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Meet Mikayla Roberts of 5280 Film Company in Littleton

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikayla Roberts.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mikayla. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My love for film goes back as far as I can remember. But I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment in college when I was trying to figure out what I was doing with my education. Attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, we didn’t have a Film major at the time, just a Broadcast Journalism major and a Film Studies minor. While I didn’t feel at home in the journalism department, not to mention, I had been apart of a few organizations at the time and having to drop most of them for the same reason also put me in a really confusing place. It was a lot of patience, a lot of talking around, some tears, and I ended up switching to English as a major. Mostly because I loved writing and reading and everything that goes into them.

But when I was trying to figure out what minor to take, a friend convinced me to try out Film Studies. She pointed out how excited I got over movies and tv shows. Could pull random facts out of thin air and I have a habit of watching Behind the Scenes clips before watching the actual movie. I got into a few classes, which was great in looking at genres and debates and history. But I wanted to learn more behind the scenes. While the program tried to get more hands-on classes, they usually fell through. After some looking, I took a Production Assistant workshop (thank you to Vince and Charlotte), found an amazing mentor (hi Trai!), and right out of college, I got hired on as a Production Assistant for Top Chef.

Working on Top Chef sealed the deal on working in Film. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t a full-time career. After stepping away, I ended up falling back on retail by taking some Production Assistant jobs from time to time. I was jumping between a lot of things, I didn’t go straight into attending Film school because college put me through the wringer and I needed a break. Not to mention, I was interested in working my way up to being a Director/Producer, Screenwriter or working with talent (thanks, Desi!). I didn’t see myself as ‘qualified’ for anything other than assisting at the time. I kept telling myself to start as an assistant and then work my way up.

Interviews took me nowhere, I scored a couple but never heard back. Retail was dragging me to a dark place, and I wanted to scream, cry, shout, the works. But, I knew to throw a fit wasn’t going to help me. If I wanted to leave retail and be in film, I needed to work hard and push my self over and through the walls, I built up.

So I answered a call for a film trailer (which turned into a trailer and a short) on Facebook and that’s how I met Cory Rowe and 5280 Film Company. He was in the same place I was with Film, he just knew exactly where he wanted to be, which was directing. I started out as his Head PA for the shoot and after a couple of fall through and me stepping up to the plate, he asked me if I wanted to be his Assistant Director. Still not feeling fully qualified, I ended up going ahead and saying ‘Sure, why not’? I learned the script, I made quite a few (a lot) of Spreadsheets and the initial shoot went amazing… after 17 hours of shooting.

Becoming an Assistant Director even for such a small shoot put everything into perspective. I had the skills I needed without being fully aware of it. Even though I am still curious about other places within the industry, I have no problem stepping back into such a mentally and physically demanding role. I’m always game for challenging myself.

Cory and I kept in touch and when we had to do some re-shoots, I hopped back into the role with ease. With that shoot, we were able to pull Timothy Lee into our chaos, and we are proud to make up 5280 Film Company. After almost two years, I am leaving retail on the cutting room floor as I focus solely on Film work as a proud female Assistant Director.

Has it been a smooth road?
College was my biggest struggle. Right after my Freshman year, I ended up getting into a pretty bad car accident that could have easily taken my life. Believe me when I say that seatbelts are more than just an annoyance and a way to suffocate you when you slam on the breaks. I went through a lengthy legal battle just to pay for medical bills. Ended up with PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression. There were days I wanted to drop out of school and say “Forget it”.

There have been times in the industry where I have gotten a huge wake-up call. Not showing up 110% will not get you far, and you will be overlooked. I have gotten yelled at by frustrated co-workers and burned out Assistant Directors. I have quickly learned that if anything was going to get done, most of it had to be done independently but a team could work just as efficiently in some cases.

But the biggest lesson that I have learned is to take things as they roll. Not everything is going to be smooth, and I can’t blame myself for every little mistake I made. I’m my biggest critic and when I stop focusing on those little things, the better I will be. I’m still working on it, but I know I will get there.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the 5280 Film Company story. Tell us more about it.
I got with 5280 Film Company through Cory, it’s not just my business or his business, but it’s our business and a piece of it grows stronger each time we connect with someone new.

We specialize in Production and are currently making a name for ourselves with Euphorum: Genesis, which we are trying to make into a feature film.

I’m proud of this company because of how much we emphasize that everyone we work with is so much more than a position, they are a human being and they are an important part of the production. I have been in several positions where I have felt completely replaceable and forgotten about. With Cory and Tim, and their families as well, I have felt welcome and appreciated and recognized for what I can bring to the team. I consider all of them to be apart of my family and I am happy to feel as though I am a member of theirs.

What makes us unique as a company is we all come from very diverse backgrounds. Our paths never have crossed without getting involved in Euphorium: Genesis and we luckily have found a common ground and a story that we believe deserves to be told. Even those whom we have brought on for one day have fallen in love with the script and we are always open to suggestions and alterations to make it stronger. There are a few other scripts in the works and they have been treated the exact same way.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Thinking about the next decade of film is interesting. There are several different factors coming into play about the creation of film and stories that need to be told. Not to mention the amount of movements raising their voices and making actual change. While I can’t say that there is one particular thing to be expected, the next decade of this industry will be remembered.

Personally, I have been waiting so long for just an opportunity like this, I’m ready for the ride. I would love to stay in my current role as Assistant Director but I am pushing myself to try something new like Directing or Producing. I, personally am working on a script and a novel and would love to turn my own work into a short or feature.

Patience is key, which is a hard pill to swallow in this company because it always feels as though everyone else is 10 steps ahead of you and you want to catch up and be with the big boys. I’m ready to take it as it comes and not move faster than it wants to move.

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Image Credit:
Matt Liparulo, Kolbe Jackson, Stephanie Cline, Mikayla Roberts

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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