EP. 194 - 'How Do Debut Filmmakers Get Their Chance?' | Gabriella Leonardi

**In this week's episode, Jamie is joined once again by writer and filmmaker Gabriella Leonardi. After moving to London for what was meant to be a two-month acting job, Gabriella is now pursuing a career as a writer and director, developing her own projects and navigating an industry that feels more risk-averse than ever.** **Gabriella speaks about:** **🎬 Why breaking into film feels harder than ever** **💰 Making your own work without money or industry connections** **⭐ How Sheridan Smith came to appear in one of her short films** **✉️ Why she decided to handwrite a letter to Steven Spielberg** **❤️ How losing her grandad has made her even more determined to tell the stories that matter to her** **🎥 Why she's determined to keep telling the stories she believes in, rather than changing her voice to become more "marketable"** **💬 Rejection, resilience and what it really takes to build a creative career on your own terms.** **A brilliant conversation about what it's really like for many creatives currently.** **Find out more about Gabriella and her work:** **🌐** https://fillinghamweston.com/clients/name/gabriella-leonardi/ **📸** https://www.instagram.com/gabriellaleonardi/ **💙 Support the podcast on Patreon:** https://www.patreon.com/justgetarealjob **🌍 Stay connected with Just Get A Real Job:** **Instagram 📸**https://www.instagram.com/justgetarealjob **TikTok 🎬**https://www.tiktok.com/@justgetarealjob **X (Twitter) 🐦**https://twitter.com/justgetarealjob **All links 🔗**https://linktr.ee/Justgetarealjobpodcast