WITM | Creating Space: A Q&A With the Women Behind the Film Advice for Girls.

*Addy Jacobsend and Sierra Schlag at Alta in Advice for Girls. | Bianca Germain photo.*

Addy Jacobsend wrote a poem that inspired the upcoming film Advice for Girls as an ode to her past self while encouraging the next generation of female skiers to take up space. What started as an idea for a short ski edit for Jacobsend, evolved into a feature-length film when she brought on Director Sara Beam Robbins. Advice for Girls features ski industry pioneers like Lynsey Dyer, AJ Cargill and Devin Logan, present day athletes like Addy Jacobsend, Caroline Claire and myself, and up and coming groms like Rylee Watson and Caroline Brokaw.

I sat down with Jacobsend, Robbins and the rest of the production crew behind Advice for Girls - Iz La Motte, Bianca Germain and Katie Cooney - to get a better understanding of the impact they are making through this inspiring piece of storytelling.

What is Advice for Girls?

Addy Jacobsend: Advice for Girls is a feature-length ski film all about the stories of women in the ski industry. My hope is to help remind women and girls that they are worthy of success, allowed to take up space and are extremely valuable to the ski industry.

How did this crew come together?

AJ: I had an idea to make a seven-minute edit around the poem and I reached out to Sara and she reminded me that this message is so much bigger than just me. So I reached out to Sierra Schlag, and the next thing I knew the story evolved and suddenly we were making a feature length film and were in need of a full production team. We put a call out on Instagram for female creatives and we chose Iz, Bianca and Katie.

Sara Beam Robbins: The message that Addy brought to me was something that I thought deserved so much more of a platform than just a quick video that would go to YouTube. The words that Addy wrote are so powerful and impactful and it needed to be brought to a larger audience. It’s the perfect platform for change and I want to do everything in my power to help amplify those words.

How has it been working on an all-women’s production crew?

SBR: I’ve never worked on a crew that has been all female. Out of the gate, this group was on a common mission for the good of the project, as opposed to us trying to compete against each other or us trying to elevate our own careers. Ultimately, my goal with everything was thinking, “how can we get this message out and how can we all feel passionate and proud of the work we’re doing?” I feel it in my bones with how special this crew is and I’ve never worked on anything like it.

Bianca Germain: The communication and collaboration amongst this group has felt somewhat effortless. It’s so nice to know that you can speak your mind, share ideas, raise questions and not feel like you’re too scared of any fallout.

Katie Cooney: This team truly operates as a team. We see one another as equals and that has allowed us to communicate and make decisions quickly and efficiently. There’s no hesitation to voice our needs for the production, but also for ourselves as humans working in difficult environments.

Iz La Motte: This film is a perfect case study of when you create more space for people and don’t tokenize those spaces. That feeling of competition dissolves and everyone feels welcomed and included, which provides fantastic communication and support between the team and a non-ego driven space. It creates this space that we have been wanting to see for so long.

This experience has set my new standard of what a production is supposed to be like. Between the crew, the communication, the pure joy – this is the bar now.

*Lynsey Dyer at home in deep pow at Grand Targhee. | Katie Cooney photo.*

What makes Advice for Girls different from other ski films?

SBR: I’m not aware of another feature-length production that has had a fully female crew. We’re really excited to have a fully-female production crew telling these stories, because we feel that we can understand these lived experiences on a different level as women ourselves.

The way in which we have been approaching the filmmaking process has also been different. We are not trying to make another ski porn film. It’s more about the collective experience and that deeper piece of why we all ski and why we’re all fighting for change in the industry.

KC: I think it’s also important to note that we have transgender women skiing in this film, and I’m not aware of any other ski media that has had transgender women – or people, for that matter – in it.

What has been everyone’s favorite part of filming so far?

BG: The opportunity this film has given us to learn from so many different women from so many different life experiences.

