Effie Brown
Duly Noted, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA USA
"The biggest lie that we are told is that there is room for only one of us...when you get to the top you will see that there is room. You have to lean back and help somebody else make their way up."
Career Roadmap
Effie's work combines: Film, Business, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When I was in film school, I had an experience where some film I had shot came out completely wrong. The head of the camera department tried to make me feel like it was my fault and that I had done something wrong, but it was actually the camera that was defective. I was definitely treated differently because I was a woman and an African-American trying to break into this industry. At the time, I was young and didn't have the courage of my convictions, but I learned how to build that confidence.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Cinematography and Film/Video Production
Loyola Marymount University
Bachelor's Degree
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
Loyola Marymount University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Born and raised in New Jersey—my father was a corporate businessman and my mother was a social worker.
2.
Attended Loyola Marymount University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in film production and theater.
3.
I struggled with diversity, discrimination, and underrepresentation in school and in my early career, which sparked my lifelong mission to bridge those gaps through storytelling.
4.
After graduating, I participated in Film Independent's Project Involve, an intensive fellowship for people seeking a career in the film industry.
5.
I started my career working for Tim Burton Productions as the director of development.
6.
Some of my early projects include “But I’m A Cheerleader” and “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her.”
7.
Founded Duly Noted, Inc., a Los Angeles-based award-winning production company that has produced critically acclaimed films like “Real Women Have Curves,” “Rocket Science,” and “Dear White People.”
8.
In 2015, I joined Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the reboot of “Project Greenlight,” where I served as the mentor and producer to the winner of the filmmaking competition.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Teachers:
You girls must have done something wrong.
How I responded:
When I was in film school, I had an experience where some film I had shot came out completely wrong. The head of the camera department tried to make me feel like it was my fault and that I had done something wrong, but it was actually the camera that was defective. I was definitely treated differently because I was a woman and an African-American trying to break into this industry. At the time, I was young and didn't have the courage of my convictions, but I learned how to build that confidence.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I've had a lot of struggles breaking into the film industry because I was a woman and an African-American. I've learned to keep a lot of my emotions in check so that they aren't used against me in a negative way.
I've dealt with varying degrees of imposter syndrome and feeling like an "other." I've realized as I've gotten older that everyone feels like that. I've learned to stop caring about what other people think about me.