Reese St. Amant: Reinventing Yourself with Joy

Episode Description:

On our final episode of the season, propmaster Reese St. Amant shares her experience in one of the most unsung professions in the entertainment industry: the art department! From set design and dressing, to painting and props, to working with exotic animals—Reese has done it all, and with aplomb. Listen as she talks to Anya and Fanshen about standing out as a Black woman in props, gaining the trust of the actors and staff around you, having a strong work ethic, working while dyslexic, living on a farm and staying centered while thriving in Hollywood, and the joy of constantly reinventing yourself.

TRANSCRIPT:

Fanshen Cox (00:12):

Welcome back to Sista Brunch with me, Fanshen Cox.

Anya Adams (00:15):

And me, Anya Adams. We can't wait to continue the conversation about black women plus striving and thriving in the media world. Today's guest is the fabulous Reese St. Amant. Reese is a props master with credits on amazing shows like American Housewife, Marlon, Santa Clarita Diet, Raven's Home and Black-ish, which is where we met. She's got an amazing resume and a ton of wisdom about the industry and lots of advice to spill. We're going to pull it all out of her. We can't wait to learn more about her experience. And I think you guys will really love what she has to say about black women plus working behind the scenes in film and television entertainment as a whole. So, Reese.

Fanshen Cox (00:54):

Reese!

Anya Adams (00:55):

Welcome, welcome, to Sista Brunch.

Fanshen Cox (00:58):

Welcome, to Sista Brunch. We are-

Reese St. Amant (01:00):

Thank you guys for having me. Oh my gosh.

Fanshen Cox (01:02):

Yeah, we're particularly thrilled about you because, we already talked about this a little bit, but we love having folks on with a job that people outside of the industry, when they hear that job, they had no idea it'd existed, maybe if they're theater, people they might know. So we're going to get into what that is. But we always like to start our show with the trajectory, where did you get the catalyst for wanting to end up doing what you're doing as a prop master?

Reese St. Amant (01:32):

Well, I have to say everything in my life I have backed into without a plan, really. Things just kind of flow. I mean, I think a lot of people in our industry get that fact that things kind of evolve, you end up places where maybe you had no idea that you would be. I've had so many different jobs in this industry but they all started actually in retail. I worked as a visual merchandiser. Okay, let me back up and just say Mary Tyler Moore, the show, the whole idea behind that show was so inspirational for me as a person in general, as a woman coming into power during this period of time, just watching her with her apartment and everything. And then Rhoda, who happens to be her queen [crosstalk 00:02:24] who had the best job in the world, I thought, she dressed windows. And I was like, "What is that?" So it took me a while and I definitely was not trying to be Rhoda but one day as I was dressing mannequins in my shop in the back, I realized, "Oh my God, I've become Rhoda." And I was so excited.

(02:46):

So that was basically the one job that led me into doing everything else that I'm doing because the store that I worked for, which was amazing, its East Coast and West Coast, it was called Ohrbach's. They used to dress everybody from I Love Lucy, The Donna, Looper label, all that stuff, all came from that store. That was another amazing job for me just having all that history and seeing behind the scenes of a store of that type of magnitude because there are no stores like that anymore. And just the transformation that they were trying to make in the '80s competing with all of the Neon and all these other things. And this was a traditional store. Anyway, needless to say they went out of business, sadly.

(03:32):

But my boss there, ended up getting on to a show on, that was the JCPenney shopping show. So it made sense that we moved over to there and instantly I became her right hand, which she was the art director for it. So I by default, became the assistant art director on that show. So that's kind of how I started. And from there, I just rolled from one job to another job. I freelanced a ton from everything to costumes for... I remember working on Generations that [crosstalk 00:04:09] from back in the day, and quite a few things. As you can tell I'm a little older. I'm making some references-

Anya Adams (04:18):

Wait, where did you go to school for art?

