exists in the number of women doing the work behind the lens. Dani Faith Leonard and Alex Cirillo are two young women who felt that there just were not enough resources to help people with a desire to get into the independent film industry, particularly women. Their company, Industry Power Play, was started with the hopes of aiding individuals, particularly women, to network and make the connections necessary to be successful within the indie film industry. After talking with these two industry innovators, ButNowWhat.com learned more about this amazing company, how you can benefit from what Industry Power Play is offering, and if the two women running the company ever thought they would be doing something like this.

As an actress and aspiring film professional, Dani Faith Leonard found herself in search of events to attend to meet independent film professionals and other people interested in the industry but kept coming up short. In June 2008, she decided to fill the obvious need for such events through the company Industry Power Play. Alex Cirillo, who finished undergrad in 2008 and had done work as a Production Assistant, joined on to help with getting the company off the ground. On the company’s website, www.industrypowerplay.com, the stated mission is “to connect the independent film community of NYC so that we can easily fulfill our artistic aspirations”. By throwing events intended for audiences composed of successful professionals and people of any age who are eager to network in the industry, Industry Power Play hopes “to provide a comfortable environment in which artists can bring their skills and gifts to the attention of other professionals in their field… to spark collaborations and inspire like-minded artists to produce great work”. Dani and Alex are also looking to attract people who can provide services to film markers. This means that they want to get all you marketing, public relations, editing, web design, and music folks involved as well! “Creative minded people, who think outside of the box”, these are the type of people you will find at Industry Power Play events. Might you be interested in attending an event? There is a wide array to choose from.

Dani and Alex started off by throwing smaller networking events, such as Speed Networking for Film Professionals. Now they have expanded into not only having those smaller networking events on a regular basis, but hosting larger events for crowds of up to 100 people. They host short film nights and film competitions. They have included events which incorporate life coaching and help people to learn to be better at what they are doing. Their “Meet & Eat” events offer the chance to dine and network as they listen to a professional from the industry discuss how they made it and give tips on working in the industry. Industry Power Play also started comedy and music video screening nights, where audience members get to view original products and choose their favorite. The winner of the event is then featured on the Industry Power Play website. By simply going to industrypowerplay.com, you can click onto the calendar of events on the home page and find out when and where Industry Power Play’s events are happening and how you can get in the mix!

Of course, one of the main things we wanted to know at ButNowWhat.com was whether or not Dani and Alex had envisioned themselves running a company like Industry Power Play. Dani said that she thought “just acting would be enough” and didn’t envision herself ever writing or doing anything like what she started with Industry Power Play. But she said “the more well rounded you are, the more opportunities you give yourself”. She is glad to have started Industry Power Play, but her career has not gone at all how she pictured it initially. Currently, Dani writes and performs within the film industry, in addition to running Industry Power Play. Alex, who as mentioned graduated from Loyola College in Maryland in 2008, said that she “didn’t know how important networking was for business”. Dani’s events have helped Alex to realize the crucial role networking plays in career development and how she, and others like her can benefit from it. Alex currently works as an Office Manager for Washington Square Arts and Films. She says that she enjoys “being the one who chooses the events” in regards to her role with Industry Power Play.

Industry Power Play has some very exciting things to look out for in the next few months. They have gone through a complete rebranding in order to be more appealing to creative individuals. As part of their new branding, featuring colorful film reels, individuals who attend their film events and collect three buttons, each of a different color, get to attend an event for free. Also, if you attend an event and bring two people with you, your entrance fee is waived. Generally, smaller events run between $10-20, with tickets half-price if purchased online. Events like the Meet & Eat, cost a bit more, ranging from $25-30. Another cool venture Industry Power Play is taking on is the start of a blog-zine called “Big Vision, Empty Wallet”. Through this online magazine for the independent film community, they hope to feature film reviews, upcoming events, advice from professionals, current events in film, and blogs. “Big Vision, Empty Wallet” has got to “have some attitude” and not feature things which are “stiff, formal, or uptight” according to both Alex and Dani. After having attended one of their music video competitions, I can truly say that what Dani and Alex are offering through Industry Power Play will help to change the nature of what is out there for us to watch. ButNowWhat.com is pleased to know two young people who chose to flip the script and change the independent film industry for the better.