Mentorship & Community
Every great producer has a team behind them.
The Moonshot Collective is yours.
A year long collective for producers and filmmakers who are redefining what's possible.
LET'S CHAT
Are you a producer or filmmaker who leads with your heart?
The Moonshot Collective is for creatives who see producing as art, craft, and calling.
This is more than logistics and deadlines. We focus on the spiritual, strategic, and tactical sides of producing.
It’s a place to ask the questions you don’t necessarily want to ask publicly. To get support in the areas where you’re not as strong. To think through a problem with people who understand the business. And to get a boost when this work knocks the wind out of you.
Because yes, it’s hard to get movies made and distributed right now. But it’s not impossible. And all of this disruption is creating new opportunities alongside the challenges.
We’re here to help you see them, figure out which ones make sense for you and your projects, and keep moving toward what’s possible.
Read on for details. If you’re thinking, this is my people, let’s chat.
LET'S CHAT
Hey, I’m Laverne!
I’m a career strategist, Master Certified Coach (MCC), and grief recovery specialist with over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
As an executive producer on the Netflix series GIRLBOSS and former SVP at CBS and EVP at EPIX, I've tasted sweet sweet success — and face-planted hard enough to taste the dirt. Those experiences shaped how I lead and coach today — with a mix of strategy, humor, and deep respect for what it really takes to build a meaningful career.
Beyond coaching, I’m a speaker and mentor. As a faculty member at Northwestern University, I teach Persuasion & Pitching, a course that helps students frame their ideas in ways that inspire action. Feedback on my approach has been described as “life-changing,” “deeply intuitive,” and “a powerful catalyst for change.” I promise I didn’t write those myself, nor paid anyone.
LEARN MORE
Hey, I’m Rachel!
I'm a Los Angeles-based independent film producer, the LA Co-Chair of Women Independent Producers, and a 2025 Stowe Producers' Lab Fellow.
I have two features and several shorts under my belt. Financing them meant raising over $1.1 million: equity crowdfunding for the features, and traditional crowdfunding and philanthropic giving for the shorts. Which is a polite way of saying I've spent years convincing people that a film is worth funding for reasons that have nothing to do with getting the money back. That a story can move people, carry a set of values, and do something in the world.
I also nerd out about festival strategy. My own films have played more than 120 festivals across five continents, and I help other filmmakers plan runs that get their work in front of the right audiences.
What I'm proudest of is the way the work gets made, not just what ends up on screen. Both of my features earned the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced hiring, one external marker of something I keep working at on every project: making sure my values show up in how a film comes together, not only in the story it tells.
What’s possible inside The Collective
Here’s what members have made happen.
- Premiered projects at Tribeca, Santa Barbara, Rotterdam, HollyShorts, and other festivals
- Completed a documentary and moved into festival submissions, screenings, and audience-building
- Launched a screening series and summit, brought on multiple vendor sponsors, and sold out the premiere event
- Produced a vertical series
- Took a completed feature to The Booking Fair to negotiate direct deals with exhibitors
- Completed multiple scripts
- Secured director and actor attachments
- Secured rights to a highly sought-after romantasy book series
- Negotiated producer attachment agreements
- Launched fundraising campaigns and secured fiscal sponsorship
- Received a $150K minimum guarantee and began developing impact partnerships
- Selected for TIFF Creators Lab, Stowe Story Labs, and Rideback RISE
- Represented their work at AFM, Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Edinburgh, and TIFF
- Earned an Imagen Award nomination
- Secured a Humanitas Prize nomination for a project’s writers
- Directed documentaries for the Gates Foundation
- Were invited to speak on panels as thought leaders and experts in their field
- Established a nonprofit foundation arm to unlock direct access to tax-deductible funding
- Developed relationships and took meetings with producers, financiers, distributors, talent, and other industry decision-makers
- Connected with companies and individuals including HBO, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Kesha, and Jack White’s producer
- A writer/producer made their directorial debut with two Collective members producing
- Members attached one another to projects
- Members made introductions that led to meetings and opportunities
- Members supported one another’s screenings, festivals, fundraising, packaging, and project development
Big things happen when producers come together with shared purpose and accountability.
Dream big, build smarter, laugh often.
The Moonshot Collective is for you if:
- You want to move a film or TV project forward with a clear, actionable strategy and the accountability to keep going.
- You’re looking for a community of experienced producers and peers who offer fresh perspectives, collaborative problem-solving, and honest feedback.
- You’re ready to show up, participate, and do the work between regular, structured sessions.
- You want to deepen your understanding of the business of getting work made—including packaging, financing, budgeting, sales, and festivals.
- You want a supportive, emotionally safe space where you can talk honestly about the challenges of making work and be surrounded by people who understand.
You don’t have to have everything figured out. You do need to be ready to engage, experiment, and move your work forward.
If you're ready for clarity, courage, and a crew who gets it, The Moonshot Collective is where you’ll find it.
What you'll work on inside
The Moonshot Collective
Build Your Strategic Plan
Package Your Project
Understand Financing & Budgets
Develop Your Festival Strategy
Grow as a Leader
Build Your Sales Tools
Janine
Writer, Producer & Moonshot Collective Member
“When I first found The Moonshot Collective, I was at a crossroads so to speak. I wanted to join the collective to see what I could do besides wait, if anything. It became very clear that I could become a producer which is exactly what I did. Being a member of the Collective has given me not only the literal skills of what goes into being a producer, but it has also given me the confidence to carry myself in a higher, more valuable regard in spaces I usually thought I'd need an invitation to be a part of.”
