Meet julia pitch | Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with julia pitch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi julia, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Hey! My name is Julia. I am a freelance Director and DP who within the past year has moved from New York to Los Angeles.

I think the most important decision I have made is threefold; to stay curious, to not let fear control me, and to use empathy in my leadership.

As an artist, I have to stay curious to sustain my practice, I am always learning. Frequently, I enroll in classes in order to exchange creative ideas in a formal setting or pick up skill sets in disciplines different from my own.External to that I also go on walks, read, or meditate in an effort to explore my own thoughts. Not only does this trigger new ideas, it’s always a bit humbling to be a beginner in something—the beauty of beginnings is that it forces you to be present and to approach something without preconceived ideas.

When you do something new, you never know how it’s going to turn out- which brings me to my second point: not allowing fear to control you. The way I see it, being afraid, usually means being nervous about an outcome—fear of the unknown. What I have learned is that you have to surrender to the knowledge that in life- there is so much you cannot control, and the best way to move forward is to keep trying, keep doing, keep making—and instead turn your focus towards enjoying the process. With diligence and practice, the hard stuff gets easier.

Sensitivity might be stigmatized but it’s a really necessary part of being an artist— and the truth is I am sensitive. However, I learned early on how to use empathy in a way that helps me be an effective leader. For example, being a good listener on set allows me to consider other people’s perspectives, in order to synthesize them in a way that generates harmony within a crew.

I truly believe that when people feel seen and heard they are inspired to create. As the director I am the arbiter of an innovative environment, and thus it’s my responsibility to make sure that people have space to not only work, but also feel that they are thriving in their work. If you enjoy what you’re doing, it will contribute to a fulfilling life.

For these reasons, I have a lot of appreciation for the people I spend my time and choose to collaborate with. Gratitude for the present moment and the people in it, helps make risk-taking enjoyable and being a director all the more satisfying.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what makes my work style different, is not necessarily the final product, but the process. I have spent many years practicing fine art, and I try to be “hands on” during developing stages. I am constantly creating collages on cork boards to story map ideas out, sketching in notebooks or making abstract art just to loosen up my ideas prior to writing. I probably sit in atleast four different chairs per work day– I move around constantly. I’m not sure if this is a direct relation- but I my need for new perspectives and motion can be seen in my video work, which has a stylistically focus on camera movement and dynamic transitions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Although this plan requires some back-tracking driving wise: I would definitely start our morning with a nice hike, maybe Elaysian Trail because that is close to me. Botanica for some post-hike coffee. I absolutely love going to the Flower District downtown— I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s just blocks and blocks of flower and plant shops for affordable prices. Even if you don’t buy anything it is still fun to walk around. If it were a weekend, I would find a flea market like Los Feliz Flea or the Rose bowl to go to. I love going to some of LA’s independent theaters, so would try to find a comedy show or go to Cinespia.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would definitely give a shout out to Stacy Scripter. I met her when I worked at the video department at Refinery29. She demonstrated how important it is to think 5 steps ahead with every decision. She taught that being a strong leader means not only fighting to stick to your principles and to make great work, but also sticking up for your team. She was constantly trying to improve working conditions to be more accommodating to foster growth. She took the time out of her busy schedule to not only be a mentor to me, but to dozens of other employees as well. It’s important to pass the torch. Stacy has since left Refinery29, and has brought her work ethic over to the House of Non Fiction, a Documentary Production house.

Website: www.juliapitch@gmail.com

Instagram: pitch__please

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Manuel Caballero