Podcast #35: Making Your Own Success with Muted's Tara Tomicevic
I'm finally speaking with the incredibly inspiring Tara Tomicevic!
Tara is the Executive Producer of the short film "Muted" that is now airing on HBO. She also acted in the film alongside Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson.
Originally, Tara moved to LA to be an actor. While she found some success acting in commercials and other projects, she wasn't enjoying the everyday life of an actor that mostly revolves around auditioning and waiting for someone else to tell her when she is hired. Tara felt, "this can't be it.". Being a DOER, Tara felt compelled to take her career into her own hands.
"Producing and writing is her way of not waiting for permission." - tara Tomicevic
That's when she started producing "Muted" with her good friend Brandi Ford. It started as a small, fun, side project, and slowly grew into a powerhouse of a story. While Brandi spent time writing the script, Tara began producing, bringing experts together. When they felt ready, Brandi and Tara hosted a table read of the script with their actor friends.
After the table read, they shortened the script to 14 pages so it fit the "short" category. A Line Producer helped them figure out the ins and outs of pre-production, including SAG-AFTRA contracts, payroll, and insurance.
From left to right: Brandi Ford, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Chandra Wilson, and Tara Tomicevic
The "stars" aligned, and they were able to book Chandra Wilson and Malcolm-Jamal Warner as the leads.
Tara and Brandi were able to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter.
Some other links that Tara recommends:
We also talk about making money with your own projects and how Tara will move forward. With "Muted" on HBO, doors are opening, but doesn't necessarily guarantee a paycheck. In the meantime, Tara runs her own business to pay the bills so that she can continue to work on her passion projects. Television is a more stable paycheck, therefore a great direction to head in.
If you haven't seen Tara's film on HBO yet, go check it out! You can find more info about the short film here.
If you'd like to follow Tara on her upcoming projects, you can do so here: