Meet Lina Lansky | Freelancin’ in the Film Industry

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lina Lansky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lina, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
The first few years in the film industry, I would work all sorts of hours outside set, and on it, and would cancel plans I made if someone contacted me about an upcoming gig.

After awhile you start questioning this – why am I so eager to spend hours and hours on someone else’s ideas/work vs. my own? Why am I cancelling workouts, self care sessions, family/friend meetups to work on jobs that 1) aren’t that interesting, 2) not even paying me that much, and 3) causing me a lot of stress and annoyance.

I had to set some boundaries and make sure that I followed through. Nowadays, if someone contacts me 2 days before a gig, I won’t take it unless I really want/need to. I also make it very clear at what point in the day I will not be answering calls or emails. I don’t cancel plans nearly as much as I used to, and before I make any decision I think about how it will affect my outside work life. Anything that I sense will be detrimental isn’t even entertained.

This industry can be super fun to work in, but if you don’t take care of your body, mind, spirit, no one else will. The film industry standard is 12.5 hours a day, you add in commute time, OT, and all sorts of other things and you are looking at a good 16-18 hour day where the only thing your life centers around is that particular set. You can forget about your family, your interests/hobbies, plans. This isn’t normal to me, and I refuse to fall victim to it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a non union First Assistant Director, Production Manager and Producer. I have worked on features, shorts, music videos, commercials etc.

I never went to film school. I was actually in the middle of my Masters degree in Business Administration when I dipped my toe in communications and film. I almost dropped out to go for a film degree but figured it was not necessary.

I quit my full time job, end of 2016 and said that I would begin my freelancing career 2017 and see where it would take me. In passing, someone I had worked with a few times said I would make a good AD and that’s pretty much what I latched on to.

I knew no one in the indie film scene, and had to work my way through connecting via networking events, applying to as many jobs as I could, taking really low paying gigs, paying for yearly film resource sites like Mandy, Backstage, Production Hub, Media Match. I read books, bought books and tried to find as many resources as possible online to understand the AD role. I also joined a ton of film network groups on Facebook. Slowly, but surely things started to grow and I crawled my way out from the bottle of the barrel.

It was hard, and I questioned myself often – did I make the right choice? All I knew at the time, in the beginning was that it sure hell beat working a draining, boring, Monday – Friday, 9-5 that was sucking my soul out each day. I felt that my intuition would lead me, and so I stayed.

I would not recommend someone to do what I did. There was a lot of trial and fire to go along with my inexperience, and I honestly wish I had a mentor, and more confidence to ask for help without feeling like a burden.

It has been 6 years and I am still going at it. I will be honest, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and I don’t see the remainder of my life working as an AD, PM, Producer being my ultimate purpose. In the meantime, I will continue to have fun and make memories working in an industry I never thought I could be a part of.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting me in NYC, of course there has to be at least some time to see all the main sights like Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, take a ride in the subway head over to The Met, MOMA, Lincoln Center, Bronx/Brooklyn Botanical Gardens etc etc. Visiting the 9/11 Memorial & Museum would be important to understand the impact that day had on NYC.

Other Fun Stuff:
– The Museum of Ice Cream
– Color Factory NYC
– Spyscape Museum
– Museum of Illusions
– Bronx Zoo
– Brooklyn Aquarium
– Do a spa day

Food & Drinks:
– Son Cubano in NJ ( beautiful views, great music, yummy drinks and food )
– CowGirl Bar in NYC ( Nice portions, fun aesthetic, and you can get the Baked Potato Ice Cream – no it isn’t a real potato but sure looks like one! )
– Sake Sushi in Brooklyn ( all you can eat, cheap, and soooo goooddd )
– Cropsey Bagels In Brooklyn ( these bagels are fire! )
– Syndicated in Brooklyn ( Big beautiful space, nice bar, and a theatre in the back that serves food while you watch – this place is a gem).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think if there was a shoutout to be made, it would have to be a man named Dante. I have no idea where or what he is up to now but I am sure he is retired. When I was working my 9-5 job, he was the one who scheduled me in to meet the director of the media/communications department, and encouraged me to take a chance and have fun since he did not see me working in that organization long term. I feel like things happen for a reason, and that includes the people we meet. He set me on the path with that encounter and for that I am grateful to him. Dante, if you ever read this – Thank You!

Website: www.linalansky.com

Instagram: persona_1ll