What does it really take to build a career as a feature film director — starting at age 15 and continuing across continents, cultures, and film festivals?

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage, Director of the La Femme International Film Festival, sits down with Dominik Sedlar, an award-winning director whose career spans documentaries, narrative features, international co-productions, and major festival premieres.

Born in Croatia, raised in New York, and educated through hands-on experience in theater and film, Dominik shares what he’s learned from directing his first documentary as a teenager, making ultra-low-budget features, working with veteran actors, and navigating the increasingly competitive festival and distribution landscape.

This conversation is a must-listen for filmmakers, directors, producers, and actors who want an honest look at the craft, business, and psychology behind making films that actually get seen.

🎥 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Dominik directed his first documentary at age 15
• The key differences between theater acting and film acting
• Why “less direction” often leads to better performances
• How to make a feature film with limited money and free locations
• What it’s really like working with seasoned actors vs. inexperienced ones
• How to keep audiences engaged in a single-room, dialogue-driven film
• Lessons learned from shooting during COVID under tight timelines
• The realities of today’s festival circuit and film distribution
• Advice for first-time directors and emerging filmmakers
• Why resilience, adaptability, and collaboration matter more than ever

Whether you’re developing your first feature, transitioning from documentary to narrative, or trying to break through the noise of today’s content-saturated film world, this episode delivers practical insights and hard-earned wisdom from a director who’s lived it.

🎧 Subscribe to Best in Fest for in-depth conversations with filmmakers, festival directors, and industry insiders shaping the future of independent film.

In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Danielle Hobbs—a true multi-hyphenate creative force whose career spans dance, choreography, acting, education, authorship, and filmmaking.

Danielle Hobbs Full Episode

Danielle shares her remarkable journey from concert dance and global tours to choreographing for Beyoncé, performing on Michael Jackson’s Immortal World Tour, and ultimately expanding her creative mission through children’s books and narrative filmmaking.

In this episode, Danielle discusses:

• How her dance foundation shaped her confidence, performance presence, and storytelling instincts
• Her path from concert dance to choreography for major recording artists
• What it’s really like choreographing for film vs. live performance—and how camera, story, and movement must align
• The creation of her children’s book series Danny Girl Adventures: Dream It, Do It, and why representation and empowerment matter
• The inspiration behind her short film Amethyst Girl: Destiny, a dance-driven story about creativity, identity, and purpose
• Using short films as proof of concept for larger projects and grant-funded features
• Why growth takes time—and why comparing timelines can derail creative careers
• How dance, psychology, and storytelling intersect as tools for healing and transformation

This episode is packed with insight for filmmakers, dancers, performers, creative entrepreneurs, and storytellers navigating career pivots, passion projects, and purpose-driven work.

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In this powerful episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage sits down with Marcia S. Ross—Emmy-nominated documentary producer and former SVP of Casting at Walt Disney Pictures—to reveal the real Hollywood career path that led her from discovering breakout stars to producing globally recognized documentaries like Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life, Nazarene, and The Savoy King.

Marcia opens up about:

• Her rise through New York theater and casting—including her years at CBS, Warner Bros., and Disney.
• How she identified early star power in actors such as Channing Tatum, Angelina Jolie, and Megan Fox—and what “compelling” really means in the audition room.
• What filmmakers get wrong about distribution and why marketing begins before you finish the film.
• Building social media momentum for documentaries, leveraging algorithms, and why PR budgets must center around festival premieres.
• Raising money, navigating approvals, and surviving the business side of both indie film and Hollywood studios.
• Why filmmakers—not distributors—must drive viewership on streamers like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
• Her passion for films centered on activists, underdogs, and global changemakers—and how those stories reshaped her own life.
• Career advice for actors: how to stand out, how casting directors think, and why the best auditions create long-term advocates.
• Why comparison is career-killing, and how she maintains perspective, gratitude, and purpose in a brutal industry.

Whether you’re a filmmaker preparing to pitch distributors, an actor trying to understand casting, or a creative searching for a sustainable path in the industry, this conversation delivers deep, actionable insight from someone who has shaped careers and stories for over three decades.