It's the Journey, Not the Destination: How Merman Develops the Careers of Its Creative Talent
Merman, the production company founded by actress, writer and director Sharon Horgan, has always had a strong focus on furthering the careers of the creative talent it manages. Whether it’s a commercial director who wants to make a feature film, TV series or a feature, or a TV director who wants to get into commercial directing, mentorship is a key element of the business.
Merman also has a history of helping first time writers and performers develop their voice into a viable series or film. It has done that with Aisling Bea’s 'This Way Up', Sarah Kendall’s 'Frayed', 2020’s Sundance film 'Herself', written by and starring Clare Dunne, and 'Rebel Hearts', the Sundance 2021 documentary feature directing debut from Pedro Kos.
Another recent success was 'Your Monster', an unusual love story between an aspiring actress and a charming monster living in her closet, which was the opening midnight movie at Sundance this year. It was produced by Merman, and developed from first-time director Caroline Lindy’s short film version that was initially funded by a grant from Women in Film.
"As a female-owned company, Merman is a proud mentor for Women In Film,” said Kira Carstensen, global managing partner at Merman, who leads all efforts for the company in the US with fellow global managing partner Ellen Clarke. “When we saw Caroline’s short, we immediately knew the concept — and Caroline — were very special."
To find out more about Merman's approach to career development and mentorship, LBB's Addison Capper chats with Kira.
LBB> How do you identify filmmakers to take on to your roster and mentor at Merman? What are some key traits - both in terms of their work and personalities - that you are looking for, and why?
Kira> Filmmakers need to have a point of view and something to say. Usually it’s something deeply personal, or a way they see the world. We are looking for authentic voices, not imitators. Our job as mentors is to help an artist tell their story in the most impactful way - not to change their story. We are looking for collaborators and creative partners; filmmakers who are open to receiving suggestions on how to make an idea better, and willing to put in the effort to get it there.
LBB> Mentorship could mean helping an established commercials director break into TV or film. So, they aren’t necessarily always ‘young’ or ‘new’ directors. How does this impact the process of your mentorship?
Kira> We mentor a lot through initiatives with organisations like Women in Film, and many of the new filmmakers in those programmes are established professionals in other areas of the business or in other careers entirely. Age doesn’t really matter. What matters is a person’s curiosity, willingness to learn and try new things, and to express themselves in a new way. Sometimes the life experiences these filmmakers come to us with is what makes for an incredible story or character journey.
LBB> Why is developing directors in this way so important for Merman? Both from a business standpoint and personal?
Kira> A lot of us at Merman – [founder] Sharon Horgan included – achieved success a bit later in life. We all want to make sure that the door we finally opened stays open for the next one behind us. That’s the personal reason – paying it forward.
The business reason is that creation needs innovation. If the same people are the only ones telling stories, everything starts to sound the same. Groundbreaking shows like Sharon’s ‘Catastrophe’, Donald Glover’s ‘Atlanta’, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Fleabag’, Issa Rae’s ‘Insecure’ – these all changed the way we saw and made TV comedy. They were auteur-driven shows that could only have come from the creators’ personal experience. And they were very profitable and rewarding for all involved.
LBB> When it comes to broadening access to filmmaking and improving diversity and inclusion, what is Merman doing to address this?
Kira> We have created initiatives through our emerging creators incubator, ‘Mermade’, that focus on finding new talent with new ideas, and helping those ideas come to fruition. We have a new programme starting for unproduced screenwriters, for example.
On the branded side, we work hard to create opportunities for under-exposed people interested in filmmaking through programmes like Double the Line and Streetlights, in addition to the Women in Film programmes I mentioned. Merman has also helped young filmmakers make their shorts with access to equipment and other resources.
LBB> What is the process like when it comes to helping commercials directors prepare for longer form content?