Reese St. Amant (04:19):

I went to school for design, specifically FIT Fashion. And then I got a bachelor of science in marketing because that was what I was to do. None of that really day to day helps me with what I do [crosstalk 00:04:34] job. But that's okay, because you have to have some kind of base for something, and for me that was it, education. However, for other people, it's experience, it is whatever, I don't throw stones at anybody, any way that they came up in any type of business because it all takes a lot of things, timing, opportunity, and just being conscious of where you are to look and see where you can go.

Fanshen Cox (04:59):

You talked little bit about starting off as assistant art department. Will you just share for our listeners too, what you do in art department, which eventually led to what you're doing now?

Reese St. Amant (05:11):

Okay. Back then we were more concerned with the set. It was a daily show that we produced, kind of like the format of the QVC. But at the time, it was pretty interesting. I got to say the best part about it was they taped Soul Train on the [crosstalk 00:05:25]. Yeah, yeah. If I'm going suicide, I got to see Don Cornelius and all of his outtakes and everything. I got see all the dancers coming with all of [crosstalk 00:05:38].

Anya Adams (05:37):

Oh, that's so awesome. Amazing.

Reese St. Amant (05:41):

So tons of costumes. So, believe me, there was-

Fanshen Cox (05:42):

I know you wanted to run over there and get on that line. And just be like, "Just real quick on my lunch break."

Reese St. Amant (05:49):

Exactly. It was amazing. I mean, just seeing all the stars coming in and out of there, that was shot at KTLA, that's where we were shooting at the time. So yeah, we dealt with everything regarding the set, and any type of decoration, any type of costuming, issues like colors, theory behind all of that just trying to drive the sales, basically. So that was the focus on that show being in the art department, doing costumes. All of those types of jobs were back in the '80s and I was doing those freelance. So at any moment, I would throw my sewing machine and an ironing board and all my sewing stuff into a car for who knows what I'd be doing alterations for the day, or I put all my power tools and everything and I could be building sets for the day. It didn't matter to me, I had all those kits ready to go. Someone called me I just went.

(06:48):

And then one day, I got on a feature. And I got there, a friend of mine needed somebody who can mix colors and run some paint crews or something. So I started working in construction and mixing colors and doing all these other things. Well, that show turned union. So technically, my first union gig was a feature back in '96.

Anya Adams (07:12):

So wait, the union that you're in covers painters construction, all art department jobs?

Reese St. Amant (07:18):

729 is the local and we're technically painters and signwriters. So that is a completely different... Anya, when we met, I had already gone through two other unions. I am a multi card holder. My mother calls it professional ADD.

Anya Adams (07:39):

You call it keeping it varied, keeping it diverse.

Fanshen Cox (07:41):

Yeah, that's right.

Reese St. Amant (07:42):

Just keeping the work coming, is what I call it. So my husband and I both do that kind of thing. We both have multiple cards, and we both work. So the next job after paint, I was on a feature, and there was an accident of that accident. And I needed to get out of construction for a bit. So with help of friends, because I'd been in the business for quite some time, they were able to kind of say, "Hey, why don't you try props or something." So I went ahead and went into a movie, If I Had Known I Was a Genius, was the name of it. And I was able to get my days for 44 there, and that's when I switched over to props.

Anya Adams (08:27):

So 44 is the prop master union?

Reese St. Amant (08:30):

44 is big, it covers set decoration, props, special effects, greens, all those crafts behind the scenes for the set. That's what that is.

Fanshen Cox (08:41):

And we should mention just because we've heard now this pattern of the importance of getting into a union. It obviously steps up your level of support, but also for salaries and everything, it's important to-

Reese St. Amant (08:55):

It was definitely a protection as it were, there are a lot of things that the union does for you that way, they can make suggestions to producers to improve your quality and safety on set, which is really, really good. Also the opportunity to get secure a rate that is measurable and can grow. And also the biggest draw is medical, and all those types of benefits that you can get as well. That being said, I'm throwing no shade to people who do not have those things because there are ways to do it. And I did work for many years between '88 to '96. And I was young, nothing was ever going to happen to me. And I was completely happy about that.

