How it all began and how I got here...
The film business is a complex industry. With so many moving parts and lack of shared knowledge it can be hard to figure out where to start with a project, what to say and where to go with it.
And I've been there too - hearing crickets in response to the hundreds of pitches I'd send out, getting no one to take my calls and wondering what it takes to get someone to buy a film that doesn't star Jason Statham.
Trust me, after more than a decade in the industry I know firsthand how intimidating, daunting and soul crushing the film business can be.
But I also realized that it doesn't have to be that way.
As I climbed the ranks and learned how things worked it became quite clear that all it takes is knowing what executives are looking for and how to tap in to that. It's access to the 'what' and the 'how' that's the problem.
Then one day I thought...what if I could somehow use my years of experience to give everyone access to the inner workings of the film business and equip others with the knowledge and power to feel confident to express their ideas?
What if, by making access to information easier, there could be a way to better the industry as a whole? Allow more voices to be heard and stronger ideas to rise.
So, I created Hot Sauce.
Tania has worked as an executive in the film industry for over 13 years. Her vast media background, which began in PR, grew to senior roles across the film industry, breathing life into feature films through international rights sales and acquisitions.
Tania is a distribution and film business expert. She has held leading roles on sales teams for UK based indies and Executive Produced their original productions. Most recently she spearheaded all the feature film buying for MGM Studios across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
In 2015 the Business of Film named her a top Upcoming Executive, and in 2014 she was named a Future Leader by Screen International. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the London Film Academy and has sat on various film festival panels as an industry expert. Tania has been the Guest of Honour at the Marche du Film Producer's Breakfast at the Cannes Film Festival which celebrates producing talent across the world and has worked with Strategic Partners to mentor upcoming producers and writers.
In 2020 she founded Hot Sauce - her first entrepreneurial endeavour and her most rewarding work to date.
By peeling back the layers on what goes on behind the industry's closed doors and breaking down every process in the chain of development through to distribution, finance, budgeting, festivals, the whole works, I aspire to better connect the creative and the business of the film industry. To demystify the process from top to bottom so that others can deliver their best work.
My passion has always been helping people and my aim with Hot Sauce is to help as many people leverage their ideas and build up their skill set to make a bigger impact on the film industry so that they too can propel their careers forward.
In the words of Queen B, "I got that hot sauce in my bag, swag."
WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER
Tania is professional, knowledgeable and her help and guidance has been invaluable to me and my production company. My first short film has gone on to win its first international film festival and we are hoping for many more to come.
MEGAN SMITH, ACTRESS + WRITER
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