Women’s History Month Feature
PaSH Magazine is celebrating Women’s History Month with a Q&A style mini-series highlighting women from many different industries making an impact in the world, their communities and for themselves. In this Q&A we will spend time with Gen LaGreca.
Meet Gen LaGreca
Gen LaGreca is an award-winning executive producer, film writer, and novelist. Her writings offer innovative plots and themes that inspire freedom and personal achievement. Her most recent movie Noble Vision has won over two dozen film-festival awards. Her latest feature, the sci-fi Fugitive from Asteron will be released later this year.
Her four novels have won thirteen literary awards, garnered praise from magazine magnate Steve Forbes, Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, Past President of the American Medical Association Edward Annis, and others. She has written the stage play adaptations of two of her novels, Just the Truth and Noble Vision. Her commentaries have appeared in Forbes, The Orange County Register, Real Clear Markets, and other publications. Prior to fiction writing, she worked as a pharmaceutical chemist, business consultant, and corporate writer.
LaGreca is the founder and president of Winged Victory Foundation Inc. The foundation’s mission is to communicate and champion the ideas of freedom through the magic of storytelling and the arts. The charitable 501(c)3 organization produces programs and holds events for educational, artistic, and literary purposes, including producing and distributing films, stage plays, and novels, supporting dance and music composing, and offering grants to nonprofit theatre and community groups to produce its plays or show its films.
Women’s History Month is a time to reflect on progress and possibility. What does being a woman in the entertainment industry mean to you today?
I’m incredibly proud to continue the journey of women in art and entertainment! With strength and courage, women of the past have shattered glass ceilings, changed the culture of their times, and paved the way for us. There have been times when women were banned from performing on stage, and men or boys played female roles instead. To avoid prejudice in a male-dominated world, women novelists and poets in the Nineteenth Century commonly published under male pseudonyms or anonymously, such as the female authors of Silas Marner, Jane Eyre, and Frankenstein.
Still Hurdles
By the time film came along, women, of course, enjoyed star power, but there still were hurdles. Today, hopefully, the casting couch is becoming a shameful relic of the past and dipsy roles for actresses are increasingly giving way to more serious parts.
Doors have also opened for women behind the camera, as producers, directors, writers, studio executives, etc. The executive producer, writer, and line producer of our upcoming sci-fi film are women, as are many other crew members, such as the woman who choreographed a fight scene between two men.
Festivals and Enrichment
I think film festivals have helped greatly in showcasing women’s work in film. WRPN Women’s International Film Festival and LA Independent Women Film Awards gave awards to my films, and there are many other women-centered festivals to call attention to our work.
Art and entertainment have been enriched by women who wanted to be judged by the merit of their work, rather than by preconceived stereotypes and prejudices. Today’s focus on merit in our society is a boost for deserving women. Yet even today, there’s more to do, especially for women in cultures in which they struggle for basic freedom of expression. Let’s support them in any way we can.
Who is a woman who inspired your journey in entertainment, and what impact did she have on the way you approach your work?
It’s hard to pick just one. Since it’s Women’s History Month, I’ll mention two novelists whose work inspired me and had a powerful impact on the culture.
The first is Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852. In a male-dominated world, she used her own name, rather than a male pseudonym. As her novel became widely read and galvanized people against slavery, she faced a far greater danger than prejudice against her gender. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was widely suppressed in the South, and she was deeply hated and threatened. What inspires me is her firm moral stand for what’s right and good and her literary ability to portray moral issues in a novel that teared at people’s hearts. She wrote about an issue of profound real-life importance and made a powerful contribution to the ultimate ending of slavery.
Another more contemporary author who used novels to write about timeless philosophical themes as well as the urgent issues of her day, and whose work still sells well and widely influences people today, is Ayn Rand. She wrote about heroes who struggled against the authoritarian controls of their time. She championed the free, independent human mind as the force that makes possible human happiness as well as the achievement and progress that moves the world forward. After I read her works, I wanted to write stories about the characters’ struggles for individuality and freedom. She was a model for me in my writing as well as in my forming Winged Victory Foundation, a nonprofit organization that champions the ideas of liberty through storytelling and the arts.
Was there a pivotal moment in your career that changed the trajectory of your path or helped you step fully into your purpose?