(09:46):

And I come from a household of union members so I do understand that. My mother's a teacher, my dad worked as a bricklayer mason for the city and everywhere else. So I do understand that and I grew up in a household of that. I wasn't feeling that at the moment, I just wanted to work and I wanted to be creative and I wanted to be busy. But growing up when you decide, "Okay, I want a house, I want to have a little bit more stability." There are things that the union can definitely afford you. I'm not saying that you can't get that on your own, but it does help a lot.

Anya Adams (10:18):

This is Sister Branch with Fanshen Cox and Anya Adams. Stay tuned for more of our conversation with assistant props master, Reese St. Amant.

Fanshen Cox (10:42):

Welcome back to Sista Brunch, I'm Fanshen, and we are jumping right back into this amazing conversation with Reese St. Amant.

Reese St. Amant (10:51):

I did miss one very important branch of my life, I was an exotic animal trainer. When I was painting before the accident, I needed some fresh air. And so I would come home on the weekends, dead tired, and I would start knocking into the house, busting through a wall, making an opening, getting some drywall, whatever. And my husband was finally like, "You know what, you need to take this someplace else. You [crosstalk 00:11:18] get this out of the house." So I started looking up some stuff and like, "Well, I kind of would love to learn how to work with lions." So I looked it up online and sure enough, there was a school for it and it wasn't far from my house. And they worked for the studios. So it made a lot of sense, it all vibed at the one time.

(11:38):

So I went down there and I took the class and they invited me immediately to like, "Hey, why don't you just come and train with us because we love your vibe and you know your way around the set and everything." So it worked out great. So with Hollywood Animals in 2000, I think it was when I joined up as getting paid gigs and stuff with them. And I would go on set with tigers and lions, and we had copuchons and we had hyenas and leopards. I can't express to you the feeling, I'm sure you can hear it in my voice, just caring for animals like that. We did not breed, we did not do any of that kind of stuff, but just for me being nanny, Nanny Reese is what they called me at [crosstalk 00:12:25]. I was basically the handler who brought them out, calmed them down after their task, usually had them sit and wait and control them while the other trainer would call them out.

Fanshen Cox (12:38):

Wow. We're getting a twofer today. I love [crosstalk 00:12:42].

Anya Adams (12:43):

But I do think, I mean, if we take it back to what you do Reese, the prep department a lot of times is called on for all these random things. And I think we should talk a little bit about that. What's really awesome about listening to your history, is that everything you've done, I know you use in your job in props. You fucking sew, you build some random thing, we need this thing really fast, you can find out how to do that. We have to bring in animals, you know how to work with the animal trainer in a way, because a lot of times you're a liaison with the cast, in terms of making them feel comfortable with the items that they're utilizing that you're providing. What does it mean to be a props person on set? What are the different roles prop master, assistant prop master?

Reese St. Amant (13:27):

Well, a prop master is usually the person who gets hired on by production, they handle procuring everything from a fork. If an actor touches the fork, that's a conversation between set deck like, "Is this the type of thing we're using? Should we be using this? Is it going to be used as a stunt? Do we need to have a standby if someone gets stabbed by that fork?" It can cover weapons of every type. There have been times I always felt like Trinity, like in the matrix, you have to sit back and say, "Do you know how to use this AK?" "No." "Can you tear down this Glock and clean it on camera? Can you show that actor how to do that?" And you kind of have to close your eyes and go, "I can Google that in a second. Yes, I can do that." So that's kind of the types of things that we do.

(14:13):

If it comes to animals, usually the animal trainers will have leashes and things like that. But sometimes things have to be perfect for camera. So it has to be the tag for the dog, and the collar for the dog, as the director prefers them. So we all provide that stuff. Or saddle, we could even have to purchase a saddle for a horse because it has to be a certain type, or make sure we get from the actor if they have their own saddle that they like to get, make sure that that's there on the day.

