Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Catie Loth Is Helping To Change Our World

Posted on

I truly believe in the principle that what goes around comes around. Helping others or supporting a cause shouldn’t stem from obligation because someone else tells you that it’s the right thing to do. With every positive action you take, when sharing your passion, you make an impact on your own life just as much as on someone else’s. When you stand up for a cause you believe in, you will make many amazing connections, find new communities that allow us to better understand ourselves and one another, and create moments that shape who you are as a person. Impacting someone else’s life in a positive way will also have a positive impact on your life.

As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Catie Loth.

Catie Loth (she/her) is a German writer and producer based in LA with over six years of experience in the entertainment industry in Germany and the United States. Catie has contributed to numerous award-winning film projects on set, including We Might As Well Be Dead (2022), and collaborated with production companies like AGBO, Village Roadshow, and 87North off set. Combining her passion for physical production and development has led her to become a writer and producer for film, TV and music videos. Catie is passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, especially supporting stories that center around queer and minority experiences and help bring their creative visions to life.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?

Absolutely! I am an independent producer and writer in the entertainment industry. I grew up in Germany and have always had a passion for film and television. I wrote my first screenplay in elementary school — a modern adaptation of “The Little Red Riding Hood”, which I performed with my classmates. Technically, that was the first play I wrote and produced. I kept writing stories and made my first short film in middle school. However, initially, I thought of filmmaking as a creative form of expressing myself in form of a hobby, and not as a professional career. It wasn’t until I moved to Chicago after high school and took film classes at Northwestern University that I realized I could pursue film professionally.

In film school in Germany, we had to specialize in a specific department, whether directing, producing, writing, cinematography, sound, or editing. Unsure of my path, I decided to gain hands-on experience across various roles on set — from PA to Set Dresser to Assistant Director to Location Manager. This diverse experience provided invaluable insights into the filmmaking process and the needs of each crew member– which has become invaluable knowledge for me as a producer.

However, ever since I lived in Chicago, I wanted to return to the US — and since I had grown up watching Hollywood productions, I wanted to make those movies, which is why I moved to Los Angeles and pursued the dream of American filmmaking.

That’s when I learned about the film development off set and how the studio system works. I started working in the development department of production companies like AGBO (Marvel, Citadel, Extraction), 87North (Bullet Train, The Fall Guy), and Village Roadshow (Joker, Matrix), where I found my passion for developing projects. This experience combined my passion for finding and creating stories as well as organizing and planning projects. Hence, I focused on becoming a creative producer while working as a writer and producer on smaller independent films. Since I had to rebuild my entire network from scratch in LA, I started producing music videos and worked my way up to build a reputation as a writer and producer for narrative film and TV as well.

My work focuses on meaningful stories that celebrate diversity and inclusion surrounding LGBTQ equality and mental health awareness, about people who often seem misrepresented or misunderstood in our society. Recent projects highlight themes of female empowerment, trans visibility, and non-binary representation. Currently, I am producing a psychological thriller about mental health.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I remember one of the very first times I ever worked on a film set. I was a 2nd AD (Assistant Director) and didn’t know all of the responsibilities of the position and how to best support the rest of the crew. During one scene, I was tasked with placing background actors. When it came time to roll, the director wasn’t satisfied with their positions and we lost extra time as he had to replace everyone himself. Afterward, I was sent to act as a stand-in for the main actor’s eyeline. Unfortunately, the actor was unaware of that and frustratedly asked after multiple takes in front of the whole crew if I could go away because I was distracting him, standing in his eyeline.

This day had been extremely discouraging for me, feeling like a failure and having no idea what I was doing.

Today, a few years later, I have been a background actor myself for many big TV shows, including Only Murders in the Building, Grey’s Anatomy, and Dr. Odyssey, where I have observed 2nd AD’s at work, and I have been a producer on smaller projects employing ADs myself. These experiences have given me a new perspective on those past mistakes and taught me not to be too hard on myself and to allow myself the time and space to learn and grow.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

I think my most rewarding experience since I moved to LA was working on set with Joe and Anthony Russo during my time at AGBO. The Russo brothers directed some of my favorite film and television content, like Community and the Marvel movies, Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame. Their work influenced my love for filmmaking, which is why I am extremely thankful for being able to have worked at their company AGBO, and watch them work on set.