There were several ah-ha moments in my life. In middle school, I was on my way to a vocational high school. A guidance counselor saw in me an academic ability and interest that I hadn’t realized in myself. She influenced me to go to an academic high school instead, which completely changed my life. I loved school and learning, and I continued my education through to a master’s degree. The counselor was a kind, caring woman attuned to the students. People like her, who influence children to dream big, are heroes and heroines of the highest order.
Later on, it was a woman friend who encouraged me to try writing a novel as I loved writing and had stories I wanted to tell. She gave me the confidence in myself to attempt this task, which changed my career from business to the arts. After I’d written a couple of novels, another girl friend encouraged me to write a play adaptation of one of them, which led to a successful premiere at our local community theatre, which was the first public performance of one of my stories!
I think it’s very important for a woman to have girlfriends. The old TV series Sex and the City and The Golden Girls illustrate the supreme value girlfriends at any age of our lives.
Looking back at your journey so far, what milestone are you most proud of achieving?
The first milestone was when I held my first published novel, Noble Vision, in my hands—more accurately, I hugged it rather than held it. The years I had put into writing it were condensed into that 300-page book before me. It was exhilarating.
As I wrote several more novels over the years, I yearned to see my first story come alive through the magic of film. Full of hope, I wrote the screenplay for Noble Vision; then I faced the failure to interest a studio or independent producer to take the project. It took 19 years for me to reach that next milestone. Finally, the day came when I was sitting in a movie theatre and watching Noble Vision on the silver screen. That moment was beyond a milestone. It was a gemstone.
It’s hard to imagine that I started producing indie films just 4 years ago. My first effort was to film a stage play that was shot entirely on a soundstage. My next goal was the larger effort to produce a fully cinematic indie film. That one was Noble Vision, which went on to win over 2 dozen festival awards and to get distribution on the main streaming platforms. Now, I’m about to release a movie titled Fugitive from Asteron that has a name cast in Henry Ian Cusick and Dean Cain! From the filmed stage play to a film with accomplished stars! If I ever become known and people say, “We didn’t know who the heck she was yesterday, but now she’s an overnight success,” it’ll make me smile because it took over 20 years (and counting).
How do you stay grounded and maintain your creative voice in an industry that often tries to shape narratives and expectations?
Creative people don’t fit into formulaic patterns set by others. That’s why I wish there were more flexibility among some agents, studios, sellers, buyers, and others in entertainment. For example, take Jean Auel’s wonderful first novel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. Who writes novels about a young cave woman at the dawn of human life? Luckily, Ms. Auel did find an agent who was intrigued, got her what became a six-figure novel deal, and a motion picture followed. How win-win was that—when everyone took a chance on something new and entirely original? Others with talent and a new approach haven’t been as fortunate.
I wish we could stretch the boundaries I encounter for genre stories. For example, my sci-fi film is an adventure story spanning two planets. It also has a strong element of romance, a quest for personal freedom, and the healing of the main character’s inner struggles. To me, these elements enrich the film. Yet some seller and buyers seem to be looking only for strong action films in sci-fi, or romance in a romantic comedy, or a psychological journey in a character-driven story—but not for a mix of these elements in one cohesive sci-fi plot. My voice is different, so I’d love to see more doors opening for my films and other indie filmmakers.
What advice would you give to young women Wanting to pursue creative careers, but may feel intimidated?
Find something you love to do, something that can be viable as a business and not just, say, a hobby. Hone your creative skills to become very good at doing it. Then, in your Creator’s House, there needs to be a Business Room, actually a wing of the house, with rooms for budgeting, marketing, fund-raising, etc. You need both creative and business skills to succeed in the art of filmmaking. Or else, find a partner who has talent in the areas that are not your strong suit. You’d need a partner who loves and is as fully committed as you are to the business you’re forming.
Be Aware Of The Cons
Also recognize that it’s an extremely hard business. There’s so much content out there that it’s inherently difficult for indie films without huge marketing budgets to get noticed. The challenge of indie films to make a profit is in the nature of the situation, so don’t blame yourself. The finished film itself is a great achievement, so feel proud of it!
Dream Big And Enjoy The Ride
Success is a journey. It’s important to give ourselves credit along the way for what we’ve achieved, rather than to get bogged down with what we couldn’t yet do. Our attitude and confidence in ourselves are vitally important. So, my advice is to dream big and also to take credit for the little steps you’ve taken along the way. And enjoy the journey.
Thank you for reading this installment of the Women’s History Month Features. Come back each day to read a new inspiring story, centering women.
Learn more here: Noble Vision (2024) – IMDb Fugitive from Asteron – IMDb
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