Fanshen Cox (14:38):

So you start pretty early in the production because already you know from the script or from the line producer, all the things that are going to need to be purchased before you even get to the set?

Reese St. Amant (14:50):

Right. Purchased or rented. There's a whole rent world that has to happen as well. So the prop master would be in all of those discussions, all of those production meetings, all the show and tells us on union members.

Anya Adams (15:02):

Show and tell us fun because the props master pulls together. For example, on the show I'm working on right now there's a prop, it's a giraffe stuffed animal that a young girl has had since she was nine. But I mean, Reese can tell you, when you're asked to get something that is supposed to be 10 years old and looks like a child had it, that's also something props has to do. You're not just buying the new cup and the fork, you're also creating proper things. And then you show it to the director, and they go, "Yeah, I like that. I don't like that."

Reese St. Amant (15:35):

And depending, if you're doing something that spans time, like when we did Fame, the movie, we had to have-

Fanshen Cox (15:43):

Cool.

Reese St. Amant (15:44):

Well, not the first one. I'm not that old [crosstalk 00:15:50].

Fanshen Cox (15:56):

I was like, "What?"

Reese St. Amant (15:56):

But when you have to spend time, a show like that, maybe that giraffe has to have several different giraffes, maybe that giraffe has to look brand new in a scene where the actor was a child, and then has to also sit in the background of another scene where it's older. There are a lot of times where things have to be straight up fabricated because of copyright issues. You can't just grab like a Mickey Mouse and put it on a set.

Fanshen Cox (16:23):

Oh, I never thought about that, right.

Reese St. Amant (16:25):

I know there were a couple of times on Black-ish, I know when the kids would get in their bed, and they will start grabbing the set dressing in the room. And it's one thing to have a piece on camera, it's another thing to have an actor hold it because of their brand becomes affected and the show's brand becomes affected. Everybody has to kind of pitch in with that. So there were a couple of times where Caila would grab something and I'd be like, "Oh." And they're kids, they're playing in the room and they want to do it. And everyone looks at me like, "Why did she grab it?" I'm like, "Because she's a kid, she wants to grab it."

(17:01):

But these were the things that set dressing had placed in the room but they weren't clean, they weren't fabricated. So although you can take... It's funny getting even ready for this, I'm covering up my Banana Grandma, my banana back there and stuff like that. I'm just so hyper conscious about brands and things like that, that you just really don't want to show anything that you can't explain.

Anya Adams (17:27):

Hi, it's Anya, and you're listening to Sista Brunch, we'll be right back. We're back to our conversation with props extraordinare, Reese St. Amant.

Reese St. Amant (17:53):

Now they can zoom back into a room and we will have standards and practices come in tell us that set dressing can't put that there because it's not clear picture. So that happens with books, anytime an actor wants to read something on camera, you say, "Okay, hold it so we can't see the inside or the outside." [crosstalk 00:18:12] And there's like three cameras coming in all directions, the director's like, "Don't worry, it'll be fine." And I'm sitting at the monitor, like, "I'm seeing it all [crosstalk 00:18:20] camera. You're going to cut to that, I knew it." So that's my world.

Fanshen Cox (18:25):

Reese, are you ever able to watch anything without looking at [crosstalk 00:18:29] benefit, do you?

Reese St. Amant (18:32):

Impossible.

Anya Adams (18:33):

I just want to clarify one thing, the art department has props in it. So set dressing is the group that goes and makes the set but then walks away. And then the prop department brings in the items that the actors normally going to interact with. Is that right? Or is there... There's a little bit more to that, but in general, if an actor is going to touch something or interact with it in some way, it's your department, the property department's responsibility.

Reese St. Amant (19:01):

That's generally correct. There's a lot of crossover with different departments. With special effects, let's say something needs to be built or something is gadgeted out with robot type of buttons and switches and things, they will bring it to set. I prefer that whoever built it is there. That's why if I build something, I am there, I'm on it, it's fine. We do have an onset dresser that's available to us as well, that works as a second hand to our department. Interestingly enough, that was a position that needed to be made that wasn't originally in the plan. Originally props handled all of that stuff on set.