I often struggle with my expectations for my career and find it hard to acknowledge my accomplishments. However, being able to work on set with some of today’s most accomplished and talented filmmakers helped me shift my perspective. In those moments, I learned to practice gratitude for the opportunity to learn from these inspiring people, whose talent and career I aspire to reach one day myself, while I am just at the beginning of my career.

Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?

I find inspiration more in contemporary figures than historical ones. While I love learning about history to understand our present and future, my role models are often those I encounter in my life. In particular, I have been greatly inspired by the incredible female leaders Annie Marter and Angela Otstot-Russo, who were my bosses at 87North and AGBO. They showed me that it was possible to be a successful, confident woman in a leadership position while leading with kindness and supporting young, aspiring filmmakers like myself. Having role models like this for young women is incredibly important in my opinion, because it showed me, that my dreams and aspirations of being a successful woman in the film industry can come true too.

Additionally, public figures like Lauren Kennedy West (Living Well After Schizophrenia) and Selena Gomez have inspired me on a level of personal growth, especially in regards to understanding and advocating for mental health, which I will elaborate at a later point in this interview.

Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?

Yes, I am happy to share how my film projects focus on having a positive social impact. While I try to make a social commentary with almost all of the projects I take on, I would love to focus my answer on my most recent film project Intruder. It’s a psychological thriller that I wrote together with my friend and director Ossey James and which I am producing. Intruder is about Hannah Edwards, a young professional who seems to have it all, but loses her sanity, when strange occurrences haunt her house and her mind. While the story explores the blurred between delusion and reality through the lens of fear and isolation, the film is more than just a suspenseful movie. Our goal with Intruder is to offer an accurate, empathetic portrayal of the internal battles and isolation many who deal with mental illness face.

We live in a chaotic world where misconceptions, lack of communication, and snap judgements leave people feeling disconnected, misunderstood, and alone. This directly impacts the day-to-day mental health and quality of life of individuals, families and communities. Furthermore, mental illness is often misunderstood or misrepresented in the media. With Intruder, we want to give people a space to connect and better understand themselves and each other after watching our film. We hope it will spark authentic conversations and explorations into where “Intruders” invade our own sense of connection and inspire curiosity, empathy and a shift toward greater wellbeing.

That’s why we teamed up with The Shift, a production company dedicated to shifting narratives about mental health through storytelling while also providing care for both creators and audiences and access to valuable resources. They will guide us as Social Impact Producers to ensure themes of mental health and emotional complexity are treated with authenticity and care by partnering with mental health organizations and providing educational resources. Additionally, they create opportunities and events to have conversations around mental health and help spread the film’s message.

We hope to connect with others who care about mental health throughout the process of making this film and by sharing it with the world. Together we aim to shift mindsets and behaviors about how mental health is perceived and talked about.

Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?

My “Aha Moment” came when I faced my own mental health struggles after moving to Los Angeles. Although I had always been an advocate for checking in with one’s own mental state and addressing any issues through the support of family, friends, or therapy, I had never really needed to face any of those struggles. I found myself unprepared to confront challenges I didn’t anticipate and hadn’t experienced before. During this difficult period, I began writing the first draft of Intruder, processing my feelings through the script.

During my research for the project, I discovered Lauren Kennedy’s YouTube channel, Living Well After Schizophrenia (previously named Living Well With Schizophrenia), and Selena Gomez’s documentary, My Mind & Me, as well as her work at Wondermind. These resources were instrumental in educating me about mental health, fostering empathy for myself and others, and inspiring me to advocate for mental health awareness through my work.

Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?

I believe that each genuine attempt to understand one another makes an impact. Throughout the development of Intruder, I’ve engaged in many inspiring conversations with both close friends and new acquaintances. These connections foster a sense of community and understanding, helping us to feel less isolated and alone. I am thankful for all the positive feedback we have been receiving from the people we met along the way while working on bringing this film to life and making Intruder a reality.

