Master Classes are in-depth, interactive learning experiences focused on craft and career building and led by renowned industry experts. Topics include fiction and documentary filmmaking, TV writing and production, and navigating and succeeding in the entertainment industry. 


In honor of Women’s History Month, join Sundance Collab for an in-depth discussion with two industry leaders in film and television. Producer, Executive, and Author, Pat Mitchell will lead the session sharing how she challenged the status quo to become a media trailblazer and her advice to those just starting out. You’ll learn about how she defied expectations as a journalist, how she became the first woman president of PBS and CNN, and her efforts to promote the work of underrepresented groups in the film industry. Following this, you’ll hear from Emmy® Award-nominated writer, director and producer, Karyn Kusama. She will discuss her leadership style in prep, on set and in post when directing films such as GIRL FIGHT, JENNIFER’S BODY and THE INVITATION. We will also discuss her extensive television career and forming her own production company. Both speakers will share their creative and personal experiences around leadership and disruption, and give you the opportunity to ask questions.


In this live and interactive three-hour master class, you will learn how to lead while remaining true to yourself, how to empower and be an ally to the women around you, and how to use failure to move forward.


Topics covered include:

  • Leading with vulnerability

  • Embracing risk and failure

  • Navigating obstacles and rising to the challenge

  • Learning from each experience and reinventing yourself

  • Supporting other women

  • Defining your leadership style

  • Redefining your role on the team

  • Understanding your worth

  • Protecting your project

  • Work/life balance and self-care


Recommended Resources can be found here.

Instructor
Pat Mitchell is a lifelong advocate for women and girls. At every step of her career, Mitchell has broken new ground for women, leveraging the power of media as a journalist, an Emmy award-winning and Oscar-nominated producer to tell women’s stories and increase the representation of women onscreen and off. Transitioning to an executive role, she became the president of CNN Productions, and the first woman president and CEO of PBS and the Paley Center for Media. Today, her commitment to connect and strengthen a global community of women leaders continues as a conference curator, advisor and mentor. more...
Instructor
Karyn Kusama most recently directed the first two episodes of AMC's horror anthology series, THE TERROR: THE DEVIL IN SILVER, of which she is also an executive producer. The show is set to premiere in 2026. Karyn was also an executive producer of Showtime’s coming-of-age survival drama, YELLOWJACKETS. The show has garnered ten Emmy nominations to date, including one for Karyn’s direction of the pilot episode. more...

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