Interview with Heather Waters

Interviewer: So, what converted you to the film industry, considering you were previously involved with music?

Waters: You know, I started off in the film industry--and music industry, both-- when I think I was probably, on the music side, 6 years old, when I gave my first performance. So, I started very early...doing the little high school and elementary-like, and local talent shows--

Waters: And then from there, probably started in film when I was about 13 years old. So, I was on the performance side for both...for many years, until, I was probably in about my mid-to-late 20s, and then, uh I had moved from Nashville to LA and was working as an artists and performer out there and has noticed that I was getting more interested in behind the scenes--. That's when I started learning producing and directing and, and uh, transitioned from there to Atlanta and came here (Richmond) eight years ago. And that's when I started the film 00:01:00festival, to kinda honor our local talent, but also bring in international talent from both the film and the music side here in Richmond.

Interviewer: What drew you to Richmond?

Waters: Well, a guy initially wooed me here (laughs) -- You know I was, at the time, I was in Atlanta and uh working with writers--developing writers-- and trying to get their projects produced, and I was going to move back to LA and I started seeing a guy who was all about Richmond, um, really Virginia itself. So, I would start visiting here and fell in love with Richmond. Um, my first real experience with Virginia, and he was great. He took me to all of the festivals, from the art world to political science, and uh everything in between and I just loved the city. And a couple of years later, I decided to make Richmond my home. I got a place here and I wanted to kind of develop Richmond like Atlanta and Nashville, you know, which is where my experience is. I felt like we had a lot of cool talent here, but there was not a lot of mobilization. Like, some of the artists didn't--even many of them now still--don't quite know what to do with their, their music, and uh, with the industry changing so very much, in terms of, in the old days, it was all about studio and big labels, now, everybody has to be their own businessman and business woman and so, we're, you know, everybody's trying to scramble and to brand, market, and learn the ins-and-outs, not just be an artist. Because I produce and I do artist stuff, but on the side 00:02:00I love working with creators and helping them kinda launch their careers, that was really what inspired me to try to build Richmond into *inaudible* cool area.

Interviewer: That's amazing. So, what's the selection process as far as the submissions? Waters: Well, we are, um, we expanded last year to--I've always had a music component, but last year was sort of the big year that we went sort of full blown into the music festival side-- we started off, um, seven years ago just doing short films and it's an competitive festival, meaning that everyone has to submit and they go through multiple rounds of judging. And then we decide, the judges decide, based on their scoring, um, who gets into the, the 00:03:00festival itself. From there, we expanded into features and then, um, now we're one of the largest competitive international festivals in the Mid-Atlantic. I know, last year we had more than a 150,000 films from 25+ countries, and then I expanded on the music side to kind of emulate something similar to a South by Southwest model on the music side, which means that its, its submission based and they go through judging there as well. So, we don't go out and handpick, cherry pick our *inaudible*, and uh, everybody, it's based on everybody getting equal footing. If it's, on the film side, you know, Oscar-nominated or award winning uh filmmakers, or if they're just starting out. Everybody gets judged on the same criteria and that, that follows suite with the music side as well. So, they go through multiple rounds and we determine based on the judging who gets in. And, from there, whoever gets in, they come to Richmond from all around the 00:04:00world, um, they perform or they are doing their Richmond premiere of their film and then they're competing for top honors for the grand jury during festival week.

Interviewer: Wow, So, did you go to school for business or, what, like, you seem so confident and like, so fascinated about the film festival. How did you--what inspired you to found the festival?

Waters: Thats a great question. I, um, if somebody would've told me or asked me a few years ago if I would be doing a festival, film or music, I would've been like "What? No, that's not me", you know? Because I also produce films and I work on the side as a consulting producer for music side too, so... So, it was never something that I sought and intended to do, but, when--it was probably a 00:05:00few years ago--um, after the second year that I started the festival, I realized this business that I'm doing sort of has taken everything that I've ever done and--throughout all of my life--and, it requires me to utilize all those skills. From nineteen, working as a marketing coordinator, you know, just doing general business trying to make a living as I was performing, living paycheck by paycheck, um, to later on, you know, even as a performer and producing and directing, it kind of encompasses all of that. Uh, I've got a couple other companies as well. So, I'm very into entrepreneurship and kind of, creating your own path, and-- but, for me it was really kind of based on seeing Richmond, because we didn't have an international competitive festival--we have some amazing festivals here, on the film and music side--but there wasn't anything quite like, I mean, the model that we're going after is sort of like a Sundance and like I said, a South by Southwest. And, it's really meant to be a career launcher for both the musicians and filmmakers, and, ultimately, because I've 00:06:00been on both sides of those both industries, um, it's really to create a platform for the film makers and the musicians to be able to come together and forge new relationships to work together and bring that music and film production to the state, here in Virginia. Yeah.

Interviewer: Um, so actually, I am not from Virginia. What is the normal season that you have the festival?

Waters: We normally have the festival in late February or the first week in March. This year, um, I've moved it back to the end of April. So, it's going to be April 23rd to April 29th. And that situation was really based on...last year, 00:07:00on the music side, it was really well received and we wanted to be able to do both indoor and outdoor events for the music portion, and maybe even film, we are exploring some of those options, so, moving it a little bit later, it allows us to be able to do that because we have tons of events going on at the same time all over the city. But, we can now do indoor and outdoor events. And, on the music side, it's now sort of the kickoff for, you know, the friday cheers and all the May big music events that happen here in Richmond. So, I thought that would also kind of be a cool way to, uh, do the festival.

