Libsyn Directory

Are We What We Wear? – The Costume Designer (with Isis Mussenden & LaShell Gibbs)

Release Date: 11/12/2021

Render, Rinse, Repeat. - VFX & Animation (with Lyndon Barrois & Michael Slemmons)

My Creative Careers

Lyndon Barrois is an accomplished artist, award-winning director, animator, and visual effects professional. A native of New Orleans, Lyndon played a pivotal role in creating groundbreaking visual effects for critically-acclaimed feature films such as The Matrix Trilogy, Happy Feet, Tree of Life, and The Thing, for which he received a Visual Effects Society Award nomination. Lyndon is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, a Commissioner for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, and a board member of the California...

Jump Cut - The Editor (with Jon Poll & Angela Latimer)

My Creative Careers

Jon Poll is a director, film editor, and producer. He attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and graduated in 1981 with a major in film production. As an editor, Jon worked on 18 films between 1982 and 2004, including Weeds, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Mystery, Alaska, Meet the Parents, Scary Movie 3, Forever Young, and Death to Smoochy. Jon made his directorial debut in 2007 with the comedy-drama Charlie Bartlett. He was also executive producer for The 40 Year Old Virgin and co-producer...

Can You Hear Me Now? - The Sound Editor (with Victoria Sampson & Andrew Macht)

My Creative Careers

Victoria Rose Sampson has been a renowned Feature Film Sound Editor who learned her craft by working alongside her mother, Kay Rose, the first woman to win an Oscar for sound editing on the Mark Rydell film, The River. Victoria’s credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Speed, Donnie Darko and Return of the Jedi, and she now teaches post-production sound at Video Symphony in Burbank. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the Motion Picture Editors Guild, Local 700 of the IATSE, and serves on the...

Get a Grip! – The Grip (with Krystina Figg & Nick Jacobs)

My Creative Careers

Krystina Figg has worked with some of the most notable directors in film today, including Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the Hateful Eight, Christopher Nolan on Tenet and Dunkirk, and Tom Ford on Nocturnal Animals. She got her start on The Bernie Mac Show and since then has worked on several big-budget and independent films. Krystina is also known far and wide as the ‘Badass Grip Girl!’ On My Creative Careers show this week, we talk with Krystina Figg, who shares the details of how she became interested in the film...

Fishing for Stars – The Casting Director: Tips for Getting That Part (with Wendy Kurtzman & Tori Hartley)

My Creative Careers

Wendy is an Emmy-nominated casting director with more than 25 years of experience in feature films, movies for television, mini-series, and theater and has worked with many distinguished directors such as Paul Schrader, Diane Keaton, Sally Field, and Roland Emmerich, for whom she cast the blockbuster “Independence Day,” starring Will Smith. In 2013 Wendy launched College to Career Acting to help emerging BFA/MFA artists navigate the transition from Academia into the Entertainment Industry. Recently, Wendy joined PhilmCo Media as Head of Casting while also serving as Faculty at UCLA and...

Hot Set! – The On-Set Dresser (with Eric Luling & Mack Smith)

My Creative Careers

On this episode of My Creative Careers, Eric discusses the differences between his role and the responsibilities of the Props Department and where it sometimes overlaps. He gives us the lowdown on how he got into the film business (spoiler - show up and be persistent) and how he subsequently progressed in his career. Eric also gives his advice and insights to people interested in building a creative career in his area of the industry.

Are We What We Wear? – The Costume Designer (with Isis Mussenden & LaShell Gibbs)

My Creative Careers

Isis joins us to share her insights into character development and telling stories through clothes and costume. She discusses how she came to be the first costume designer credited on an animated film and describes the intricacies of what she does as a costume designer, particularly the differences between working with human actors versus animated characters. Isis also shares how she became interested in costume design and dives into the details of some of her favorite recent projects.

“Copy That!” – The 1st AD (with Starr Victoria & Jada Merritt)

My Creative Careers

On the podcast this week we welcome Star Victoria. Star dives into what the role of the 1st AD involves, how it differs from the director’s job, and why it is such a key position in filmmaking. She discusses potential routes into becoming a 1st AD, the key skills and qualities needed, and gives tips and advice on getting a foot in the door. Star also shares her story of the experiences in her early life that brought her to take on behind-the-camera roles rather than pursue her initial passion for acting.

