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

Hi Lydia, how do you think about risk?
I am a fearless, resilient risk-taker who is passionate about wellness and techniques for optimizing health and learning. Loving what you do and getting paid for your unique talent is the greatest gift and ultimate goal for any entrepreneur. Risk-taking and fearlessly believing in yourself are the two most important character traits to achieve that success. I have had many different careers throughout my life that are completely unrelated at first glance. Many people have criticized me along the way for being flaky, inconsistent, and lacking follow-through with each chosen pivot. That could not be further from the truth and is based on jealousy and a limited mindset. Pivoting is risky and in that process, I both what I loved to do and where I was naturally gifted. Any discovery process is non-linear and messy. It is only through failure and challenge that we gain a fresh perspective to become the greatest version of ourselves. The trickiest part is knowing when to take the risk and when to hold a steady course. What works for me is to listen carefully to my intuition and align that with my personal goals.

My life experience and unusual career path has given me exactly what I need to lead and inspire artists on their wellness journey. I understand the artistic temperament because I have lived with artists and filmmakers my entire life. In my opinion, there is no one more exciting or challenging. They have the potential to be creative, adventurous, positive, exuberant, fit, funny and soulful when at their best version of themselves telling stories and creating a body of work that is timeless. Or, they can be the most negative, depressed, unhealthy, irritable, awful, burned out, scarce, energy-sucking people who are not fit to live with. Focusing on wellness and putting in the work makes that positive shift to your greatest self-expression which leads to consistent work and career longevity.

In the process of creating a wellness program, the risk for me is the belief that filmmakers and artists want to be the best versions of themselves and are genuinely committed to learning about mindset, energy, leadership, meditation, fitness and food as the fuel that impacts their overall health with a huge ripple effect to career longevity. The reward is challenging myself to learn new skills such as Reiki and draw upon all of my past experience as a nurse, life coach, caretaker, businesswoman, podcaster and CEO.

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.
The Hurlbut Academy began as Hurlbut Visuals in 2009 and was founded by my husband, Shane Hurlbut, ASC, and I to educate and inspire filmmakers of all skill levels. At its core, The Hurlbut Academy is a networking hub and educational platform for all things filmmaking. Created by filmmakers for filmmakers, with mentors and masterclass courses to not only equip members with the knowledge they need to thrive in the industry but also packs in the nuances of the trade with useful tips and relevant terminology. It is a resource where filmmakers can come to learn, meet like-minded creatives, and grow as both individuals and a community. We started out on this journey when began HA to share what took Shane, a very skilled Cinematographer, 20 years of trial and error to learn on his own through his many years of experience as a filmmaker. We wanted to share his pioneering spirit for new cutting-edge technologies, and his theoretical and practical knowledge on both commercial and feature films. The Hurlbut Academy lessons contain field-tested knowledge and innovation from features that catapult the career of a filmmaker by laser focusing them on what they need to know to succeed. The videos save both time and money as trial and error have been removed through experience. Through the ongoing creation of original content, HA is backed by a highly experienced team to test new products and experiment with innovative techniques which they share with the academy members in articles that are both engaging and informative. The ultimate goal is to ignite the passion and dreams of artists and filmmakers.  In 2021, a business restructure will see me (Lydia) entering a more visual role as CEO of the Academy. With a master’s degree in forensic nursing and a wealth of experience in personal coaching, I am passionate about wellness and techniques for optimizing health and learning. With this advancement as the CEO of the Hurlbut Academy (for filmmakers) comes an expansion of the business: We will have new professional content creators of diverse backgrounds and experiences are being hired and incorporating additional subjects focusing on other elements of the film industry including color correction and post-production flow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a huge museum fan, so I would have drinks at the Getty at sunset time, go to LACMA and the Broad Museum, Drive to Malibu and eat at Nobu or Paradise Cove. I would drive to Santa Barbara and eat at Arigato Sushi after wine tasting at a number of local wineries. Definitely a quick trip to Hollywood and a drink at the Hollywood Roosevelt. I would go to Griffith Park and visit the Observatory. Get Tickets to the Hollywood Bowl and tour the Walt Disney Concert Hall.Go to Cartier, Tiffany and the beautiful shops on Rodeo Drive and see the beautiful mansions in Beverly Hills. Stop by The Grove and go through the Farmer’s Market. Perhaps even stay one night in Pasadena at the Huntington Hotel. It is very traditional in many ways but hopefully fun for the guest:)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Shane Hurlbut, ASC, who has been by my side as we built everything just like a film family. And, to my father who raised me as a single dad and instilled in me that I could be anything, I was limitless; who we can also thank for suggesting that Shane and I work together to create The Hurlbut Academy all those years ago.

Kyra Hurlbut, actor and social media manager extraordinare. Aside from being my daughter and a key member of our team, I want to acknowledge what an inspiring young woman Kyra is. Every day she makes a difference in her community’s lives.
Director/cinematographer, Gabrielle Blackwood will be tutoring and mentoring at our academy soon. She is a lover of historicals and westerns. A foodie, retired bookworm, serenader, writer, music composer and passionate human interactor. She’s a tremendous director, colourist and cinematographer.
And I’d like to give a shout-out to director Ria Pavia, who is a wonderful director and acting coach. She’s performed in TV commercials, guest spots, and film roles, worked as a staff writer on Ask Harriet (starring Ed Asner) and Pauly (starring Pauly Shore) for FOX. Additionally, she’s scripted television pilots, features, plays and content for various digital platforms. She also directs for the stage, where she has helmed more than 20 plays and musicals. Ria has been a champion for diversity for years and I simply love her ethos.

Website: https://www.hurlbutacademy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hurlbutacademy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HurlbutAcademy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HurlbutAcademy/?ref=br_rs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HurlbutVisualsLA

Image Credits
Shane Hurlbut

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