(19:44):

But when it comes down to having a meal for like five people, resetting for like two to three hours, depending on how long it takes to shoot that scene, worrying about exactly what the curtains look like in the background becomes background. And I don't want to be straightening that up when I got back macaroni and cheese on my hands. There is an issue and there is a need to have on set dressers there and representing their department and making sure their set looks consistently as well as it should.

(20:11):

Let's say you're doing a food scene or an operating scene, which I consider the same because the field is a table with moving props on it. And actors that sit usually in a round. And what happens with those situations is the camera will come in and do usually first, not always, a master of the entire set as it is. Usually someone's the back of their head is in that shot. And then as we go, we pick up people's coverage, and we go around the clock slowly. And that means that every time we start, we have to go back to the first step. For maybe someone's coverage, once we've gotten past a certain bit, we can go to step F and start from there. But at each point, we have to document exactly where we were, exactly where we were starting from.

(21:01):

For me, it's a cue with, I'm like, "What line are we starting at?" Because it depends to me whether an actress had something in our hand or not, or whether something was down. These are the types of things that we have to remember. If someone is shooting a gun, there's a lot of times we are back there loading the guns and as my actors are shooting, I'm counting the rounds coming out of that gun. So I know exactly where they are, and whether that weapon is clear when they call cut.

Fanshen Cox (21:27):

Okay, Reese, I'm sorry, I've just got to ask because I referred to you as a prop master, we think of you as a prop master, everything you're saying with your expertise, and everything you've done, my question is, why aren't you a prop master? And does it have to do with the fact that you're a black woman? Are there black women prop masters? And what's the deal? And can we give you more money and more jobs? [crosstalk 00:21:52]

Reese St. Amant (21:54):

Well, let's go to that angle. In general, just to scoot over the whole, why I'm not a prop master. A prop master has a lot of liability, has a huge kit. There are things that they carry with them that I don't want to be that heavy with. I mean, as you know, I like to keep moving, I like to do different things. Right now I'm working on shows, but I'm also building websites. I taught myself to code during this entire-

Fanshen Cox (22:21):

Of course you [crosstalk 00:22:23].

Reese St. Amant (22:22):

Well, I love to learn. I've learned to be a med tech. But all that being said, every job that I've had, has been around me on my merit. I go by Reese, I try and be as... I want to be a surprise when I walk in a room. I know I'm going to be a minority no matter what, because I'm a woman, and I'm black. But I like to have an even playing field just to get a chance to get a foot in the door. I've actually walked into a UPMs office, and they're like, "Phew, you're a woman." They're happy about that, because depending on the subject matter of the show, you can't always ask that but you hope that the prop master builds a solid team to bring you in.

(23:13):

There are a lot of situations, mainly now, which actually I'm kind of grappling with myself, where sometimes I feel like I'm being offered a job because of who I am, not because of my merit [crosstalk 00:23:28]. Yeah, well, I'm trying not to put it that way because there are situations where people have gotten jobs that way all their lives and that's just kind of how it is and it's accepted. But for me, growing up my mother always saying, "Girl, you got two strikes against you. You're a woman and you're black." That's always in the back of my head.

(23:50):

And whenever I looked to go into an industry... When I was an animal trainer, I didn't know any other black women that handles tigers and lions, but when I walked on to a Master P video shoot, and I had an elephant and Master P was like, a little apprehensive about getting on. I would get up there and go, "Dude, come on. We can do this." Ray Lewis came to us and he was concerned about our tiger. I would go and walk the tiger around him on a leash and go, "Hey, she's good. She's solid.

Fanshen Cox (24:24):

But it's so meaningful that it's you. Any set I'm on, on any pitch meeting I'm on, it does matter to me when I see a black woman's face. It elevates the situation for me. And look, not all skin folk are kinfolk, but for the most part it does, it adds a layer of respect for sure. And I think some hopefulness like, "Okay, that's not just going to be me," for one thing. So I think that's really important on the sets you're on.