KC: It’s been really powerful to see the immediate impact just being a part of the film has had for a lot of women. Women have said “I’ve never been invited into a space like this,” or “I’ve never felt so comfortable filming.” Those moments validate all of our “whys” for the film, before it’s even hit the editing room.

SBR: Iz and I filmed for 16 hours one day. I was exhausted at the end of that day, but my heart was so full. I’ve never felt like that on a shoot where I felt so physically drained, but absolutely ready to wake up the next morning and do it again. The shared energy of our production team and the mission of what we’re doing has given me the fuel to keep going.

What are your hopes for the impact of this film?

AJ: My hope is to show everyone involved and everyone watching how valuable they are.

KC: I hope that this film can be the “yes you can” voice for a lot of people.

BG: The “sole female” has always been this unattainable thing to me. Through this film, I hope that it makes a career like ours more accessible in the eyes of young girls wanting to pursue film, photography, and skiing.

ILM: We want to note that the sole females in those positions have paved the way for us. They had to go through that and be in uncomfortable situations so we can all be in this space together today.

SBR: It’s our responsibility to continue that work. Listening to other women who have been in that sole female role keep saying, “We’ve been going at it alone. We haven’t had an army behind us.” That’s another piece of this project - we’re coming to the front lines to finally support those women and back up the work they have been doing on their own.

ILM: I hope that when this film tours around the country, there are some little artist gals in the audience and they see that this is possible. I grew up going to see Warren Miller films and it was super sick, but it was never, “oh there’s a female behind that camera.”

*AJ Cargill goes huge in the Targhee backcountry. | Katie Cooney photo.*

Did you all have female representation in photography or film growing up?

SBR: Prior to this project, I felt like I had been in my own little silo making it up as I went along and trying to keep pushing through because this is what I believed in. As a young woman beginning my career, I saw very few women in the outdoor space following a similar path to mine. It’s amazing to see how that’s changed since the start of my career.

Through this production I hope that we change the industry so that we are valued as women. Valued meaning funding for projects and from an individual standpoint. I hope everyone can go on from this film and ask for their day rate - creatives and athletes. We’re not all just another “token female,” and we’re not just checking a box.

ILM: We wouldn’t be here without the women who paved the way in photo and film for us, and we want to note that they have created space for more women to be a part of this industry and for projects like Advice for Girls. This is not a one-off occasion, we are creating a new standard. The amount that the women are getting paid in this film is the new standard and nothing less should be accepted. It’s time that the outdoor industry gets on board with valuing the folks that make their world go round. Without the athletes, without the creatives, without everyone else behind the scenes – you lose value and credibility in your brand.

What would be your one-liner piece of advice for any girl wanting to be a pro-skier or wanting to pursue photography, film or any creative venture?

ILM: Don’t let anyone tell you what spaces you are or are not allowed to take up.

BG: Stay true to yourself. I say that through everything I do.

AJ: Be vocal about things that need change and fight for representation.

SBR: Don’t give up on the dream, one person saying no just opens up the door for someone else to say yes.

KC: Wear the dang helmet, meet yourself where you’re at, and show up the best you possibly can on any given day.

*Sierra Schlag showcases some of Alta's best. | Bianca Germain photo.*

How can people support this film?

SBR: Advice for Girls is not fully funded yet, and we need to get there to reach our goal of paying everyone fairly. There’s still a huge wage gap in the industry and that is something that we’re fighting to change.

Although we’ve received incredible support so far, we hope to find a bit more funding to make this the best it can possibly be. We’re tapping into the outdoor community and beyond to do that – we know that it’s not necessarily their responsibility, but every little bit helps.

If you have the means to support financially, we have a Kickstarter that’s live until May 5th! If you’re not able to support financially, you can help this mission by supporting the women and minorities around you: help them get outside, get on skis, or pick up a camera.

You can follow Advice for Girls on Instagram to stay up to date on filming, and keep an eye out for tour dates this fall!