Meet Sarah French | Actress and producer

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

Hi Sarah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I started in the entertainment industry in 2006 as an actress. Now, I didn’t start in big budget films or anything like that. I started in the no budget and ultra low budget films, mostly horror films because that’s what I love. I just wanted to immerse myself in the film world as much as I could to gain experience, to learn, and to grow. What better way to learn by diving right in and being right there where the action is. Looking at my older work you can definitely see the growth year after year. Not only with my acting but with bigger and better projects to go along with it. One thing people learn about me is, I never want to stay the same. I’m always learning and growing and elevating. I’m a very goal orientated and driven individual and I’m always pushing to be better, to do better. Since 2006, I’ve been in over 90 feature films, short films, commercials, and music videos. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota where there weren’t very many opportunities in the film and arts world, at least where I could pay the bills anyhow. My partner Joe is a screenwriter and we knew we had to make a huge change if we wanted to get anywhere, so we took the leap and moved across country to Los Angeles in 2015. Both of us being from small towns, change is hard, and this was a hard move to make and a struggle, but we knew if we wanted to progress, we needed to make this change.

One thing I learned while being in the meca of the entertainment world is, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. No one will do it for you. You have to put in the work, you have to push, you are the only one in control of your destiny. Los Angeles is a beast, there is no doubt about that. If you want to survive here, you need to have drive and the work ethic to push and move forward. But not only that, you need to surround yourself with the right people to help you along the way as well. A good support system is so important. People who want to see you succeed and for you all to succeed together. This business is built on relationships hands down.

With that being said, in 2022 I started a production company with my partners, screenwriter Joe Knetter and director Marcel Walz. Joe and I met on my very first film and we became great friends and eventually got together over the years. I met Marcel at a friend’s thanksgiving I think in 2017-ish, and he cast me in his project soon after called, “Rootwood”, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We all struck up a close friendship and created a film with some good friends called “Blind”, in 2019. We found producers that believed in us and our vision and I’m so grateful for them, because this is where all our journey started together and has led us to where we are today. We made a sequel to “Blind” soon after called “Pretty Boy”, which was presold by Lionsgate and should be releasing soon. In 2022 we learned so much along the way, we decided to take it up a notch and created our own company and here we are today! We completed our very first film in 2022 called “That’s a Wrap”, which is a horror/comedy giallo style slasher. We released the film in 2023 and the film did well on streaming and we had some great screenings in film festivals and won awards as well. We’re all big fans of the horror genre so those are the films we are focused on.

With the success of “That’s A Wrap”, we brought in a new investor that believed in us and wanted to be a part of our journey and our next film, “Garden of Eden”. That one we filmed and wrapped in the summer of 2023. That one is much different than our first one. Its a thriller/suspense and a very dark Christian horror film. We are in the process in finding it a good home for distribution and we want to do a really great film festival run with this one. We want to spread the word and get people talking, this is definitely a film fest kind of film.

While shooting “Garden of Eden” we had some new investors come visit set and they loved what they saw so much they wanted to be a part of the next film we did. Once GOE was wrapped, we were soon into preproduction on our next film. We just announced the new film and it’s called, “Brute 1976” and it’s brutal, it’s dirty, and completely different from the other films from us. It’s very much along the lines of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Hills Have Eyes”. We shot that towards the end of 2023 and it will be ready early 2024!

Our goal with each film we make is to bring something completely new and different to the table, to keep the audience guessing what we’ll do next. Along with upping the budgets and production value as well. Everything is in house, we have a slate of films we’re bringing to life along with producing, we have Marcel directing, Joe writing, and myself acting. Getting back to the question, this all goes back to being driven, putting in the work, never giving up, and having solid relationships. Its a must if you want to succeed in life and in the entertainment world. Nothing comes easy, this business is all about hard work and sacrifice, but we do it because we love it.

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’m an actress based out of Los Angeles, CA. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. Melrose is a farming city in the middle of Minnesota with a population, at the time I lived there, of about 2,500. We were surrounded by lakes, wildlife, farms, blue-collar hard-working families, and lots and lots of mosquitos! I feel very fortunate to have had grown up in Minnesota. It taught me many core values including work ethic, the value of a dollar, how important relationships are, being friendly and genuine is a good thing but don’t let others walk all over you. I grew up in a single parent household. My mom raised 2 little girls on her own. She taught us the life lessons of hard work and dedication. I also learned about struggle and to appreciate what I have. I wouldn’t change my upbringing for anything, because it’s made me who I am today. I am very strong willed and have always worked hard for what I want in life.

Strong work ethic has led me to where I am today. I started acting in 2006 and have been in over 90 feature films, tv shows, commercials and music videos, including starting a production company in 2022 with my wonderful partners Joe Knetter and Marcel Walz. I say this and I’ll always say this. When you’re on set, give it your all no matter the size of your role or character. Come prepared, have a smile on your face, show up on time, and don’t forget how lucky you are to be doing this in the first place. If you have a bad attitude, act like you’re better than everyone, are not prepared, etc. you WON’T get work again. You never know on set who is a future director, a future producer, a future anything. This is a big industry, but a small world and kindness and preparedness goes a long ways. I don’t have a manager or an agent, I never have. But each job has always led me to the next, and I will never take anything for granted. I treat everyone with respect, and we are all in this together as a team.

