Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Romano.
Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I learned at a very young age, that if I was going to succeed in this industry, then I was going to have to make it happen for myself. I knew I was going to have to work really really hard- impossibly hard. Nothing ever came easy for me, which was ok, because I learned to value every opportunity that I worked so hard to get. But I also had to accept the fact that I would be fighting for a dream that no one else could see or understand but me, and the reality was, it may never even happen.
When you go to school to be a Teacher, or an Accountant, for example- you know that once you finish school, that is what you are going to be. When you want to be an Actress or have a profession in the Arts, you don’t know if that is something that will ever happen. The only thing that is certain is that you are pursuing a life of uncertainty. It doesn’t always have to do with Talent either. A lot of it depends on timing and luck, or who you know and who knows you.
It’s exciting and terrifying all at the same time. It’s a gamble for sure, and a risk you have to be willing to take. I always tell people who ask me for my advice about being in the industry, that “if there is anything else that you could ever see yourself doing and be happy, then do that!” It’s a quote I read, and would ask myself often if it was possible for me to ever be happy doing anything else, but I know I never could. I grew up in Burlington Massachusetts. I have one younger sister and growing up, I was always the quiet one. We laugh about it now since that is certainly not the case anymore.
I was very shy and insecure throughout my youth. I wasn’t very good at sports and would have preferred to be home watching movies and getting lost in my own fantasy world. I’d pretend that I was Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” or Molly Ringwald in “Pretty in Pink.” At that age, the fantasy was always better than the reality, and I was happy when I was completely lost in these films. I remember so clearly, the moment I knew I wanted to be an actress. My mother was watching Franco Zephirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” and she called for me to watch it with her. It was my first introduction to Shakespeare and I was completely enamored.
Up until that point, I had never experienced such heightened emotions just from watching a movie. I was happy, I was in love, I was tormented, I was devastated, I was crying hysterically, and I didn’t really understand how a movie and these actors could have such an ability to cause me to feel such emotions as I was experiencing. I knew that this was an incredible gift- to provoke emotion like this, to be able to stir an audience’s sole, and I knew that I wanted to be an actress. Growing up in a small town, it’s not every day you hear someone say “I want to be an Actress.” Most everyone brushed it off. They’d laugh and tell my parents “It’s Ok. Don’t worry, she’ll get over it.”
During my high school years, I studied as many film courses as I could. I was introduced to some of the most incredible films, including “Wait Until Dark” with Audrey Hepburn. My inspiration has always been Audrey. Her talent and grace are as timeless as she is beautiful. In interviews, she was always humble and inspired people to always do good and help others whenever they had the chance. I idolized her for all of these reasons. Once I got into college, I began to really focus more on the Shakespearean plays that I loved so much!
I was a Theater Major and loved seeing these plays come to life on stage. I was very fortunate to play such incredible parts including one of my favorite roles, as Helena, in Shakespeare’s “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream.” After College, I decided to venture off and try my luck in the Big Apple City in New York. I had spent the entire Summer sending my Headshots and Resumes to every Agent, Manager, and Casting Office I could find an address for. I spent my days walking around the City and searching for film sets. I would randomly find productions that were filming, and blend in as a non paid extra just to meet people, and ask questions about who had hired them, and how to register.
Luckily, it didn’t take me too long to find out how it all worked in NY. I was constantly jumping from set to set, working all hours, trying to pay my rent and make as many contacts as I could. One of my favorite memories from NY is when I got booked as an extra on the Series Finale of “The Sopranos.” I showed up to set expecting just to be in the background and ended up getting upgraded to Tony Soprano’s Niece. It was such an amazing day and I loved every moment I got to spend on set with James Gandolfini.
One of my biggest regrets was not getting to NY sooner to try and be a bigger part of this show! The moment I walked onto the set, I was bombarded by the cast and crew asking me, “Who are you? Why have we never seen you before? You look like you should be a part of the Soprano Family!” A part of me always felt like if I had just gotten to NY sooner, that maybe I would have had a chance to be a bigger part on this show. That’s when I realized how fortunate I was to have made this move now. I didn’t want to have any more regrets. I’m just happy that I was at least able to have been a small part of the Sopranos history.