Ariel
Writer, Producer & Moonshot Collective Member
“Laverne and the cohort of the Moonshot Collective have been absolutely game-changing for my career. We’ve also built a community that is so rare to find in this industry—the other filmmakers in our cohort have become more than professional acquaintances but true friends and champions for each other’s work. The Moonshot Collective saw me through some of the hardest shifts in my career, like becoming a new mother, and helped me become the writer/producer I always wanted to be.”
Kat
Writer, Producer & Moonshot Collective Member
“I found Moonshot right as I was leaving school and figuring out what being a producer looked like beyond an academic setting. The resources have been unbelievable, but what I didn’t expect was how warm and empowering the community would be. Since joining, I’ve become more confident making the ask, trusting my instincts, and finding a way forward when I don’t have every piece figured out. Having this kind of community and knowledge around you is invaluable.”
Emily
Writer, Producer & Moonshot Collective Member
“The group inside The Moonshot Collective is honestly kind of magical. It’s rare to find a space where you feel this supported and this challenged at the same time. For me, it’s made a real difference as I’ve worked toward getting a handful of feature projects sold, and I finally got moving again on a couple of projects that had totally stalled out.”
What you get inside the collective
2 In-Person Gatherings
These will be experiential workshops to get us out of our heads and into our bodies. We'll meet in downtown Los Angeles in January and June.
Tools & Resource Sharing
Get access to practical tools, templates, industry resources, recordings, and materials you can return to whenever you need them.
Industry Conversations
We host a regular speaker series with industry professionals, and each conversation is designed to give you insight, perspective, and practical advice you can bring back to your own work.
Feedback & Perspective
Get thoughtful feedback on your strategic plan, your decisions, and the challenges you're facing as your project moves forward.
Member Spotlights
You’ll have your moment in every meeting through individual spotlights to share progress or ask a targeted question. And when you’re ready for a deeper dive, you can claim a Focused Spotlight—a 25-minute session where the group helps you tackle a challenge or celebrate a milestone.
A Network That Stays With You
Get advice, compassion, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on when needed—this group is your network of peers who’ve got your back.
Sometimes You Need a Little 1:1 Time
4 Private Coaching Sessions
($950 value)
Sometimes what you need isn’t more group time. You need someone focused entirely on you.
Your membership includes four private 1:1 sessions—two with Laverne and two with Rachel—to dig into whatever would be most useful: your project, your career, strategy, a thorny problem, or what comes next.
Use them when you need them throughout the year.
The view from inside
Wisdom Shared,
Not Guarded
We all know the hard truth that talent, grit, and stoicism alone don’t get a film made. You also need a few good humans who share their playbook instead of guarding it.
In The Moonshot Collective, we’ve been fortunate to host a lot of folks who have openly shared their best practices, wisdom and experience.
Previous Guest Speakers Include:
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Leslie Conliffe / Partner, IPG on relationships, verticals and what’s cutting through in the marketplace
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Peter Dekom / President of Peter J Dekon, a Law Corporation, on the state of the industry
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Jill Gillett / former partner at WME and lit manager on the current marketplace
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Elizabeth Grave / Senior Vice President Production and Development, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
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Ted Hope / Producer, former Head of Production, Amazon Studios
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Shane Kelly / Senior Vice President, International Sales & Acquisitions, Mister Smith on sales agents
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Charlotte Koh / Executive Vice-President, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group on acquisitions
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Yoni Liebling / Vice President of Development at Red Crown on indie financing
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Olivia Mascheroni / Agent at Verve Ventures on hot genres
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Keith Ochwat / Founder of Show&Tell on social impact marketing
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Sean Pope / Ramo Law on the nuts and bolts of hiring a production attorney
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Greg Porper / Filmmaker on securing theatrical distribution for his low-budget comedy thriller Don’t Tell Larry
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Eddie Rubin / Producer, Optimistic Producers (The Farewell, Guilty) on budgeting and scheduling
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Sarah Shepard / Senior Vice President, 20th Century Studio on studio development
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Lisa Trifone / Publicist, CEO of Bright Iris Film Co on the pros and investment of hiring a publicist
Let’s Talk Commitment
(the fun kind)
Joining The Moonshot Collective is a yearlong commitment to your craft, your community, and your next big leap. The annual membership is $5,400, paid in 12 monthly installments of $450.
We also set aside a limited pool of scholarship funds each year, with support offered on a sliding scale for creatives who could use a little financial breathing room.
Scholarship Application
Deadline: Monday, November 30 at 6:00 PM PST. We’ll let you know the outcome of your application by Friday, December 4, and you’ll have until Friday, December 11 to make your final decision and first payment.
Another Way Into the Collective
In 2027, we’re opening a limited number of auditor spots for producers and filmmakers who want to learn alongside the Collective without becoming full members.
Auditors join us for the first 45 minutes of our regular Zoom meetings, including Growing Edges, our short learning segment where we explore an idea, tool, or practice together, followed by open Q&A.
You’ll also be invited to our Industry Conversations with guest speakers and have access to the full speaker library, so you can watch—or revisit—the conversations on your own time.
Auditors sign off before we move into member Spotlights. Workshops, in-person gatherings, 1:1 sessions, and the private member community are reserved for full members.
Auditing might be a great fit if you’re looking for fresh thinking, access to experienced industry voices, and a place to bring the questions that come up as you’re trying to get your work made.
Before it's official, let's hop on a call!
We'll talk through your goals and see if The Collective is the right fit for your time, energy, and resources. If we feel it’s aligned, you’ll complete a short agreement and onboarding form to get set up.
Here’s to building what’s next, together!
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATIONFAQs
What’s the format?
Where do we meet?
When is it?
2027 Meeting Dates
The person who cheers for everyone else deserves a team, too.
See you inside!
