Meet Cassie LeFevre | Writer / Producer / Storyteller

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

Hi Cassie, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
This is a great question, because as a Colorado native, I find so much of my identity intertwined with this great state. The mountains, the dirt, the snow, the sports, the calm and the friendliness of the people… Although I’ve moved around Colorado quite a bit over my lifetime, I’ve never lived in any other state, and I struggle to envision myself ever leaving as a result. Colorado is my home.

I spent most of my youth and upbringing in the small mountain town of Bayfield, CO. It’s in the southwest corner of Colorado, sandwiched between Durango and Pagosa Springs. Growing up in a small town truly did influence the way in which I saw and still see the world. I learned a lot about respect, support, commitment, and teamwork coming from a small town where the only good option you had was to treat each other with love and decency. You saw the same people every day regardless of your wishes—in school, on the street, at the grocery store—and that inherently bred a sense of community and responsibility towards each other. There’s also a sense of humility to the small town culture that deeply resonates with me to this day.

Additionally, a lot of my perspective was shaped by a bout of homelessness that my family and I experienced while living in Bayfield. On and off through my middle school years, me, one of my older brothers, and my incredible mother were living in hotels and, one month, in a tent off Vallecito Lake. All the while, I was attending school, going to basketball practice, and visiting friends; just when I came home, it wasn’t always to four solid walls and a roof.

Although it was a tough time, particularly for my mother, who I watched fight through every single obstacle that faced her, I’m still genuinely grateful for that experience, because it taught me so much about life and about my own personal philosophy that’d I’d go on to develop. At the ages of 11, 12, 13, I learned what mattered. I learned that, when it really came down to it, I didn’t need anything but my family, much less materialistic things. I learned the power of kindness. I learned the power of nature. I learned the power of humor, the power of laughter, and I learned that I could fall back on the same strength and determination that got me through those days to get me through anything that may face me the rest of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’d primarily label myself as a screenwriter and producer, although I have branched out to several other roles throughout my short career as a filmmaker, including director for my award-winning short, “Koselig (noun/verb)”. I also have a tertiary interest in sports broadcasting/sports media, which has always been my partner-passion to film.

As a creator, I love to blend comedy with earnest, heartfelt messages. I think that’s a common denominator not only in my work but also in the content that I consume the most greedily. I think strategic comedic shifts are, strangely enough, one of the most effective ways to incorporate deeper themes/meanings as it forces a real reaction from a viewer. Sometimes it can be sneaky. You’re sitting there, watching, enjoying and laughing at something, when suddenly, the veil is pulled free and you’re struck by the true, poignant point. It’s like when basketball players in the post “pull the chair”. It’s a sudden, strategic shift of pace & tone that forces you to listen.

As a producer, I love supporting and empowering unique voices and contributing to unique, original stories. One of my favorite parts of that role is helping talented artists with distinctive/underrepresented perspectives actualize their visions. It’s one thing to have a concept, see it to a page, and another to put it into action, legitimize it and pull together all the pieces to make it a successful production. There’s so much that goes into that, behind the scenes, and I enjoy being in that supportive role which, in a way, feeds the final fuel to the machine to kick it into full gear. There are certainly plenty of stories I could, can, and will tell from my heart and from my perspective, but I’ve learned, rather simply, that my story isn’t the only one out there, and I’d be a poor rendition of a storyteller if I didn’t seek out those stories unlike my own too: those we don’t just want to hear but we sorely need to hear.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been on a road trip in a while, but I can’t think of any better way to introduce Colorado to someone than to take them on a road trip through the mountains. If it’s around fall, there’s nothing like driving those windy, country roads or climbing over mountain passes and seeing the colorful vista spread out before you. If it’s summer, you can drive to a lake (my two usuals over my lifetime were Vallecito Lake, as mentioned, and Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins once I moved north). Or maybe you’re more of a river person and you choose to go rafting or canoeing instead. (We don’t judge here in Colorado.) Then, of course, if it’s winter, maybe go skiing/snowboarding/snowmobiling up in Copper or down near my old haunt in Purgatory. I’ve never skied nor snowboarded nor snowmobiled, mind you, but I hear it’s nice. (I know: a Colorado native who isn’t a skier AND doesn’t smoke weed? Crazy but true, I can assure you.)

Other than that, Red Rocks is the most obvious answer to this question, but its reputation is well earned. It really is a gorgeous venue. Naturally, I would also recommend catching a game at Ball Arena if the Avalanche or Nuggets are in season. I wouldn’t force my poor friend to attend a Broncos or Rockies game right now though. That’d just be cruel (as beautiful as those venues can be sometimes, especially at sunset).

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’d be remiss if I didn’t dedicate my shoutout to my mom and my two older brothers, Adam and Corey. They have been my backbone and foundation through thick and thin. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. We drew strength from each other in the midst of our most difficult hardships, establishing a closeness and ease-of-mind which buoys everything that I do. They make me laugh harder than anyone else, and they give me the confidence to embrace my failures as well as my successes. Suffice to say, they inspire me constantly.

Website: https://www.cassielefevre.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fevreish/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Tm-pqkDgGAK31tDO02-Zg

Other: PROJECT LINKS: “Koselig (noun/verb)” website: https://filmfreeway.com/koselig “Koselig (noun/verb)” Instagram: @koseligshortfilm “Checkbox: Other” website: https://www.checkboxother.net/ “Checkbox: Other” Instagram: @checkbox_other “Who Are We?” Facebook/Instagram: @whoarewefilm