Anya Adams (24:59):

And also I feel like you as prop people really work close with the actor. So being on a show where there are people of color in the actor position, having a props person that looks like them, I think is also very comforting. Because you guys do very intimate stuff and also, you're just there all the time like a gatekeeper for stuff that's coming to them.

Reese St. Amant (25:26):

In a way also, I just love to learn. If there's a medical procedure... I mean, I was able to work the Da Vinci machine and things like that that just don't happen to everybody on a day to day basis. I like to know that, not only am I what they're looking for, but I'm hell qualified to be there. It's one of those things that I've always, always pushed that I really wanted my merit and my work ethic to speak for myself. And I am crazy detailed as on you knows, I am crazy about everything. Sometimes on a set, I won't even get to know everybody on the set until I'm comfortable with how I'm pushing my job, how I'm getting along with my actors. I really need to have my job solid before I can reach out to other people and start just saying, "Hey, girl," "Hey, good morning," or whatever. It takes me a minute to settle in. And I remember meeting Anya. I mean, I almost cried that one morning. It was the first day we were shooting.

Fanshen Cox (26:31):

This is on Black-ish, we should say?

Anya Adams (26:33):

Yes. Yeah.

Reese St. Amant (26:34):

Yeah. And I don't usually get that close. When I get to... I'm all business, I just go in and I do my thing. I'm not like, "Hey, what did you do this week?" I'm just kind of I go in. And for a lot of actors, they respect that, they want that. That's all they want. They don't want you to telling them 20 million things while they've got a whole scene to do, they just want you to hit those buttons. And if you can't hit those buttons because everyone else has to get in there, I'm watching to make sure that I record to let them know exactly what they did in my head.

(27:03):

So that trust factor that you have to have with people. But walking into that set and having Anthony walk up to everybody and just greet them in the warm way that he is and looking and seeing Anya, I almost fell over. I'm like she could be my sister. [crosstalk 00:27:22] I never run into people like that.

(27:26):

But I did also notice, just looking around and seeing that those women were also on their game. We didn't all walk in the first day and go, "Hey, we made it, we're here," whatever. No, we were all on our job and we were all there for the day. I was as cordial to them as I am to most people that I meet every day. It was not like the secret handshake or just like, "Yeah, we made it," kind of thing. I think we all came up from that school of having to know that we were there, we were solid, we had all of our stuff ready to go.

Fanshen Cox (28:04):

Hey, it's Fanshen, and you're listening to Sista Brunch. We will be right back.

Anya Adams (28:23):

Welcome back to Sista Brunch. I'm Anya, jumping back into the discussion with Reese St. Amant.

Fanshen Cox (28:30):

To your point on merit too, and how hard we work and that everybody was on their game. So with the inclusion writer, a big point that our attorney, Kalpana Kotagal worked on was avoiding any kind of reverse discrimination claims or quota claims and so we're very clear on the language that you don't just hire anybody, you hire qualified people. You're making your sets representative of the world but these are qualified people. And that's what struck me. And sitting in Anya's backyard and having these conversations with all the women, and Reese right now, I for real, I freaking... You're amazing. [crosstalk 00:29:10] Really we are genuine in that response to it, but we don't get recognized for the work that we do. So what is it like for you when you're on a set where that's not like Black-ish? Do you find there's hesitation or questioning of your skill?

Reese St. Amant (29:31):

I personally and again, I attribute this to my work ethic, just because I'm so strong with that, all you have to do is be with me for two minutes and see my OCD and everything just becomes very clear that you are covered, you are going to be fine. And of course most of my jobs are word of mouth. So it's a surprise that they happen to get Reese for the day. Maybe production doesn't know about me and maybe I am that unicorn, "Oh my god, there's a black woman that does all these stuff?" Maybe that is a surprise for them, but not the people that usually hire me.