Kira> Commercials are largely about creating a feeling or positive association with a brand for the audience. There isn’t much time in a 30 or 60-second spot to tell a larger story or witness a character’s arc. The biggest thing commercial directors need help with is how to pace out a character’s journey or story arc across episodes or acts.
LBB> Do you feel all short form directors are capable of long form if given the right help? Why?
Kira> If the director is a storyteller, then it doesn’t matter what discipline or aesthetic they come from. The only requirement is that they have a story to tell. Then we can help them tell it. But cool shots or images don’t make a story. There’s a place for that in advertising for sure, and many design directors have had great success in the branded space. But, it’s hard to sustain audience interest with just style over the length of a film.
LBB> There are young people getting into production who maybe don’t see the line between professional production and the creator economy, and that may well also be the shape of things to come. What are your thoughts about that? Is there a tension between more formalised production and the ‘creator economy’, or do the two feed into each other?
Kira> It's funny, because my colleagues and I discuss how some creators who self-generate content don’t know how to monetise their efforts. They are putting out a lot on their various channels, but not getting a lot back in terms of financial rewards. At the same time, those who come from the traditional branded space sometimes have trouble creating that immediacy and rawness that user generated content produces. A lot of clients want their campaigns to feel native to socials, but their reasons for being there are different – they are selling something and want to represent their product or brand in a certain way, to a certain standard. So, they want input creatively, because they are paying for the work. But the whole reason the user generated content feels so raw and impactful is because there is no outside influence steering the work.
LBB> Thinking more broadly, what are the key factors to ensuring a healthy director mentorship relationship?
Kira> The most important thing to remember is that it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. You have to love the process of developing an idea, making it better, and finding fresh ways to tell your story, because it’s all hard work. You can work on something for years that often never gets made or sold. So, you have to enjoy the process. That goes for both the mentor and the one being mentored.
LBB> As production company rosters grow, ensuring due attention is paid to all directors can become more difficult. How do you deal with this?
Kira> It used to be that a few directors did all of the work. Now there are a lot more directors who each do less work. This is why rosters have grown. We create a strategy for each director and check in daily with our team to see where we are at with our plan.
LBB> What have been some of your biggest achievements at Merman with regards to creative career development?
Kira> We have been able to break some directors into the commercial space, or into a new territory – like Nicole Ackermann who is from South Africa and who, in just a few years, has been bidding against the leaders in our industry, like Rupert Sanders and Henry Alex Rubin in the US market. We have also helped award-winning TV directors like Erica Dunton and Juliet May break into the branded space with campaigns for Aldi and Walmart. We have produced a few short form series as proofs of concept for new creators. We produced a six-episode TV series with two writers/performers that is going into its second season. And recently, we helped a first-time writer/director who we met through a Women in Film mentorship programme develop and produce her feature film that premiered at Sundance this year.
LBB> Generally, do you feel that production companies and the production industry are doing enough to support and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent?
Kira> I think we can all do better to develop and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent. Initiatives like Free the Work do a great job, and they have really helped a lot of minority filmmakers gain visibility. But still, the vast majority of work is done by the same companies and top filmmakers. We won’t make real change unless we start to put our time and money into giving new people a chance. We did a piece for Walmart that was exactly about this – we gave new and diverse filmmakers a chance to interpret an idea from their unique perspective. One of the filmmakers, a Native American, said, “I used to pass by all these film crews near my apartment in Downtown LA and wonder, ‘how did that guy get that chance?’. And now I’m that guy.” That was really powerful for us.
LBB> Clearly there is so much change, but what are the personality traits and skills that will always be in demand from filmmakers?
Kira> Communication and collaboration. It’s not enough to have a good idea - you have to be able to communicate that idea to an agency, a client, or a studio. You must be able to communicate your vision to your crew and your cast. Filmmaking is a team sport, and collaboration is key. You really can’t make a film, TV series or commercial alone. So, you have to be able to communicate your vision, and then be open to your creative partners’ ideas on how to achieve it.
