Today we’d like to introduce you to Randee Ramsey.
Hi Randee, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve never had a particularly straight career path, but storytelling has always been at the center of it.
I started in theater and eventually found my way to film, earning my MFA from California Institute of the Arts, CalArts. From there, I built a career working in different corners of the industry as a writer, director, production manager, first assistant director and producer. I’ve worked in independent film, television, commercials and political media, and I continue to write, direct and line produce today.
A big turning point for me was spending nearly five years in Kuwait. Living and working outside the United States changed my perspective in a lot of ways.
When I came back to Houston, those experiences really shaped what came next. Teaching became an increasingly important part of my work, but so did community building. I realized that I loved making films, but I also loved helping other people make them and figuring out how to build the infrastructure and opportunities that allow a creative community to grow.
That path eventually brought me to Southwest Alternate Media Project, SWAMP where I now serve as Executive Director. I’m also lead programmer and co-producer of the Houston Media Conference. At the same time, I continue to teach filmmaking and work professionally as a writer, director, line producer and first AD.
So today I wear a lot of hats, but to me they’re all connected. I make my own work, I teach, and I try to create opportunities for people to make and sustain that creative work. I didn’t necessarily set out with a plan to end up here, but looking back, there’s a pretty clear through line: storytelling, education and bringing people together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, the road has definitely not been smooth.
I grew up in a difficult home with an abusive father and a mother who was a functional alcoholic. I think I learned pretty young how to adapt, keep moving and find my own way forward. Some of that resilience has served me throughout my life, although it took me a long time to understand where it came from.
The hardest thing I have ever faced, though, was when my son was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer as a young child and given about a 30 percent chance of survival. At that point, careers and plans and all the things you think are important suddenly become very small. He survived, thankfully, but going through something like that changes you. It certainly changed me.
And then there are the struggles that come with choosing a life in the arts. I’ve spent a lot of my career as a working artist and non profit manager, which means there has never been a particularly predictable path. I’ve written, directed, line produced, taught, moved across the world and back, raised a family, started over more than once and eventually found myself SWAMP. There have been plenty of moments when I had absolutely no idea what the next chapter was going to look like.
I think all of it has given me a pretty strong sense of perspective. I don’t expect things to go according to plan anymore. I’ve learned that you can change direction, begin again and build something meaningful out of experiences you never would have chosen for yourself.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Not even close. But it has made me resilient, resourceful and deeply aware of how much people need other people. I think that is a big part of why community, teaching and creating opportunities for other artists have become such an important part of my life and work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear a lot of hats. I’m a writer, director and line producer, I teach filmmaking, and I run SWAMP, a nonprofit that has been supporting independent media makers for 50 years. I’m also the lead programmer and co-producer of the Houston Media Conference. At first glance those might seem like very different jobs, but for me they all come back to the same thing: storytelling and helping people figure out how to tell their stories.
What I’m most proud of at this point in my career is that I’m still learning.
Last year I made a short film on a virtual production stage, incorporating drones, visual effects and technology I had never worked with before. After more than 25 years in this business, I was learning completely new tricks, making mistakes and occasionally figuring things out right alongside people much younger than me. I loved it.
I think being a lifelong learner is also a huge part of who I am as a teacher. I’m willing to make mistakes in front of my students. I’m willing to say, “I don’t know, let’s figure it out.” I never want to be the person teaching filmmaking based entirely on how we did things 20 years ago. This industry changes too quickly for that.
And honestly, I hope I never reach the point where I think I have it all figured out. Curiosity is a big part of being an artist. You have to be willing to try something you might be terrible at, listen to people who know more than you do, change your mind and keep growing.
Maybe that’s what sets me apart. I’ve been doing this long enough to have a lot of experience, but I’m still perfectly willing to be the least experienced person in the room when there is something new to learn. I’m proud that this old dog is still learning new tricks.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I feel like I answered that one in the last question, curiosity and always being willing to learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.swamp.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swampfilm?stkn=cnRuMDlkcXJ4ZWFr
