Meet Talented Young Directors: Amelia Conway and Claire Jantzen
The world of online entertainment is incredibly exciting, as we’re seeing a wave of young people step up to the plate and assume positions of creative responsibility. On that note, we take great pleasure in highlighting a unique production company called Adolescent Content, captained by Creative Director Ramaa Mosley, and Executive Producer Hope Farley. They represent teens and young millennials who display potential, ambition and a particular point of view.
We spoke with Ramaa about how the production company works with teens to help shape them into strong directors who are capable of taking on professional projects.
“When we sign a teen director, we immediately begin working to develop their demo reel so that it reflects their potential and allows ad agencies and brands to see the very best of their film making… Many of our teen directors started in stills work and by the time they were 16 have been hired to shoot professional campaigns. Still, they need to be prepared for the level of work and interaction that comes from directing broadcast or social media videos,” she said. “I teach each director how to do conference calls with the agency/brand, how to run a [pre-production] meeting, and how to interact with the agency on set…”
Two incredibly talented directors in the collective are 13-year-old Amelia Conway and 17-year-old Claire Jantzen, who were recently given an opportunity to direct major elements of Target’s To School & Beyond campaign. Their combined credits include spots for Beats, Toms, Disney, Hasbro, American Girl, and more! We managed to track down Amelia and Claire to learn more about their work, as well as plans for the future.
Smart Girls: What led you to being involved with Adolescent Content?
Amelia: Since I was 8, I was always filming little shorts with toys, my brother, nature, or other friends. When I was 11 years old, my friend and I created a music video for a Bon Iver song out on an abandoned ranch behind my house in Texas. My mom posted it on Facebook and Ramaa saw it and was interested in what I was doing. We met in LA at the Adolescent office that summer and I signed on. I’ve been directing ever since!
Claire: I have been making small films and taking photos since a very young age. My drive for being creative was due to my extremely supportive friends, family, and followers on different social media platforms. Because I was so connected on social media, I one day stumbled upon Adolescent Content after seeing one of the director’s latest commercial projects. I immediately recognized what an amazing opportunity it would be to be part of the team and to finally have my voice professionally heard in the industry at such a young age. To say the least… I soon found out I was right.
SG: What was your favorite part about working on the Target Back-to-School campaign?
Claire: My favorite part about working on this particular campaign was being surrounded by so many creative people [of] all ages. It was so amazing to see how well different generations could work together in a creative setting… We were all there to do the same thing; create something great. The connections and friendships I made with not only the kids, but the experienced adults working alongside us, was amazing. That was an absolute blast. We all learned so much from each other.
Amelia: My favorite part was probably seeing how everyone looked to kids to do all of these things that normally you would see adults doing. It was so enlightening and made me feel really good about what we were doing and very empowered.
SG: Was there a particular challenge that you didn’t anticipate going in?
Amelia: Well I was most nervous about actually going into this huge project at this scale and having everyone look to me to direct such a large set of actors and lead the shoot. Coming into the business at this age can be like that sometimes because all our lives we’re told to listen to adults and respect adults. Being the leader and in charge of the adults and the one everyone is looking to is a complete role reversal. Luckily, I was surrounded by a really amazing crew that was respectful, collaborative, and very talented.
Claire: The hardest thing for me overall was balancing my actual schoolwork and social life while trying to direct 5 major professional TV commercials at the same time. Yeah, that was pretty tricky… It was really funny when I was on my way back from my prom night sitting on the limo checking my phone for casting and prepping for the next day of callbacks at 7 in the morning. Little did everyone know that’s what I was doing. Also, having to tell my teachers that I would be gone the week before junior year finals for something BIG and not being able to tell them what it was, just hoping they would trust me. That was pretty hard too.
SG: What advice do you have for other teens who want to direct?
Amelia: If you want to direct, or if you want to do anything at all, just go for it. If you’re really passionate about it or if it’s just going to be a hobby for a few months, then do it. Find people that encourage and support you, or are doing things you admire and ask them how they did it.
Claire: The truth is that if you really aspire to be a director, you don’t just think about how much you want to be a director. You just do it. You are a director if you make films, take photos, or simply do anything that follows the process from your brain into reality. You know you are directing successfully when what you once thought about as a small idea has become something real and physical that you have created. It doesn’t matter if anyone else thinks it’s “bad” or “good.” If you want to be a true director, don’t just focus on the title, but instead create things that you like. And never stop creating. That’s the first (and most important) rule.
“WHAT A LUNCHBOX DID FOR ME” — DIRECTED BY CLAIRE
“THE IMPOSSIBLE CLASS PHOTO” — DIRECTED BY AMELIA
If you are interested in learning more about Adolescent Content, be sure to visit their website and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Images via Adolescent Content
