Podcasts about makeshift society

Before becoming a filmmaker, Serena Schuler worked in New York in the tech industry for start-ups as well as companies including IBM and Yahoo! But an after-hours interest in screenwriting and witnessing the questionable treatment of bright, ambitious women in the industry helped inspire her to move to San Francisco and join a film incubator. These days, as an award-winning writer, director and creator, Serena's films have been screened at festivals internationally, winning multiple audience awards. Recently she has taken the insights from her previous work experiences into her newest project, Makeshift Society, an original TV comedy series about a rising star who’s been booted from the tech bro world. In this episode, we not only discuss changing lanes from tech to filmmaking, but talk about carving out an innovative path as an independent creator. From building an audience to financing her own work, Serena has used some of the strategies of the tech industry to push her vision forward without waiting for a studio or network to give her the green light.

This week, I'm chatting again with Serena Schuler, award-winning writer, director and series-creator. I ask her all about how she got the crew and cast together for her current and most ambitious project, Makeshift Society, which is an Original TV Comedy Series about a female founder. We chat about about the importance of diversity in the cast, what it was like to have a baby during the coronavirus, and how having a daughter has given her even more motivation to pursue her storytelling. We also geek out on Jewish writers in the early 20th century, specifically, Yiddish feminist authors. Enjoy!

This week my guest is Serena Schuler, an award-winning writer, director, and series creator. She's piloting the first episode of her new series called Makeshift Society, an Original TV Comedy Series about a female founder. I liken Makeshift Society to the female version of the HBO show Silicon Valley, so I'm really excited to share this conversation I had with Serena today. What I also love about Serena's story is that she worked on screenplays and scripts, writing secretly for years before she decided to become a filmmaker. Here, I ask her all about that journey, how her experiences of working in tech influenced her storytelling, how she got her cast and crew together and how she fundraised for her increasingly ambitious film projects. We also talk pretty openly about the douchebags of startup bro culture, and I share some of my experience getting fired. Enjoy!

We hear from writer, director, and producer Serena Schuler about her upcoming comedy TV series focused on a female founder, Makeshift Society (www.MakeshiftSociety.com). Our hosts interview Microsoft’s Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan about the company’s culture transformation. We wrap with Procter & Gamble’s pledge to have women direct 50% of ads by 2023. Please subscribe, rate, and share the episode. Find us at www.wibt.com. Send feedback to wibt@microsoft.com or tweet @MicrosoftWomen.

The work we do, where we do it, who we do it for, how much of our time we spend on it, and why we work are all in flux. To understand where all of this is going, this week "Knight Cities" talks with Bryan Boyer, principal at Dash Marshall; a partner at Makeshift Society; and a member of the board of directors at Public Policy Lab. Bryan is both thinking and acting on the growth of the independent economy and what it means to America. His three-part meditation on the questions this new economy is raising appeared on Medium earlier this year while he was guiding Knight Foundation’s thinking on how to harness more talent in Knight cities. And he calls the startup of Makeshift Society in Brooklyn his exploration of what the 21st century chamber of commerce for the design community might look like.

Hear from Grace Bonney’s mentor and friend, Rena Tom, on this week’s installment of After the Jump. Rena is a California native who has been involved in everything from consulting, to jewelry design, to founding the collaboration-minded Makeshift Society. Tune into this episode to hear Rena talk about her upbringing, and how her family pushed her to start her own business. Learn about Rena’s time in Park Slope, and her experiences owning the jewelry design store, Rare Device. How do small businesses and creative circles differ in San Francisco and Brooklyn? Also in the studio is architect Bryan Boyer. Listen in to hear Rena and Bryan talk about her newest venture, Makeshift Society, and how it has grown and expanded to the East Coast. This program has been sponsored by Fairway Market.   “It’s been a lot of fun dreaming and trying to bring the vision of Makeshift to more people.” [18:10] — Rena Tom on After the Jump

On this week’s episode of After the Jump, Grace Bonney is discussing the importance of real-life connections among the online community with two special guests. Morgan Evans is the community strategist for Etsy, and she’s in the studio talking about some of Etsy’s initiatives to get craft-makers together in their neighborhoods, collaborating, and building businesses. Joining Grace and Morgan over the phone is Rena Tom of Makeshift Society, an upstart company that aims to bring together creative professionals of all types. Tune in to this episode to hear about the Etsy Craft Party, why creative types in big cities are often isolated from their peers, and how meetups can foster the growth of independent and small businesses. This episode has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery. “When you’re in a smaller town you bump into like minded people more often. The choices are endless in a city – people go into their own micro groups…it’s easy to silo your self away and not run into new people.” — Rena Tom on After the Jump “We’ve been experimenting with lots of ways to create the perfect event model and empower people to get together in their neighborhood. On August 24th we are celebrating Etsy Craft Party, a global event happening on a local scale. [http://www.etsy.com/craftparty2012 for more information.]” “As things get bigger and bigger, wanting to get back in touch with singularity and one-to-one connections will become more necessary to us.” — Morgan Evans on After the Jump