“When I first started rapping, I had to remind myself daily: there are no rules except for the ones that you give to yourself. And the same is true with everything. Not just rapping—with movies, with videos, with business, with everything.”
Sticky Fingaz, rapper/actor

“I found that I had to identify with [Frank Morgan’s] struggles… and I just identified with the struggle it is to be an artist. And if you don’t have self confidence how hard that is and how you can make some really bad choices without that.”
NC Heikin, director, Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story

“You can’t control how a movie is received… But one thing you really can control is the experience that people have [making the film]…that’s a really important part of being a good director.”
Demetri Martin, actor, The Last Time You Had Fun

“Melody can often be something that gets in the way.”
Atticus Ross, Academy-Award winning composer, The Social Network

“The shorthand [between long-time collaborators] is just complete, brutal honesty. Just, you know, ‘that’s stupid, we’re not doing that.’ It’s really just as simple as that. There’s no beating around the bush, and there’s no trying to be nice and trying to be diplomatic. It’s just saying, honestly, what you feel as soon as you feel it.”
Daniel Garcia, co-director, Recommended by Enrique

“Access is the first root to make a portrait of anyone else you don’t know and you have to make sure that that’s there.”
Debra Granik, director, Stray Dog

“Don’t make shit for people to like. Just do what feels right…I want you to already know that you don’t have to please anyone,… because when all these motherfuckers die, you’re gonna be all alone right there, and at the end of your life you’re gonna be like, ‘damn, my life sucked because I tried to please her and him, her and him.’ My life is awesome, because I wake up every day and do what the fuck I want to do, regardless of what anyone says.”
Tyler, The Creator, rapper/record producer/music video director

“A lot of times, executives will sit there and tell you what you can do, what you can’t do, you’ve been through it all the time. The problem with our industry is that everyone treats their opinion like it’s fact. And it’s all opinion.”
Tara Razavi, founder Happy Place Productions

Tony Ferranti, Mary Sollosi, Natalia Torres, Festival Bloggers; and Pamela Miller, Website & Grants Manager