Becoming a Producer changed my life. I never wanted to do anything but act, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play the parts I wanted to play unless I learned how to create those opportunities for myself. Over the years, I had the privilege of being on so many wonderful sets and meeting so many supportive people. I knew that if I just focused on the production side of things for a while, that eventually, I would be able to make my own films. That chance came when a dear friend, and actor, Don Tempesta told me that he wanted to invest in a movie, and he wanted me to produce it.
I had been approached about starring in a project earlier that year, so this just seemed like the perfect opportunity to make this film as my first production. It all happened very quickly. The auditions, the crew calls, the location scouting, etc, all happened within a month before we started principal photography. It was a lot of work! One of the hardest and most stressful experiences of my life. But it was all worth it in the end. I learned so much and discovered a real passion for filmmaking. Being behind the camera for the first time was a huge revelation for me. I loved every minute of it. I will never forget the people who really came through for me in order to be a part of my first Roman Media production.
None of this would have been possible without the support of the Boston community, and I will always be thankful for everyone who was involved. Since then, I have produced several short films, a web series pilot, and signed a 6 picture feature film deal, slated to begin production within the next year. It’s all very exciting and I am so thankful to have discovered this new found passion for being both in front and behind the camera. I plan to continue to do both whenever possible. As far as roles I like to play, it is a dream to always explore different types of roles and personalities. I don’t need to always play the ingenue. Give me something with substance and I’m happy.
Making the move to LA was a whole new world for me. I learned a lot about myself as an Actress as well as a Producer, and what it really meant to be a woman on the other side of the camera. Lucille Ball is the perfect example that a woman can be funny and glamorous at the same time. She was incredibly brave to speak up about women in film and being comfortable with who they are. She was also a film studio executive and producer. I’ve always admired her for that. I also really love what Geena Davis is doing in support of women filmmakers.
I recently attended a Women in Film event during Oscar week and had the chance to meet Jennifer Lawrence and hear her speak about her thoughts on filmmaking. It is all so inspiring and I can only hope and dream of having the opportunity to work with these women in the future. It’s interesting to hear the reactions I get when I tell people I’m a Producer. The most common responses have been, “Really? You are a Woman Filmmaker?” or “I would really like to work with you because you are a Woman, Filmmaker.” I never understood the significance of what that really meant. At first, I used to get insulted and say, “No. I am just a Filmmaker.”
There was no need to focus on the fact that I am a woman. If someone wants to work with me, I want it to because I am good at my job, and not for any other reason. However, now I’ve learned to embrace this fact because I know that it means something more. I’ve worked with men for a long time, and I never thought much about it. It’s just all that I knew. However, I will say that working with strong, passionate women is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I hope to have more opportunities to do so in the future. It is amazing what women can accomplish when they support each other, and there are so many incredible organizations surrounding Women in Film and Women in Media.
Their goal is to celebrate women and the men that support them. For me, there is something so incredibly empowering about that! I recently held an event in Hollywood, Celebrating Women in Film and Diversity in Entertainment. The turnout was absolutely extraordinary! The people who came out and the support that we received was nothing like I ever could have imagined. It was a magical night for sure! We had a gorgeous fashion show presented by Celebrity Designer, Shekhar Rahate. It was an incredible night of celebration as Filmmakers, Oscar Winners, and members of the press all came out in support of this event. It was absolutely amazing!
I’m looking forward to collaborating with everyone and doing more with the LA film community as well as in Boston over the upcoming years. There is a lot of Power in being a Producer. We have the ability to change lives and make things happen. It takes a lot of networking and entrepreneurial skills to pull off a film production. I’ve been very fortunate to have made such great friends and obtain such valuable resources within the film industry throughout my in the business. It’s incredible how many people it takes to make a film.
Every single role is so crucial in contributing to the success of making a movie. There are still so many things I need to learn and look forward to learning more and more on each set that I walk onto. My absolute favorite part of being a Producer is having the opportunity to help other people achieve their dreams, while they are working so hard to contribute to mine. I’ve had people contact me saying “I’ll do anything you need. I just want the experience of being on your set!” I love the feeling of giving someone the opportunity to come onto my set and learn more about the process.
