Featured Member: Lisa Pham Flowers

How many years have you spent working or studying in the Vancouver post production industry? I finished the Film Program at SFU in 2011 and have been working in post production, in some capacity, for 9 years.

Where did you get your start in our community? I got my start as a logger on a reality show called Yukon Gold, then jumped over to the online world as a Junior Online Editor. That was short lived as I realized how much I love the creative aspect in offline work. I then freelanced for years as an Editor at Metro Vancouver, cutting videos about the city and its programs. And then I started over as a 2nd Assistant Editor in 2015...and the rest is history.

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for your sector, relative to the Vancouver industry? I think the biggest hurdle for our sector is keeping shows here for post. There's a multitude of talent here and great facilities in town, and it would be amazing to have more of a chance to showcase that. I've enjoyed every project I've worked on, and am always thanking my lucky stars to land a show -- even though so much content is shot in this city.

What support does the Vancouver post community need most now? I think the Vancouver post community needs support in hiring and training, with an emphasis on structured training programs for all positions in post, and also hiring mandates to include a percentage of BIPOC and minority member hires per production. I feel out of all sectors in film, post production would benefit most from career training programs and incentives -- it would keep talent, and it would find talent.

Why did you join the VPA? I joined the VPA to meet & connect with other post members and to learn.

If you could have worked on any series/film ever created, which one would it be? I would travel back in time and work on Boogie Nights or Magnolia, just to witness the raw explosion of talent, frustration, and excitement emanating from PT Anderson & crew. I feel like the work environment of those productions probably walked a very fine line between stressful & exciting...but who doesn't love to be in the thick of it.

In one sentence, what advice do you wish someone had given you five years ago, relative to your career today? Go for the shows you want, and value every show you take.

What is your favourite pastime outside of work? Playing music, baking, and spending time with my rabbits.

What is the most memorable project that you've worked on, and why? My favourite industry projects are Loudermilk & Finding Big Country. I loved watching the cuts come together on Loudermilk -- there was definitely no lack of talent or comedic timing in that ensemble cast. Finding Big Country was also a joy to work on and stringing together assemblies of Bryant Reeves on his ranch with Kat Jayme (sorry, spoiler) was interesting and rewarding. Soon to be my favourite though, will be our documentary/action film hybrid -- when we finally get it done. Jimbo will be our first independent feature.