Getting the Team Together

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the process a little bit and, in particular, my thoughts about the importance of having the right team and the right culture in my organization as we go forth and give birth to our first feature film, Red Door and Lemon Tree.

Let's start with the director: I met George Tsioutsioulas when we both worked at OMNI Television, formerly CFMT-TV. We both worked at the Greek variety and news program that aired in front of millions of audience in Toronto. I was a fledgling reporter trying to make my mark in the industry and touch and inform people with my stories. George was the entertainment reporter and celebrity interviewer for that show and others on the network.

I admired George but I was able to get a close picture of his character and personality on a remote shoot in Ottawa. Not only did I see him in action, putting his artistic touch on the piece, but I was also impressed with how loyal, friendly, down-to-earth and professional he was.

When I was looking to bring on board the right artistic, creative, and business team for Ariadne's Red Chair, George was one of the first people I thought of. When I spoke to him about the project it was obvious that we had the same vision. George was able to capture the essence of my screenplay and articulate a creative approach that was homogeneous to mine.

Irini Tzortzoglou was literally the first recruit and I can tell you she is the most dedicated and eager colleague I've ever had. She has the title of Location Manager but she is more than that. Her involvement reaches into many areas of production and I consider her my right hand woman. There are many aspects of Irini's personality that complement my own and that makes us a great team. She is spontaneous and adventurous, and she is also an insomniac.

My husband Peter Diplaros worked with me on this movie from the start, more than 15 years ago. He has always been my support system, and also my most honest and brutal critic. He helped hone my ideas and also all of the technical details, like installing Final Draft software and making PDFs. Recently he helped me modernize the screenplay, taking out some dated references like day-after newspaper references and put in more timely references to Twitter, Instagram and the like. He also helped me design my logo and business cards, built the company website and set up this blog.

There are more individuals who you will meet in the coming days, some who have been involved with the project as volunteers and who will take on important positions.

Our team culture is about creative collaboration, respect and loyalty. Our goal is to make a memorable and inspiring film that showcases our Greek culture and heritage while also being entertaining and making people think about life, belonging and knowing where they want to be.