Interviewer: So, um, in addition to.. You say you're trying to expand the music portion. Are there any other projects that you are currently working on?

Waters: Well, personally, I'm developing a couple of film projects right now as 00:08:00a producer, uh, I finished one a couple years ago--a feature, uh, but, these are more on the high-end budget. So, they'll be in development for a while, uh next year, they should be finished uh, with the development side on the script portion, within a couple of months and then there's fundraising and it's like 20 million+ on the budget for those.

Waters: In addition to that, RIFF is a year-round endeavor, where we do the festival then right after the festival ends, we go into promotions and a lot of follow up on the administrative side, and then we generally get about three weeks off and then we kick right back into the next year So, we start submissions, and, you know, planning for the coming year after that so, so that's ongoing. I will say, yeah, there are two new expansions that I'm working 00:09:00on for the festival, and that, they're really geared towards tanking the talent that we have really brought in the fast few years on the film and music side and creating an agency and studio component where we are able to bring them back to shoot their next film or their next music video or record and, Sound of Music, which is one of our partners, or In Your Ear, and so we bring that production back is really what that's next expansion will be so we bring business back to our brick-and-mortar companies. But really, just build Virginia as a whole as the, you know, up-and-coming arts, film,music incubator and hub of the Mid-Atlantic. So, thats one expansion that's in the works. And the other one is, taking our educational side, which includes a full music panel series, which takes place during the festival, as well as the flow creative conference, which 00:10:00is kind of inclusive in not just music and film makers, but journalists and branders, marketers, everything, and taking those into a year-round effort where we provide educational opportunities for the local community here and for collaboration among some of our partners and businesses and to allow international talent to be flowing in and out of Richmond.

Interviewer: What is something that a winner would get as a prize?

Waters: We, um, they get a number of things. So, on the film side, we've got 00:11:00cash prizes, um, and it varies if they're the grand prize winner, the grand jury winner on film and screenplays, that includes features and shorts. And then we have, uh, other things where they get Sony Vegas editing software so they can go out and work on their next projects or Final Draft, which is software for screenwriting, and then a number of other things for the music side. We do things where we offer them like, 30 days, 60 days of complimentary marketing and branding and consultation so we can see where they're at and their career--. You know, that's really designed to kind of discover the next big up and, you know, coming talent in the nation, right? So, we'd want those people to come back, we work with them based on where they're at in their career, and, if it's a music video they need, we shoot them out to our partners, if its branding, we step in and consult them that way, so, and in addition, you see these awards over here, 00:12:00we've got lots of different awards that are given out to the winners at the red carpet of awards ceremony.

Interviewer: So, what is something that you've learned about yourself since moving to Richmond?

Waters: (inhales) That I'm crazy (laughs) You know, it is-- gosh, I have learned so much. That's a great question. You know, I think it-- one thing, you know, this has been such a labor of love and a passion and the vision is much bigger than--way bigger than-- just something I want to do. Its truly about the development of the commonwealth and Virginia as a whole. Um, so, you know there's been a lot of sacrifices and challenges and huge risks that I've learned 00:13:00that I've got to take and continue taking, and that's always a challenge, in addition, particularly here in Virginia, it's um, I noticed very early on that there was a challenge, a desire and also a challenge to get everyone working together. Because we're a smaller market, there can be, at times, some competition. And I think, one of the joys has been getting at the table with so many of the people and saying, "Alright, regardless of, you know, if you guys are competitors, let's all work together on these projects" And, learning how to, you know, understand other organizations and their companies and their mission and be able to, like, communicate and unite us all around a common vision. And that really, for me anyway, has ultimately, the development of the area.

Interviewer: Is there any correlation between the Richmond Folk Festival?

Waters: There is no relationship, although I will tell you that the Folk Festival is one of my favorite festivals on the music end that Richmond does, and, I have total admiration for them, and so, recently in the last few months to a year, there's some of us that have been coming together--myself from RIFF-- and some of the people that put that on, along with many other people, who have tried to collaborate and create a discussion around the sustainability, like how can we develop the music scene here, together, and sustain that over time. And, there's some folks from the folk fest that are very much involved with that.

Interviewer: Outside of RIFF, how engaged are you within the community?

Waters: I am all about community. We work with our universities, one of my goals while I’ve been here is to harness the talent of a community and try to keep them here instead of trying to go to New York, or Atlanta, LA...which I did from Nashville, so I understand all that and it’s kind of a chicken and egg thing and it’s something I’ve been, I just gave up my post as the president of the Virginia Production Alliance, and, what the VPA does is, we’ve worked closely with the Virginia film office and other entities to create a production-friendly environment here across the state. On one hand, we’re plugged into workforce development, and try to give you guys (college students) opportunities to keep you here, or we may be working with the legislators to you know, advocate for better incentives for our producers that are, you know, out like Lincoln and *inaudible* and Mercy Street, all these productions we get to come, you know, here to Virginia to shoot here versus Canada or LA or Atlanta. So, I’ve served as the president for three years on that , volunteered before that, and um, you know, really across the state have focused a lot of efforts on all of our industries and tried to help mobilize and develop those across the state. And you know, I do have a little bit of affinity for Richmond, because I adore Richmond, but truly, for me, it really is, you know, a desire to develop the state as a whole. It keeps me going. On those days, you’re really putting in long hours. It’s about vision. We uh, it really is about a lot of people coming together. I think it’s exciting to see Richmond, and, even other parts of the state starting to do that more and more and more...not only in their own industry, but working together across industries, which is something that’s really important to me. And RIFF is… that’s why it exists.