Hardworking and dedicated crew are so valuable to me. I’ve had several crew members say that they would rather volunteer to be on my set for free, then be paid to work on other sets where they haven’t been treated well at all. It is always shocking to me to hear these kinds of stories, and I pride myself in knowing that I run my sets a lot differently- or at least I strive to do so in every way that I can. It should be fun!
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” -Oprah
One thing I have also learned is to really value the true friendships you have in your life. I have a very small circle of people who I would actually call real friends. I had to learn the difference between people who actually care about my well being and want me to succeed, opposed to the people who just care for themselves and what they are able to accomplish by being in my life.
If I wasn’t an actress, I’d probably go insane! It’s such an emotional experience and an outlet to release all of the passion and intensity that we hold onto. I wouldn’t be who I am now without having had these experiences through theater and film. Acting is Magic.
As a performer, we get to transform ourselves into different characters, learn what it’s like to live life as other people and have the chance to experience things we may not have ever had the chance to otherwise. And if we are really lucky, someone somewhere will feel affected by the performance, and that to me is the biggest gift I could ever give- to have the ability to make someone feel something other than themselves, even if it’s just for a brief moment.
Winning the award for Best Lead Actress in France for the first movie I ever made, was one of the biggest turning points in my life! It told me that despite the ups and downs, and day to day rejection that I faced- I AM on track, I AM good at what I do, and I need to keep going. I want to inspire people.
I want someone to say they heard my story, and they didn’t give up because of it. I truly believe that anything is possible if we work hard enough to make it happen. I’ve fought for everything I have. I’m the CEO of my own Production Company, Roman Media, the spokesmodel for a Beauty line, and I’ve made Award Winning movies.
I am truly living the dream, and so thankful for of all of it! But the truth is, I’m still nowhere near where I want to be in my career. I have extremely high expectations for myself. I want to be a regular on a TV series, I want to perform at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London, and I want to win an Oscar. It’s been an incredible journey, despite all of the highs and lows.
I’m learning that everything happens exactly when it is supposed to happen, and I just need to trust that. Every day is an adventure and I’m so grateful for every moment of it! I know that I have a long road ahead of me to fulfill my goals, but I’m willing to work for them because I believe that the best is still to come!
Has it been a smooth road?
One thing I am very vocal about is letting people know that nothing has come easy for me on this journey. I have had to fight for every single success that I have had. I am sure that has helped me to appreciate everything so much more because of my struggles.
Nothing on this path has been easy for me. Nothing was handed to me. It is a struggle every single day. I think it is important for people to understand that. I had to figure it all out on my own.
Since I was 14 years old, I was told that I was not pretty enough or thin enough to make it in this industry. I simply just did not have “the look.” For whatever reason, this only angered me and motivated me to prove everyone wrong. I never really understood what a “look” had to do with being a successful actress. We are all just people really. I still struggle with these issues even now.
I think it is normal for us to doubt ourselves at times, but I have worked too hard to give up on myself. All I can do is remind myself of how much I love what I do, and that this is about my dream and not those of critics. I read an article once about Meryl Streep and the similar encounters she had faced. She could have quit right then too, but she didn’t, and now she has Oscars to show for it!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Roman Media – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Roman Media is a Boston based Production Company, which has expanded over the last few years to Los Angeles as well. We specialize in Film Production, TV/Web Series, and Events. Our first feature film production premiered at the Festival de Cannes in 2012, and we have produced several award-winning projects since then.
We are currently in pre-production on several films/series at this time, and I cannot wait to share them with everyone once I can officially announce them to the public. This is going to be our most productive year so far, and it has really been a dream to see how much this company has grown over the last few years!
I am really proud of the films we have made, and the industry relationships that we have built. I am especially proud of our annual Hollywood event that takes place each February. We use this event to really champion Women in Film and Diversity in Entertainment.
It is always a huge turn out for us, and we have the opportunity to celebrate with Filmmakers, Entrepreneurs, Oscar Winners, etc and really come together as a community to support our love for the arts.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love everything about Boston! I love being in LA as well… but Boston will always be my home. No matter what happens with my career in Hollywood, I always find myself needing to come home in between projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RomanMediaInc.com
- Email: michelle@romanmediainc.com
Image Credit:
Mo Mendes, Roman Media, Granimo Photography
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