As we are just at the beginning of our mental health journey with Intruder, I look forward to making many more meaningful connections and having impactful conversations.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

Of course! Here are “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”

  1. Dream Big: This is more of a motto of mine than advice. I have very high ambitions when it comes to my personal and professional goals, but I keep saying that you will never reach those goals — no matter how grand they may seem — if you don’t dare to set them in the first place.
  2. Trust your Abilities: I believe it is important to trust your own strength and abilities. Some challenges may seem too hard to take on alone, you are afraid to fail or don’t think you have the connections, knowledge, or skill to do it. You need to have enough trust in yourself to be strong enough to make the first step. Once you start, you take it one step at a time, task by task, day by day, and as you move through the process, you keep growing and learning to take on these challenges.
  3. Have Patience & Faith: Just keep going. It can be discouraging not seeing results right away — or after months and years of trying even. Whether that is for career goals you have for yourself or personal growth. Trust the process and have faith because persistence and hard work eventually will pay off. Every stepping stone along the way is necessary to get you there.
  4. Failure is a Necessity: Throughout the process of reaching your goals, you will fail. Failure is necessary to learn, evolve, and move forward — not just for professional success, but also to grow as a human.
  5. Lean on your Family & Friends: Especially during those times of failure, it’s important to rely on the support of your family and friends. They love you and are here to support you. It’s okay to reach and depend on them to help you through a rough time — even if you haven’t spoken in a while. I learned to trust that your friends and family genuinely care about you and want to be there for you. All you have to do is ask.

If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?

I truly believe in the principle that what goes around comes around. Helping others or supporting a cause shouldn’t stem from obligation because someone else tells you that it’s the right thing to do. With every positive action you take, when sharing your passion, you make an impact on your own life just as much as on someone else’s. When you stand up for a cause you believe in, you will make many amazing connections, find new communities that allow us to better understand ourselves and one another, and create moments that shape who you are as a person. Impacting someone else’s life in a positive way will also have a positive impact on your life.

We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

This sounds great! Thank you for creating a space for people to make this connection. As I mentioned above, the two people who inspired me the most in my own mental health journey are Lauren Kennedy West and Selena Gomez, two highly inspirational mental health advocates.

I discovered Lauren’s YouTube channel Living Well With Schizophrenia (now titled Living Well After Schizophrenia), when I was going through a difficult time myself and was doing research for the screenplay Intruder, which I started writing at that time. Her channel helped me understand mental health and others’ experiences better. That knowledge and empathy, helped me deal with my own feelings and understand myself better. On top of that, it inspired the film Intruder, which I am now working on!

Selena Gomez has inspired me in many ways throughout my life. I had been a big fan of her work as an actress and singer ever since I was a pre-teen. The older I got, the more I grew into my own, finding my passions, forming career goals, connecting with causes that matter to me, and facing challenges. But, my admiration for her remained because I kept being inspired by her success and resilience, working hard while facing immense challenges with mental and physical health. While the Teenage version of me was inspired by her creative pursuit in the entertainment world, the older me keeps being inspired by her resilience, success, and positive impact with her mental health company Wondermind!

Collaborating with them would not only be an honor and a wish come true but also help amplify the message of mental health awareness that I am passionate about.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite saying is a phrase my dad taught me, ever since I was very little: “Hinfallen ist keine Schnade, liegen bleiben schon.” It translates “There is no shame in falling down, only in staying down.” A more famous quote that captured a similar sentiment, as my good friend taught me, comes from Winston Churchill “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

I have very big ambitions and even higher expectations for myself, so I struggle with accepting failure and disappointing myself. Reminding me of this quote, my dad keeps teaching me, that it is okay to fail. That there is no shame in struggle or failure. We just have to find the strength to get back up again and keep trying. Somehow there will be a way to get where you want to be, or get up and pursue something new.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on Instagram @catieloth. If you want to follow the journey of my film project Intruder and learn more about its message, you can do so on Instagram @intruderfilm and support our mission on our crowdfunding page.

My whole filmography, info on the films and where to watch them, as well as festivals and awards, can be found on my website: https://catieloth.my.canva.site/catieloth-filmprojects

This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!


Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Catie Loth Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.