Personality Snapshot du Jour



Wendy Wegner

Meet Wendy: The Writer



 So, when was the last time you launched a website that landed on TIME Magazine's "50 Best Websites" of the year, or got 300,000 facebook fans in less than three months? If you were Wendy Wegner the answer would be, "oh, you know, in the last couple of years." And you would be serious. That website that TIME loved so much? It was Movieclips.com, for which Wendy wrote THOUSANDS of film descriptions. That facebook page with hundreds of thousands of fans? Stand Up To Cancer, a charity started by media and entertainment leaders which raises cancer awareness. You'd think with all this initiative she'd be some sort of entrepreneur, but this Los Angeles-based lady is a writer/reporter for Peter Greenberg Worldwide and Film Independent (which you know makes for some really interesting answers to a certain blog's questions). As if she isn't putting enough good out there, she's in it for the animals too. A strict vegetarian and animal rights supporter, Wendy's was one personality we were excited to snap(shot)! Find out more www.wendywegner.com

Have You Been There: What inspires you the most?
Wendy Wegner: Conversations with strangers. Whether I'm formally interviewing someone for an article I'm writing or just chatting with someone at the dog park, I love figuring out what makes them special. Everyone has a story worth telling.

HYBT: Do you have a mentor? Who?
WW: I've had many mentors over the years, and I'm really good about keeping in touch with people (aka never letting them forget me!) Bob Davis and Garrick Dowhen were my filmmaking mentors during undergrad - I'm still regularly in touch with Bob and he always introduces me to interesting (and often bizarre) films that most people have never heard of. Josh Welsh was my very first "boss" when I began my professional career at Film Independent. In addition to teaching me about the business, he taught me how to be an effective manager and he made me laugh every day (he still does!) Darryl Nickens was a fantastic screenwriting teacher and helped me find my voice while writing my first screenplay at AFI. He was tireless and committed to his students, even when he was battling a terminal illness. Mike Urban was my second year screenwriting teacher at AFI and started challenging me right away. The most valuable thing he taught me was how to develop my comedic voice. He believed that I could be funny, and it turns out, he was right!

HYBT: Where is the most interesting place you've traveled to?
WW: My mom was a marketing and branding director while I was growing up, and I was fortunate to join her on several business trips (for free!). I fell in love with London, Paris, and even went on a cruise to Tahiti where I really started to appreciate other cultures and the beauty in nature. However, a trip to Washington D.C. when I was in the 5th grade BLEW my mind. I learned a ton about our country's history, and was the first of 10,000 people in line to tour the White House gardens. For a 9 year old, that was pretty cool. Now I really need to kick the adult international travel into high gear...

HYBT: What is your favorite piece of art, be it a film, music, painting, etc.?
WW: Geez, that's a tough question. One of my favorite places is a room in the Norton Simon Museum. It's full of Degas dancer sculptures, but I think it's a combination of the art with the design of the room itself that really makes it special. On a good day, the sun shines down through the ceiling and it's incredibly beautiful. The New World is a piece of art that (and I really don't want to sound pretentious here) is truly an experience. I followed it to five different theaters in LA and have watched it half a dozen times since. The Mozart, the Malick, the Lubezki... it's incomparable.

HYBT: What effect do you think the place you grew up had on you and your work?
WW: More than the place I grew up, I think it's the people around me who influenced me the most. I've been lucky to have a lot of ridiculously funny and clever people in my life. I've also seen a lot of struggle - emotionally, health-wise, financially... in my family and in the community around me. At the same time, I was exposed to the opposite - great wealth, perceived perfection... maybe that is the result of where I grew up then (Redondo Beach - a beach town meets the "big city" in Southern California). It's kind of a land of constant contradictions, and I've written everything from broad comedy to period dramas and all that lies in between. Maybe that's why I named my blog "A Little Bit Funny."

HYBT: What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
WW: I feel like we're all more similar than we might think, so I'm not sure I can confidently say that I know I do something differently than most people. But I will say that I always eat my food in a clockwise, circular pattern, ultimately leaving me with "the best bite" at the end. If I have multiple items in my meal, I like to alternate bites between items so I don't run through the "best" thing first. I might be a little obsessive-compulsive when it comes to food.

HYBT: What's something you'd like to learn to do?
WW: I LOVE learning. I need to learn how to play the guitar - I love to sing, and want to be able to perform with just some strings and my voice. I also need to learn Spanish - my Rosetta Stone is impatiently waiting at home.

HYBT: What's something about you that would surprise people?
WW: I think most people are surprised when they learn that I have a "dark side." I like to think that I'm a positive, happy, compassionate person. But only the people closest to me know that sometimes, you know, I can be bitchy. And I can be sarcastic. And I can be a bit selfish. Just ask my boyfriend Daniel - I'm sure he has some stories to share...

HYBT: Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
WW: Almost every exciting, creative, impressive idea starts off as something that seems impossible and "insane." Every film set is chaotic and that insanity *sometimes* results in amazing work. I think I like the way a crazed, overcrowded kitchen with a million ingredients scattered about can result in the most creative, delicious meal. It's overwhelming at first, but then the payoff is totally worth it.

HYBT: Who's your favorite television or movie character?
WW: Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is pretty remarkable and unforgettable. Ace Ventura is a close second (I'm serious)... But Scarlett O'Hara has mesmerized me since I was 6-years-old. She's vulnerable and bitchy, glamorous and scrappy, modern and yet traditional all at the same time. More than anything though, she's the ultimate optimist.

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