Meet Paula Lauzon | Film Director

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

Hi Paula, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I’d thought about having my own business for so many years but didn’t know where I fit or how to go about doing this. I feel that my many decades in various arenas that I’d worked in, helped me decide this later in my life and I’m actually glad it happened this way.

It was actually the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and work as an actor and production in general was quickly slowing down. I feel that because of my background in Administration and Business Development, I thought I’d utilise the downtime to think about what I REALLY want to do with the remainder of my career in the Industry and how it would benefit not only myself but everyone else; I decided to open my film production company. Story writing for me is challenging and I knew that there were LOTS of stories that needed to be told. So I put out an ad on Social Media asking people for scripts. My inbox is full but let me tell you, it’s the best choice that I made. The imaginations and factual stories that need to be told are amazing.

So I thought that I should use dedicate my production company to produce and of course Direct feature films, short films, documentaries, etc. I have been spending time collaborating with artists, filmmakers, screenwriters and other creatives from around the country to create these astonishing stories that I’ve been reading about.

My team’s creative approach for every production is a dynamic collaboration in visual storytelling. Each project consists of treatment (script), and when finalized, we use this document as a blueprint to begin the detailed pre-production process. We focus on crucial project elements such as set design, lighting, makeup, wardrobe, music and overall dynamic visual style. We work extremely hard in pre-development, obsessing over these details and we ensure that we’re 100% ready to execute the concept for our film as well as the films that we’re hired to direct and produce.

HarLau Productions’ mission statement is to develop, direct and produce Feature Films and Short Films, including Documentaries, that deal in various genres. This is done by purchasing screenplays from writers around the country and the globe. I have found that writers are very good at their craft and my intention has always been to have their stories told. We want our films to be viewed by mass market global audiences and to return profits to the film’s investors and all its profit participants. We have been working on films that not only offer entertainment to the viewing audience but that also have a purposeful mission.

As well, I have more screenplays in the pipeline with development funding. I’m enjoying my time keeping busy with advancement of screenplays and script reading to make my selections appropriately that align with my production company’s mission.

I have also been fortunate enough to have private investors in my projects, that believe in me as well as my mission statement.

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.

That’s an excellent question. I feel that my dedication to my craft along with the quality of my work is what sets me apart from other company’s. This is actually true for my entire Core Team at HarLau Productions. We take great pride in our work; the projects that we take on. For us it definitely is about quality not quantity.

As far as the road to the here and now? Actually, no, it hasn’t been easy. There is a LOT of personal stuff that had contributed to me being where I am today.

I’m unsure whether coming from the background I had, had anything to do with it, but, making the choices, smart or not, over the years, and many weren’t, set me up, in both my Professional and Personal life, to have a thick skin in this Industry. ‘Can’t’, ‘no’, ‘you’ll never amount to anything’, and, ‘who do you think you are, special?’, are not in my vocabulary. I have learned and earned, knowing my worth, perseverance, determination and more specifically, accepting and loving who I am as a middle-aged woman in this Industry.

What I’m most proud of is the fact that I’m a mother first to my son, Jacob, who’ll be twenty-six (26) in August. He’s my heart with arms and legs on it. He’s the reason that I am the woman that I am today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I feel that because I’m still relatively new to the region (NC), I’m still learning about this wonderful state. BarBQue is the end all to be all in this state. And there is not one place that you can go here, without it being THE best place to have it. I like to try all the different places. Breweries are growing strong here as well as the wineries. Smaller food fare places and coffee shops are also a hit.

The lakes, trails and waterfalls here along with the wonderful history is a must-see and of course, my favourite, the beaches of the Atlantic. North Carolina has THE best beaches that I’ve seen so far on the East Coast and I’m from New England so that’s saying a LOT.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Well, first and foremost, my son is my number one fan, (he’ll be twenty-six (26) in August), and when it came time to ‘making the leap’ to LA, he held my face in his hands and told me that I needed to do me and ‘go big or go home’. He has been my avid cheerleader over the years as well as my voice of reason. In the early stage of my career, I would run all types of projects by him that I’d been offered. I can remember at one point there was a reality show on the table. He told me not to do it and that if I did that it’d make my career go sideways. It’s funny now but at the time he was serious. He’s such an old soul and I absolutely love him.

