Anna Maybury
Film Producer/Entrepreneur

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am a film producer specializing in line producing for mainly independent feature films. I work freelance and recently joined the team at Hollywood Expansion Corporation. I’m also the president of the Burbank international film festival, and am a mother to an almost 4-year-old.

How did you first become interested in the arts?
I grew up in a very creative household. My older siblings were all artists. My older brother’s a brilliant poet and writer, one of my sisters a visual artist and the other sister a dancer. I myself became a dancer at a young age and went to a performing arts school where I was dancing 6 days a week. It’s also where I got into theater acting and visual arts. The highlight of my high school years was in 2000 when I got to perform as a dancer in the opening and closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games Australia.

My love for theater acting only grew over the years – I performed in theater companies and continued my education in theater & film after high school.

I also got into health and wellness at a young age. Since I was dancing a lot, I did a lot of Pilates and yoga to help my technique and that’s when I really got into health and wellness. My older sister – who was a professional dancer – owned a couple of Pilates studios which I got a lot of inspiration and training at. This lead me to eventually become an entrepreneur and opened my own health and wellness business.

Becoming a film producer was a natural progression. I went from acting to writing my own scripts to directing and producing my own works. After the first short film I wrote produced and directed, I was approached to produce several music videos for signed artists and eventually was offered producing and line producing roles for multiple feature films. Which is what I am still actively doing to date.

How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
I think art is what makes the world go round. It is the vessel for us as humans to express the many facets of the human experience.

I don’t think any of us would still be here if it wasn’t for art. Self expression through artistic mediums helps us all to make sense of this journey of life we’re all on: to experience and to feel connected universally no matter who you are or where you come from. Art connects us as simply and complexly what we are, human.

As for the arts community in Burbank, the Burbank international film festival (September 23-28) is majorly focused on bringing more art to Burbank with a week of film screenings by independent filmmakers from around the globe. We love celebrating artists and supporting their careers by bringing industry professionals together to create more artistic opportunities, with industry panels, Q & A’s and other events centered around educating and supporting artists.

If you could share with our community one thing about art and/or your creative process, what would it be?
When you’re creating something, don’t hold back. I think the most inspiring artists are the ones who give it all, that express themselves freely.

To find out more about Anna and her work, follow her on Instagram @annagracemaybury, Anna McNiven(II) on IMDb, Anna Maybury on LinkedIn, or visit www.burbankfilmfest.org.