Lindsey Ott: Future Film Producer and Gorilla Creative Scholarship Winner

Lindsey Ott is one of the latest recipients of the Gorilla Creative Film Scholarships. She is pursuing a BA in Film with a minor in Business Administration at the University of Central Florida. In between her many ongoing projects, classes, and internships, I was able to spend some time with her on Zoom and learn more about her background, inspiration, and goals for her career in producing.

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Lindsey’s earliest memories of film are of movie nights with her family growing up in Fort Worth, Texas. She became particularly fond of Westerns and Classic Hollywood films. Billy Wilder is a huge influence in her love of cinema. As a result, you might find her stuck on the TCM (Turner Movie Classics) channel. This has the added benefit of being ahead of her classmates when they are assigned to watch these same classics for their lessons!

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Her first taste of production was in high school, being an Executive Producer for the school news. She would lead a team of videographers to capture footage of the football games for the local news stations. This style of content was great for flexing her organizational skills, especially because of the quick turnaround times that the news requires. It’s also when she learned that the news isn’t quite the direction for her - she’s better fitted for long-form projects, where she can better build and nurture them to fruition.

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Lindsey’s numerous internships have led her to very enriching and valuable experiences. She was an intern at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital branch of Seacrest Studios through the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, where she produced original live shows, podcasts, and other content for the children on the hospital’s closed-circuit TV channel (she admits to having a particular soft spot for children’s media).

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Another project she recently wrapped up was being the BTS/Marketing Producer for UCF’s entry into Coca-Cola’s Refreshing Films program entitled “Screening Love”! She had the opportunity to lead her team through many hurdles (including location and budgeting emergencies). She found creative solutions and admits to embracing more of a guerilla (not to be confused with Gorilla) filmmaking mindset to get the job done successfully. Her work recently premiered at Cinecon and can now be seen online (yep, that’s her in the video!).

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When asked where she gets her drive from, she proudly says she gets it from her father, Mark. Mark Ott attended the Air Force Academy because of his love for airplanes and the armed service. That passion continued on and he became an aerospace engineer. In him, Lindsey sees someone who continually pursues his passion and makes a career out of it - designing and selling airplanes. And because of how her dad’s military background had a direct influence on how things ran in the home, she learned to be structured and organized - an invaluable trait for any producer.

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Lindsey loves what she does and continually looks for ways to grow and develop in production management. She currently serves as president of the Film & TV Producers Guild at UCF, a growing network for aspiring producers. She’s also in a producing internship at a local film studio, where she continues to gain experience working on commercial productions for local businesses. Not to mention, she is learning from professors who are independent filmmakers in their own right (filming personal projects in between lectures). Her extended goal is to continue onto Chapman University to earn her MFA and MBA to give her the skills needed to one day become a studio executive.

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As a producer here at Gorilla, it’s always great to meet someone who understands and respects the process of everything that happens behind the scenes! Not to mention, a strong appreciation for pre production and the value of building the right team. She’s got great energy and a clear vision of her future. The team here at Gorilla Creative looks forward to staying in touch with Lindsey as she continues to pursue her goals in the industry!

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The team at Gorilla Creative is glad to be a small part of her lifelong journey. Aside from the scholarship funds she has received, we will be conducting a personal AMA where she can spend time talking with the team at Gorilla Creative to learn more about producing from working professionals. We love seeing the next generation becoming inspired to work in the same field we do. Congratulations, Lindsey! You can find more of her work here.