I’ve also learned over the years of working in this industry is, if you want something done you have to do it yourself. This is a very hard and competitive industry and its very important to surround yourself with people who are supportive and have similar passions and goals as yourself. People that will help you grow and you can work together as a team to succeed. That is something that is very important to me and that is why Joe, Marcel, and I started our production company together.

With acting I’m always learning new things, new tricks. I always want to improve with each film I do. I never want to stay the same. Being on set in front of the camera and behind really opened my eyes and it helped me to become better and better each day, with acting and producing. Never stop learning is the key and always find ways you can improve. My plan is to keep elevating with each project I do. When it comes to other projects, I’m very choosy with the roles I take and the projects I work on. It has to feel right and be something I can really sink my teeth into, the project has to be right for me. I’m always trying to push myself and think outside the box. Growing and elevating is something that is very important to me and being choosy with the roles I take on is key.

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?

Ooooooo great question! I am a nature girl through and through. So the first place I would take them is somewhere most people don’t think about when they visit LA. I would take them on some of my favorite hikes in Griffith Park and show them all the beauty LA has to offer, bring them up to the Observatory so they can get a GREAT view of Los Angeles and learn about the universe. While we’re over there eat at the cute little cafe at the bottom of the hill from the Observatory. Then since we’re over there take them to the original bat cave from Batman, its a few minutes from there!

Since I’m a huge horror fan, I would take my friends to all the horror filming locations in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. I would take them to the original Halloween locations starting in Hollywood down Orange Grove where Annie and Laurie were babysitting. Just about across the street from there is the Nightmare on Elm Street house on Genesee Ave. From there we would stop at TOI on sunset and grab some delicious Thai food. Then since we’re down there in Hollywood drive down sunset towards the Chateau Marmont and show them all the beautiful old buildings and sites. From there maybe head to the Rainbow Bar and Grill and indulge in their deliciously greasy pizza and chat about all the amazing bands and celebs that have graced that restaurant and of course give our love to Lemmy. From there keep heading on sunset towards Beverly Hills and make a stop at the Greystone Mansion. That is one of my favorite places to visit. That mansion is rich in movie history with “The Big Lebowski”, “Death Becomes Her’, “Witches of Eastwick”, “Ghostbusters 2”, and “Xmen” was shot there along with MANY other famous films. Not only is that awesome but the mansion is a park now and anyone can roam the property with the proper respect for the grounds. A beautiful place to visit. From there I would head to Beverly Hills and check out all the sites there and if you know a member of the famous Havana cigar bar where Arnold Schwarzenegger goes to socialize and smoke cigars, definitely check that place out! Great food, environment, and of course wonderful cigars.

Another day I would take friends to Malibu and show them the beautiful ocean and surrounding sites. Malibu is one of my favorite places to visit, especially El Matador beach. It has a lovely beach and lots of big rocks to take beautiful photos of. While we’re there I’d head to Paradise Cove Beach cafe and indulge in their delicious drinks and food. From there head to Santa Monica and visit the pier and ride some fun rides. There are lots of cute shops and its always fun to watch the fishermen fish, you never know what they’ll catch.

At some point drive around Hollywood Blvd and show them the stars, Graumanns Chinese theater, visit the famous Roosevelt hotel and have a drink in their beautiful bar, head to Hollywood forever cemetary and look at all the history, drive around by the studios and Paramount since its in the area as well.

Another day I’d take them up to the Hollywood sign, I would hike up to it because you can see more that was and also visit the Wisdom tree which is a staple of LA and is so beautiful. Then at some point head to South Pasadena and continue the filming locations of, “Halloween”, “Peewees Big Adventure’, “Shocker”, Rob Zombies “Halloween”, “Childs Play 2”, and more. Make a day of it! Also visit Sierra Madre and visit locations from “The Fog”, “Halloween”, “Halloween 3”, “Return of the Living Dead Part 2”, and more. Grab a beer at the Bucaneer and wait for Tom Atkins to show up and check out the cute shops in the area. There are some really great hiking trails around there too!

I could go on forever but this is a good start!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to all those who have supported me over the years…. stood by my side and helped push me to be better and do better…. those who didn’t let me give up when I felt it was too hard to keep going…. those of you who believe in me and what I bring to the table…. those of you who buy my films and talk about them…. those of you who share my work and help to promote me…. my family who help me when I need them the most…. my partner who has been by my side since day 1…. last but not least those of you who didn’t believe in me, talked bad about me, or never gave me a chance…. thank you for lighting a fire so big under me its going to be very hard to extinguish.

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Image Credits
Albert L. Ortega Steven Shea Maya Kay Dan Kennedy