(30:09):

I have been on, or been offered a couple of shows where I'm just like, "Is it just because of my skin and my sex, is that it?" Sometimes as far as being hired, just because I'm a woman, I kind of accept that a little bit more only because the subject matter of the show. Let's say, it may be a show like House of Lies, where there is a lot of guest cast that would be coming on in delicate situations. And I do understand the need for that. And on that show, I wasn't always the person on set. But whenever something of that matter came up, it was nice, between costumes, makeup, and props to have all women there for especially a guest star who's not used to being there every day, it was a little bit more comforting for that. So I do understand that. But just to let them know that, "Hey, you are covered. I am good at what I do, and we will keep this on the up and up, and you are with professionals."

Fanshen Cox (31:14):

I have to do this because you did open a slight can of worms that I think we should address. Well, it's interesting because we have talked about, now you two thought you were sisters and I feel a little left out because I'm like, "We all have big sisters, we could definitely be family." Having said that you mentioned, Reese, about being light skinned, and there is a colorism issue, not only in front of the camera, not only in casting, so it's one of the things, another way we're updating the inclusion writers to add language around colorism. But I'm curious if you see that within your department as well?

Reese St. Amant (31:53):

Well, honestly, within my department, it's pretty rare to have... If I'm working for a female prop master, then there's two women. Usually if there's a male prop master, I could still be the only woman there. Much less the only black person maybe. Maybe on the set, if I look around, the last time I was on set, there were like three or four of us that I could count on set. That's the whole crew. I'm not counting all the riggers because maybe the rigging crew wasn't there. And of course, I didn't see construction because they weren't there, and it would didn't go into the production office, because that's a whole separate thing too. But in my daily view, no, there are not that many of us. And that doesn't matter what shade you are.

Anya Adams (32:41):

I feel like for us, I mean, all of us are lighter skinned women, so I feel like that the colorism within the black community, I don't come up against it very much in this world, because there's nobody [crosstalk 00:32:56] perpetuate it. Yeah. So like Reese is saying, there's three or four people, I don't think there's even room for that, because you're just connecting to each other on the fact that you're all people of color in this sea of whiteness.

Fanshen Cox (33:13):

Yeah. I think that that's our responsibility. I think about that a lot when I'm mentoring or when I'm thinking about who are we going to be able to hire next. That's where it's on us because they're not going to do it. But we got a long way to go because again, look at us and yet, we also need to be doing this, because we are though going to be the ones who also reach back and make sure our darker skinned sisters have the same kinds of opportunities because nobody else is going to do it.

Anya Adams (33:47):

It feels like to me, because as a director, if you're a key grip, or you're a camera person, while your world is diverse, you're always working with the same equipment, like camera, grips have the same equipment. But as a prop person, if you love to learn, this seems like such a fucking great job because it's like, "How do I take a Glock apart?" Because props are responsible for guns on set. Or, "How do I..." Whatever that's in the script, you need to learn that and be able to synthesize the information to the actor if they don't know how to do it. If you're somebody who loves to learn and loves to teach, what a cool job.

Fanshen Cox (34:25):

I love it. You're like the librarians of entertainment and I love.

Reese St. Amant (34:30):

That's the big part. It's not only just wanting to learn, because I always have had this affection for learning, but to be able to teach that and to understand how to explain it to everyone. Like when I can get through to my kids, I love having my kids on set. When I can get through with my kids and explain something to them and get them motivated on trying to do something a certain way and to have continuity, there's not one kid that won't come up to me now that I've worked with that goes, "Continuity. Continuity." Because just teaching them basic things like that of how to make a pattern in things and how to recognize patterns and help yourself with that pattern like, "Wouldn't it be better maybe if I handed it to you here, that way you're here for that line every time." And they're like, "Oh, okay." So it's me working with the directors trying to help it out too, just as Anya knows too, it's just, "Let me help you."