Someone that has helped me over the last eleven (11) years, which feels like I’ve known him all my life is a gentleman by the name of Stan Forczek; Stan is now a CEO/Consultant; Advocate, Speaker and Advisory Board Chair for the National Infrastructure Bank Legislation. We met through LinkedIn when I was in the Energy and Utilities Industry in September, 2009, after I’d asked a question in a forum on the platform; he called me to answer my question and since then, we’ve maintained a strong business relationship but more-so an extremely invaluable friendship. He has offered me guidance on many, many projects over the years as well as how to handle myself as a businesswoman and grow in the Corporate Sector. While he always tells me I’m his hero I feel that it’s his ability to convey a message to myself on the ins and outs of Corporate life that I have been able to succeed in the Entertainment Industry. I feel that he has been a great mentor to me, and I feel that he is an asset no matter where he is in his career.

Another individual that I would like to thank is Mr. Steve Blackwood. For eleven (11) years, Steve played the role of ‘Bart Beiderbecke’ on ‘Days of Our Lives’. He was Stefano DeMera’s henchman. Steve was a key figure at a time in my life where I was working through a staffing agency barely making ends meet. I would scrape together money that I may have had, in order to take his classes each week or when I could and drive an hour to an hour and a half sometimes to take his Acting Classes either west of or north of Boston. (he held his classes in two (2) different locations at the time). I was terrified to be in his presence, in his class amidst creatives that knew way more than what I felt was more than I did but Steve as well as my classmates cheered me on. This man truly believed in me and told me after close to a year of taking his classes that there was no more that he could teach me that I didn’t already know. He said that I needed to go to LA and start working as an actor. He and a good friend of his, Teresa Spaulding who was also studying with him and is a terrific actor told me I was ready, and it was time. I was floored and couldn’t believe it. I went home that night and planned what I needed to do and executed it in less than five (5) months. It happened that fast. I secured a talent agent and left the following April 2015. I didn’t know where I was going to live or what job I would have but I knew that I needed to go. I had never felt calmer about making decisions and smart choices in my life except for having my son than being able to take Steve’s advice and making a decision that changed my life as well as my son’s life.

Another individual I’d like to offer a special thank you to is Brionne Davis-Davel. He is an actor, a well-regarded acting teacher and is a dear friend and mentor in my life. He teaches a Cold-Read class on Saturdays at the Anthony Gilardi Acting Studio. Brionne saw something in me and believed in me when I was a student in his class. While I had a difficult time coming up with money for his classes as well, he always found a way to assist me in allowing me me to explore the craft of acting. I have SO much more to learn about it.  He has always offered great feedback in his classes. He serves as a mentor and teacher in his community and he is committed to his students in the work that he puts into his classes and private sessions. He was and still is a huge influence in my life.

There have also been many very close friends of mine, since I arrived in Hollywood in 2015 where I needed to put my pride aside and ask for help in certain aspects of my career as well as my personal life. Without these individuals who I can’t name but they know who they are, I can tell you I would be sleeping in a van down by the river. I feel that I have come such a long way in a short amount of time and am extremely happy with what I’ve accomplished and what I will be achieving in the very near future.

Website: https://www.harlauproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_harlau_productions/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harlau-productions/?viewAsMember=true

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauzonPaula

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarLauProductions313/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg29XD0Jo3aKXytMNFY8h1A

Other: https://www.facebook.com/paulalauzon2015/

Image Credits
Some photo images courtesy of @NykolasZollbrecht on the set of ‘Love and Lust’