In Advisor Studio sessions, Sundance Collab Advisors share field experiences and insights into their specific areas of craft, including writing, directing and producing for TV and film. 


Producing is an often misunderstood profession. From script development, packaging, and pitching to working with actors, directors, and executives, the landscape is complex and producers have to wear many hats.


As former co-president of Dolly Parton and Sandy Gallin's production company, Sandollar, and as a successful independent producer, Carol Baum is an expert in the art of film production. In her new book, Creative Producing: A Pitch to Picture Guide to Movie Development, she uses her extensive career to share what she wished she knew when she was starting out. Join Carol in this Advisor Studio as she discusses how to navigate your career as a producer in an evolving industry.


Filmography of Carol Baum

  • 1984 - Reckless (executive producer)
  • 1986 - A Smoky Mountain Christmas (TV Movie) (supervising producer)
  • 1988 - Dead Ringers (executive producer)
  • 1988 - Tidy Endings (TV Movie) (executive producer)
  • 1989 - Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (Documentary) (executive producer)
  • 1989 - Gross Anatomy (executive producer)
  • 1989 - Jacknife (producer)
  • 1991 - Father of the Bride (producer)
  • 1991 - True Identity (producer)
  • 1992 - A Stranger Among Us (executive producer)
  • 1992 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (executive producer)
  • 1992 - Shining Through (producer)
  • 1992 - Straight Talk (executive producer)
  • 1994 - I.Q. (producer)
  • 1995 - Father of the Bride Part II (executive producer)
  • 1995 - Kicking and Screaming (executive producer)
  • 1996 - Fly Away Home (producer)
  • 1997 - The Only Thrill (executive producer)
  • 1998 - The Wonderful World of Disney (TV Series) (executive producer—“Tourist Trap”)
  • 1999 - Snow Falling on Cedars (executive producer)
  • 2000 - Waterproof (executive producer)
  • 2001 - My First Mister (producer)
  • 2002 - The Good Girl (executive producer)
  • 2003 - Carolina (producer)
  • 2004 - Sexual Life (producer)
  • 2007 - You Kill Me (producer)
  • 2008 - $5 a Day (producer)
  • 2011 - Last Call at the Oasis (Documentary) (executive producer)
  • 2014 - Zapped (Disney TV Movie) (executive producer)
  • 2014 - Boychoir (producer)
  • 2015 - Just in Time for Christmas (Hallmark TV Movie) (executive producer)
  • 2018 - A Majestic Christmas (Hallmark TV Movie) (executive producer)
  • 2022 - A Jolly Good Christmas (Hallmark TV Movie) (executive producer)
  • 2023 - Family History Mysteries: Buried Past (Hallmark TV Movie) (executive producer)

Carol Baum
Advisor
Carol Baum has produced thirty-four movies, seventeen of them independently. Before becoming an independent producer, Baum was co-president of Sandollar Productions, Dolly Parton and Sandy Gallin’s production company, for ten years, where she produced such hits as Father of the Bride; the Academy Award-winning HBO documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt; Tidy Endings; I.Q.; Jacknife; True Identity; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Gross Anatomy; Shining Through; Straight Talk; and Kicking and Screaming. As an indie producer, Baum made, among other movies, The Good Girl; My First Mister; $5 A Day; You Kill Me; and Boychoir. She has produced five television movies for Hallmark and several documentaries.
Patty West
Moderator | Director, Collab Courses & Events
Patty West is a producer and educator based in California. She led the Directing Workshop for Women and the Thesis Program at the American Film Institute prior to joining the Sundance Institute. She came to Sundance Collab in December of 2019 and now serves as the Director of Courses & Events. West is a Chicago native and holds a B.S. from Northwestern University, an M.F.A. from the AFI Conservatory and an Executive M.B.A. from Quantic School of Business & Technology. She is a member of the Producer's Council of the Producers Guild of America. more...

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