Meet Genna Sandler | Photographer & Production Supervisor in Film/TV

We had the good fortune of connecting with Genna Sandler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Genna, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I was in college, I majored in photography & communications. I always knew I was going to have to get an internship to graduate which is what brought me to Los Angeles.

I’m from right outside of Boston and where I grew up, (in a smaller town), moving across country didn’t seem possible for most. I always knew I wanted to go somewhere else, and I spent months cold calling photographers to see if they needed interns. Finally, I found someone who was willing to work with my internship guidelines and was based in Los Feliz.

I had never been to California before. I had no idea where to live or what it was going to be like. I ended up reaching out to my cousin who happened to have a room open for rent. I went for a weekend to visit before making the official move and found out that his place was only 10 minutes from my internship (with LA traffic, this was a win).

I took the risk of moving, with no friends, only one family member I hadn’t spoken to in a decade and picked up and left the home I knew for 22 years. For me there was no other option but to try and make a life for myself.

For the better part of my 20’s, I was constantly taking risks and making decisions that directly affected my career. I freelance so there is no consistency. Turning down one job, in hopes to get another could result in weeks or months of no work. It was always (and still is) a gamble.

Thinking back, I realize that when I decided to go through with coming to LA, everything initially aligned to help me make a foundation for myself. I had a place to live, an internship and from there (over 13 years later), was able to get to where I am now. There were many difficult moments, as anyone who works in this industry knows but I continually chose to stay. I’m so happy I did.

Change is always uncomfortable and often times extremely difficult to go through. I know by making this decision, even thought it was one of the hardest things to do, I gave myself a chance to really live the life I dreamed of. It’s a constant work in progress with ups and downs but I’ve had some really amazing experiences throughout my journey. I feel so grateful for that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Photography has always been a part of my life. I moved to Los Angeles in hopes to pursue a career in photography, then eventually fell in love with Production.

In photography my work and the kind of images I take has shifted over the years. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I wanted to do fashion photography. I was dead set on being in that world and even worked at a photo studio in Hollywood, for a short time. I have experience in on set photography, shooting events, portraits and look books.

Over time I was more drawn to documentary style shooting. I was fortunate enough to explore this path more when I went to Colombia to meet my biological family. I documented the whole month-long trip and was able to capture some wonderful images. I want my work to tell a story; specifically with this project, my story which is evolving. My trip to Colombia is my journey and it’s extremely personal. I’ve been back to Colombia about 3 times since and have continued to work on this project for the last couple of years. I hope to have an exhibit one day to share my experience.

Finding the photography style I liked took me some time and while I was working on my portfolio and personal projects, I was simultaneously working in Production. I started as a Production Assistant and moved up to a Coordinator in the office. I was offered a job as a Producer’s assistant and decided to take the position. I had never assisted anyone before and even though I was unsure if it was the road I wanted to go down I took a chance and have been able to move up into a Supervisor role working on many TV shows. It’s been a huge accomplishment for me.

Nothing has been easy. I have made my own life out here. I have built relationships and worked extremely hard to get myself to this point. I am fortunate enough to have found a Producer who continually hires me and after many years of working my way through this industry I feel like I have found my place. I never gave myself the option to give up even though many times I wanted to. I’ve had long periods of unemployment and jobs that fell through. I’ve gained friends and lost friends and it’s been lonely at times.

The key for me was believing in myself and staying motivated. Easier said than done. Networking, staying healthy, being creative helped keep my morale high. Letting myself feel bad or angry but trying not to stay in that mentality was important. Chasing a dream or goal is always going to have its challenges. I give everyone following their dreams credit as it’s scary and exciting all at the same time. I’ve learned to give myself grace when I need to and remind myself that even though at times, I feel I may not be where I’d hoped to be in my career, I have grown and accomplished so much. I am creating my own story that can’t be compared to anyone else’s. That’s what makes us all unique. I am very proud of who I am and how far I’ve come not only in my professional life but also as a person, navigating through life. I hope that I can inspire others who may be going through the same things I have. Whether it’s through my words, photographs or production work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live on the Westside now after living in Hollywood for 8 years, so I’m always discovering something new around Culver City. I’m a huge fan of hidden places to eat and drink so I’d take them to my favorite breakfast spot, S&W Diner. The best breakfast, cash only spot. Great customer service and awesome food. You will be full for the rest of the day. I’d have to take them to the Cozy Inn, which is also in Culver. It’s a dive bar that opens early in the morning. You’ll always meet someone interesting there. You literally lose track of time once you go into the bar.

I love going to the beach so a bike ride from Playa Del Rey to Manhattan or Redondo beach is always fun. Get some seafood and walk around. Do some window shopping. On another day I’d take them to Venice to grab a burger at Hinano’s. There’s nothing like walking on Venice Beach. Pop in an out of shops, grab a few drinks along the boulevard and people watch.

We’d have to drive up the PCH, maybe go to Malibu Seafood. Go for a hike in the Santa Monica mountains. If you can’t tell, I really love being by the water, so most of the activities I take them would be near or at the ocean.

Just because it’s an experience, I would still take them to Hollywood hot spots. Go for a walk on Hollywood Boulevard then take them up to Griffith Observatory. Maybe catch a comedy show somewhere. They’d also need to get a drink on a rooftop because that is a very Los Angeles thing to do. Mama Shelter is the place to go for that.

If they were up for it, I’d take them to try every different type of food we could find. The beauty about Los Angeles is that you can go find Thai, Sushi, Indian, Mexican, BBQ, any type of food you want you can get. Madre in Palms is our favorite Mexican place and if you like a good Mezcal cocktail, then this is the place to be! Better yet, it’s walking distance from my apartment.

There are many more places to go but that’s a pretty good starting point.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are quite a few people I owe so much gratitude to for helping me throughout this adventure.

My parents who have always been supportive of me moving and creating a life out here. They miss me like crazy but have never held me back and always encouraged me to follow whatever path I wanted. If it makes me happy, they are happy.

The many coworkers I’ve met along the way who have referred me for jobs or hired me on set. I’m lucky to have found a small network here of other creatives who I reached out to for work when I first started working in Los Angeles. It helped me financially survive and work my way up the ladder, (even though sometimes it seemed like a never-ending climb).

To the Producer, turned family and friend, Maria. I’ve worked with her for 8 years. I have been able to learn and grow in my career and soak up all the knowledge she has about working in Production. She’s seen me in many phases of not only my work life but also my personal life here in LA and we have shared many amazing moments together.

To my husband, who is a Chief Lighting Technician in the Film/TV industry; although I’m on the Production side of things, he understands what I do and offers endless support. He gives me balance in life which is so important, as Production can be very hectic.

They are all part of my evolving story here and deserve all the love.

Instagram: @gsandlerphoto

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genna-sandler-18a95a25/

Other: @adoptedones is my other Insta for my photos from meeting my biological family. https://www.etsy.com/shop/lilacandrosedesign?ref=profile_header (Etsy shop for some of my digital art)

Image Credits
Image 1 & 2 of myself by Paul Samaniego Image 3-8 by Genna Sandler