My Creative Careers – The Pilot Episode (with Tamika Lamison & Adam Leipzig)

My Creative Careers

On the My Creative Careers podcast, we are going to be talking to a vast range of people who have all kinds of careers in the film industry. But today we’ll start with a short introduction to us, your hosts Adam and Tamika, and give you a brief insight into how our own creative careers have developed over the years.

Welcome To My Creative Careers

My Creative Careers

My Creative Careers (because creative people never have only one career!) showcases the diversity of people, arts, and professions in the entertainment industry, and shares behind-the-scenes insights so listeners can deepen their knowledge and activate their aspirations. Produced by MediaU.com – your online career accelerator.

More Episodes

Isis Mussenden is an international costume designer whose film credits include The Chronicles of Narnia, the two animated classics, Shrek and Shrek 2, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, American Psycho, and The Waterdance. She has earned CableACE and BAFTA nominations for her designs and was the recipient of both Saturn and CDG awards and a 2018 Ciclope Gold Award. Isis is a native of Los Angeles and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara as a studio art major and later graduated from New York’s prestigious Parsons School of Design earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

“There 10 million paths into the business...we’re just opening the doors of access, and showing how many different careers and career paths that there are in film and television.” - Adam Leipzig

“You have a whole new perspective. You don’t have any preconceived notions whatsoever.” - Tamika Lamison

“Way before I even think of a piece of clothing, I’m just thinking about the story, the character, the person, the way an actor does, but the difference is I have to be all the actors.” - Isis Mussenden

Highlights This Week:

How Isis manages to tell character stories even within very specific period constraints as she did in films such as 13 Days, directed by Roger Donaldson
How Isis comes into a movie — how she pitches herself and her ideas to the filmmaker
The jobs that Isis interviewed for and didn’t get and why she remains philosophical about the process of finding jobs that are an excellent fit for her personality and skills
The key roles and responsibilities of working as a costume designer and why Isis feels it’s beneficial for graduates to start at the bottom in the industry they love
Why terminology matters and the difference between the terms’ wardrobe designer’ and ‘costume designer’
How Isis’ close relationship with her mother led to her pursuing her interest in costume design
Some of the past projects that Isis is particularly proud of
Isis’ advice for one of MediaU’s emerging costume designers

Student of The Week:

Lashell Gibbs - Born and raised in Hartford, CT. I loved fashion from a very young age. At the age of 6, I would put on fashion shows for the company of whomever was at my house. I can recall spending days watching fashion shows during fashion week. In high school I would mix and mash fashion styles to create my own unique looks. I went off to college at Alabama State University. While getting my degree in Elementary Education, I found time to dance in band and theater, work in the theater department's costume shop and become Miss Alabama State University. After graduating I taught math to 7th and 8th graders for four years then went on to teach 2nd grade for three years. While teaching I was collecting vintage and unique fashions for my fantasy online store. After my seventh year of teaching, I resigned and took a leap of faith and started a brick-and-mortar store in Hartford named How Bazaar. We sold my clothing designs, vintage fashions, furniture and local artist goods. After three years of owning the store, I had a vision of taking my shop on the road for a college and music festival tour, to raise awareness around sustainable fashion. To realize this vision, I bought a mobile home and turned it into a mobile boutique. I closed the brick-and-mortar store and ran the mobile boutique full-time. I took How Bazaar mobile boutique across country from Art Basel in Miami to SXSW in Austin and on to Coachella in Indio, California. After Coachella I visited Los Angeles and decided to stay to pursue my dream of becoming a costume designer. While sleeping in my truck at night and selling clothing on Melrose and other markets I would talk with buyers about what I wanted to do. I lucked out one day and had the opportunity to talk with a seamstress for film. She told me to attend Los Angeles Trade Tech College and learn how to sew, because the industry is always looking for people in costume with sewing skills. So, I enrolled and started attending LATTC for fashion and design. During my first semester I applied for the Academy Gold Program (a diversity program for students wanting to work in the film and television industry). To everyone’s surprise, the pandemic happened and there was no more school. I returned to Connecticut and received the best news ever. I made it into the Academy Gold Online Program. After attending the Academy Gold Program, I was flabbergasted when my mentor was announced to be the iconic Ruth Carter! Ruth and I would meet over zoom and phone during which we got to know one another. During one of our meetings, she told me if I can make it to ATL I could work with her on Black Panther 2 and continue being mentored. I packed my mobile boutique up and hauled my car to Atlanta and as they say, “the rest is history.”

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