Meet Trailblazer Andrea McCracken

Andrea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in sunny Phoenix, Arizona by this fierce Mexican woman, Maria Tiznado, my mother. She’s always been this icon, a creative soul whose support and guidance have led me through my journey in discovering who I am and what drives me.I’d say it runs through our blood. She was a talented actress in Mexico, before coming over to the US with her family and working various jobs, one of them being a radio DJ. As a baby, I was surrounded by music; my dad would always have the radio on, so I could hear her voice when she was away. Despite being raised in a creative space, I was a bit more introverted and much more studious throughout elementary school. I opened up a bit in high school, but I always prioritized school, and in my case math, over anything. After four years of working hard, I graduated high school in 2010 as valedictorian, with a plan to study architecture at Arizona State University. I was halfway through my first semester when I realized: I just didn’t want to sit down and draw lines for a whole class period anymore.

Speaking as a child of an immigrant family, I find that I’ve always had to convince myself that when I was faced with opportunities, being “practical” or “smart” were the most important deciding factors. After all, your kind of obligated to pursue that “American Dream”, and you should make their sacrifices worth it. I always imagined that anything creative or outside the box was for “everyone else”. Being a filmmaker, in a serious sense, never crossed my mind; nothing about it seemed practical or smart, and was clearly meant for, if not everyone, someone else. This is not to say that my family wasn’t supportive of creative endeavors, but as a kid I was so aware of how hard it was to make a living, especially for my family, where English was a second language. It’s a bit harder to be creative in a language and culture that’s not your own. I was more focused on working to survive, versus exploring and creating. Things changed when I decided to take a film elective course.

Two years into a math major (the next practical thing after architecture you might say), I had this gut feeling; I needed to balance all that left-brain work from my math degree with something creative. I always loved films, but never thought anything more of it. So, I signed up for a film elective course, and it basically changed my life. I never related to anyone as much as I did to the other students in my film class. Cut to two years later, and I graduated with a B.A. in Film and Media Production.

I had gained a lot of video production experience during my junior year, when I was hired on as a student videographer for ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts’ Video Department. There I learned to take the creative process of making a film and marry it with marketing. Looking back now, I think this is where my desire to be entrepreneur came from. I produced, shot, and edited video promos, event recaps, testimonials, and a lot of documentary-styled content. I was lucky to build my portfolio and be ready to apply to videographer jobs after graduating. I dipped into freelance and paid my dues like everyone else does, then I got my first full-time job at Better Business Bureau, working solely on internal corporate videos. A year later, I was recruited to work at a video production company in Chandler where I was able to add so much more to my skill set. I was introduced to cinema cameras and experienced mid to high level productions, shooting commercials and editing content for various types of clients from local to international brands.

After soaking in everything and realizing it was time for me to level up, a few collaborators and I decided to start our own company, Rollcrew Media, where we focus on producing affordable and thoughtful content. Whether that is testimonials, event recaps, promos, or films, we approach all our projects with the same passion. Working with clients, learning their needs, and then collaborating with them every step of the way; it’s all thrilling.

Many other opportunities have been rooted in that first step I made to become an entrepreneur and kick open my own doors. I’m currently teaching Film and Media Production at Arizona State University and wrapping up a few films under Cinema Duende, a creative collective of local filmmakers. What I once thought of as an opportunity that was meant for “everyone else”, is now something I look forward to doing every day.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I suppose like everyone else, I’ve had struggles when it came to the stresses and anxieties of job security or choosing the “right” path towards the dream. It’s much harder out here in Phoenix for independent filmmaking, where it’s not your typical filmmaking hub, like LA or NYC. But what I’ve learned through all of that, is it all comes down to work ethic and perseverance; making it happen regardless anything else standing in your way.

My advice for women specifically is: don’t get bogged down with this strange idea that being a woman is going to make it harder. The world might be harder on you, but it’s not hard for you to succeed. It’s always been bizarre to imagine that, being a “woman” or anything less than a “man” should hinder you from being capable of fulfilling your creative destiny. Don’t let those ideas slow you down.

Final advice: All you need is passion and that’ll feed your drive. It’s you against the world, so be on your side. Cheer yourself up, work hard, and never doubt your decisions. Through that strength you’ll prove everyone else’s stigmas wrong.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Rollcrew Media, Cinema Duende, Movie Confessional Podcast – what should we know?
I’m currently juggling a few hats, from being Creative Director at Rollcrew Media, teaching a film course at Arizona State University, and pursuing filmmaking as an independent filmmaker with my creative collective Cinema Duende. There’s also my Movie Confessional podcast somewhere in my list of to-dos, where my best friends and I discuss what we love: films and supporting local independent filmmaking here in Phoenix. We’ve recorded a few episodes and are planning a launch towards the start of the year.

As much as it all sounds, I do love keeping busy and working at my craft. It’s all about improving and learning new things through day-to-day practice.

If I had to choose what I’m most proud of, I’d say, writing and directing films independently; that’s when I feel the bravest. What sounds better than building and kicking open all those doors with the people you love to collaborate with? It’s a chance to go at it and figure things out as you make mistakes and then… do it all over again.

I’m most proud of the opportunity and privilege I have to work with my Cinema Duende team and other local filmmakers. Their support through my journey thus far has been everything to me. Independent filmmaking is extremely exhausting and at times impossible, but there’s no stopping us now. Cinema Duende has produced a few short films and will soon be moving into developing a web/tv series and a feature film. That’s the next phase: level up.