(35:27):

I had one actor who wanted to have his coffee hot on set and come up with steam. And I said, "Maybe this is a three camera show. This is a multi cam. And then we have a boom, and no one's going to notice that right away," I said, "Let me help you out. And let me just put some ice water in this cup for you. And that way, you can drink that." And he's like, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Thank you. I never thought about that." I'm like, "I'm just here to help you. This is all an illusion. So let me help."

Fanshen Cox (35:59):

Reese, I'm crushing on you so hard.

Reese St. Amant (36:00):

How can I help you?

Fanshen Cox (36:05):

Oh, honey, trust me. We should ask what are you working on now? And what are you working on the future that you can talk about? And what is your goal dream project for you, Reese?

Reese St. Amant (36:18):

You may be very disappointed at this point. But we'll see.

Fanshen Cox (36:22):

No, no way.

Reese St. Amant (36:23):

I have slowly, over the past few years, I've gone from being on Black-ish to going into multi camera world which was amazing and helped a lot with my scheduling, to just kind of slowing down actually, at this point in my life. There is not as much growth in my field as there would be, like there's a path for ADs, there's a path for camera people. When you're in a position like this, to keep moving as I like to do, I'm getting stuck. And a lot of the people that I like to work with have started to retire. And it's just getting less and less... Now I just go in as a day player, if I choose. I'm at the point of my life where I can pick and choose even with COVID. There are a lot of places right now that I could work but I don't feel comfortable working. And right now I'm really not sure what direction I'm going to go into at this point.

Fanshen Cox (37:27):

I love that. I love that there's no pressure to have to answer some huge goal. One, because you've done so much. And two, because my goodness, if we all haven't learned the importance of being happy with where we are, especially right now in the world, then... I just love that.

Reese St. Amant (37:52):

Another wonderful thing about being in union, in unions with an S, is that let's say something would happen... When I was in construction, there will be somebody that will go to wayside on the weekend, which if you guys don't know where that is, that's prison, and then get out and work right next to you and never miss a beat for salary. You can be gone for like a year and a half, have a baby, get your baby ready to be a little student and come back, and you're still coming back at the same rate that everybody else was at, you're not missing a beat. So there is a lot of comfort in that. Of course, if you're trying to go for that carrot of retirement, which I don't think anyone will ever stop working at this point in time in our history. There's no like, "Grandma, grandpa are on their boat." I don't know that person.

(38:42):

So knowing that I'm going to be working forever, I guess right now I'm just transitioning into, what can I do after? Or what can I do maybe even for this industry after? And so with all the tech skills, with all of the other skills that I've been able to gather to become the Jill of all trades that I am, I just thought I'd add another layer to that and see where that takes me because as I said, when we started I have backed into every job that I've ever had. I've never made any regrets to that. I met some wonderful people, some incredibly inspiring people along the way and inspiring animals along the way as well. All of them made me what I am today.

(39:27):

And I met my incredible husband that way, we met on set because where else are we ever. And I think it's just one of those things where all of these experiences you are pointed in a direction, you can make a choice any time and as long as you're true to yourself and how you feel deep down and follow your gut, you can't make a wrong decision.

Fanshen Cox (39:49):

Oh, it's a perfect note to bring this to a close. Thank you so much, Reese.

Anya Adams (40:03):

That was our conversation with Reese St. Amant. Go to sisterbrunch.com to find out more about her, her projects, and where to follow her on Twitter.

Fanshen Cox (40:11):

Follow us on Instagram, @sisterbrunchpodcast, and Twitter @sisterbrunch to catch up with us, what we're watching, and support our amazing black women plus community and guests.

Anya Adams (40:21):

On Facebook, we're at www.facebook.com\sisterbrunchpodcast. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review our show wherever you get podcasts.

Fanshen Cox (40:32):

Special thanks to our show producer, Brittany Turner, our executive producer, Christabel Nsiah-Buadi. We acknowledge that the land that we record our podcast on is the original land of the Tongva people, for those of us in Los Angeles, and the Coast Salish for all you on Vancouver.

Anya Adams (40:51):

See you guys next time.