Industry Pro: Film Producer Sarah Siegel-Magness
Anyone who has read the novel Push knows how challenging it must have been to get that story to the screen with its spirit intact. Sarah Siegel-Magness’s profile, with its lessons about passion, heart, and the entreprenurial mindset, will surely inspire readers to create or find material that moves them and have the courage to go the distance with it. Special thanks to Sarah for taking the time during what must be a whirlwind period as a producer of an Academy Award nominee to answer our questions.
College and degree: I have a business degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Internships during college: I worked as a College Rep for EMI Records, promoting music in college. While I was in school, I opened up a Celestial Seasonings kiosk on my college campus and sold a successful amount of tea and merchandise with my brother and a friend. This was my first stint in the entrepreneurial world and it helped get me ready to run my own company.
First job: I started working at the age of 14 and my first job was working at Career-Track, a business Seminar and self-help company. I got to work in all of the key departments and learned how the business operated by spending time in each area.
Pre-entertainment career, if any: After college, I moved to New York City where I got an internship at EMI World Records. I loved working in music, but my true passion was fashion and when I was 27, I founded the women’s clothing line, So Low. The idea for So Low came to me when I couldn’t find underwear that would comfortably fit under my low-rise jeans. I decided to make a pair and brought it to the California Merchandise Mart. I had no idea that getting picked up by a sales firm with one style is unheard of, but my ignorance paid off because it gave me a sense of confidence and I found a buyer. I immediately developed three additional styles including boxers, tank tops and g-strings and eventually, with the help of my best friend from high-school, we expanded the brand into a contemporary women’s clothing line that sells everything from dresses to t-shirts to sweatshirts.
First entertainment job: My first job in entertainment was producing TENNESSEE with my husband, Gary Magness and Lee Daniels.
Why did you want to be a producer? What made you think you’d be good at it? I fell in love with the filmmaking process during the first week on the set of TENNESSEE. Lee Daniels made an effort to show us the magic of filmmaking and my husband and I were hooked. We knew that being on set, creating films with messages, and working with the talented crew that make stories come alive was what we wanted to do. I didn’t know for certain that we would be good at it, but we decided we wanted to give it our all.
First project you produced: The first project I produced was TENNESSE. We were first introduced to director Lee Daniels through a producer, Tom Heller, who cold-contacted me after reading about my entrepreneurial spirit and clothing line. We set a meeting to talk to Lee about his projects, but the meeting was eventually cancelled. A little while later, I received another call from Tom. He told us about Lee’s film, TENNESSEE, and we flew to where they were filming. We were immediately captivated by what Lee was doing. After seeing his talent, dedication and passion, we knew we wanted to be in business with him. The next day we agreed to finance a majority of TENNESSEE and became Executive Producers on the film.
Eureka moment: My eureka moment didn’t happen in one moment but instead happened during the overall production of TENNESSEE. I was really enjoying the filmmaking process and realized how wonderful it would be to be able to make films with positive messages. My husband and I knew that we wanted to work with Lee Daniels again, and that is when we decided to form our production company, Smokewood Entertainment, and commit to making additional films.
Lee had secured the rights to the novel, Push, by Sapphire and was interested in making it into a film. After reading the book, I fell in love with the story and knew we had to make it. Everyone told us we were crazy to make a film about a 300 lb black girl who was abused, but the story tugged at my heart and I couldn’t let it go. We struggled to cast the role of Precious because we didn’t want the actress’ real story to be what Precious went through.
Billy Hopkins, our casting director, made the amazing discovery of Gabourey Sidibe after she skipped class one day and came to an open casting call. She had never acted before and Lee, Gary, and I knew within days that she was the right one for the role. Filming was intense, but everyone on the set knew that we were making something special. After finishing the film, we submitted it to the Sundance Film Festival and were not only accepted, but ended up winning three awards, including the Audience Award for best film.
After Sundance, we started receiving interest from Hollywood studios. Both The Weinstein Company and Lionsgate were interested in acquiring the film, and ultimately Lionsgate ended up securing the rights. We then screened at the Toronto Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Award. No other film has ever won both the People’s Choice Award at Toronto and the Audience Award at Sundance before.
After the festival route, Lionsgate released the film in a limited number of theaters and eventually expanded nationwide. The film performed really well, earned record breaking revenue and defied all expectations. We started hearing buzz about possible award nominations and eventually received multiple nominations, including Best Picture nominations for the Golden Globe and the Academy Award!
Best thing about being a producer: The best thing about being a producer is being able to tell stories that I believe in and that hopefully make a difference. My husband and I founded the production company, Smokewood Entertainment, and it is important to us to make films with positive messages for diverse audiences.
Worst thing about being a producer: I would say the most difficult thing about being a producer is when fiscal responsibility is trumped by great creative vision. The producer has a financial and creative responsibility to the film and sometimes the two responsibilities do not go hand in hand.
Most surprising thing about being a producer: How long it takes some of the best movies in Hollywood to get made. I recently participated on a panel with a producer whose film took 20 years to make.
Describe a typical work day in your current position: There is no typical work day when you are a producer. Depending on where you are in the development process, a day can include being on the set of your film and working with the director to get the film made, meeting with potential directors, actors, etc. about your next project, doing interviews to promote a project, or reading scripts to find your next project.
Worst day in entertainment industry: I don’t believe one can have a worst day, because I believe we grow from difficult experiences. I find the most difficult projects in life are usually the most rewarding.
Best day in entertainment industry: The best day is when a producer can celebrate the fruits of their effort. It’s a wonderful moment for any producer when a project is finally put on the screen for an audience to enjoy.
Brush with greatness: Some people are born to do certain things. I would say I was exposed to brilliance the first day Gabourey Sidibe started working on set. You could feel her greatness and the beginning of something beautiful. I was completely amazed that someone who had never been trained as an actress could perform so perfectly. This is when I realized that some people are born with raw talent.
Secret of your success/advice to the newbie: My advice to anyone new in this business is to go with your gut. Work on projects that move you. Always be humble and always be ready to learn.
Next move (or next five moves): Our next projects include a feature film based on the children’s book series, Judy Moody, and a documentary on an indigenous tribe in Brazil called AMOUNGST BROTHERS.
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Tags: Academy Award nominee, Precious, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Sundance Film Festival
