This week my guest is Cassandra Johnson-Bekoe, a woman who wears many hats - among which are writer, producer, script editor and the current Head of Scripted Development at DARE Pictures.
After working as a bouncer to fund her Screenwriting certificate from the Met Film School, Cassandra's way into the industry was through the Mama Youth Project in 2016.
Cassandra was previously senior development executive at Daniel Kaluuya’s production outfit 59%, overseeing the company’s slate and generating new IP across international and regional markets. Prior to this she worked in scripted development. Her credits include “Ted Lasso” season 2 (WarnerBros/Apple+), “Riches” (Greenacre Films for ITV), “Secret Invasion” (Marvel Studios) and “The Chemistry of Death” (Cuba Pictures Ltd, for Paramount+).
Cassandra also co-founded the collective 'Black Women in Scripted' in 2020, and which currently boasts over 300 members - a mix of established and award-winning writers, producers, and execs, as well as new industry talent.
We talk about the difference between pride and self-worth, how to set your rates as a freelancer, how to adapt to working at different companies, how securing an agent changed her career, how she treads the line between writer and script editor, how she gives notes and what it means to be a warm CEO, finding community in the industry and prioritising your mental health above all else.
SHOW NOTES:
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#79: Parisa Taghizadeh, Stills Photographer
#78: Lauren McCallum, Head of European Production at Scanline VFX
#77: Grace Bridger & Runyararo Mapfumo, Producer & Writer/Director
#76: Eva Riley, Filmmaker
Episode 75: Emily Morgan, Producer
Episode 74: Louisa Maycock, Founder & CEO of Girls on Tops
Episode 73: Anna Bogutskaya, Programmer, Broadcaster, Writer & Creative Producer
Episode 72: Gemma Cole, Agency Director & Artist
Episode 71: Georgina Higgins, Script Supervisor
Episode 70: Joanne Michael, Director of Marketing at Cornerstone
Episode 69: Jayisha Patel, VR Filmmaker
Episode 68: Gabrielle Stewart, Managing Director of HanWay Films
Episode 67: Malinda Kaur, 2nd Assistant Director
Episode 66: Dionne Farrell, Development Executive
Episode 65: Sophie O'Neill, Costume Designer
Episode 64: Anu Henriques, Associate Director of Rocks and Founder of Skin Deep
Episode 063: Brett Story, Non-Fiction Filmmaker
Episode 062: Georgia Oakley, Filmmaker (Live at Watersprite Film Festival)
Episode 061: Louise Ford, Editor
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