Behind the Pitch: Colleen Brady and “Firebird”

The following is from an interview with one of The Film Fund’s previous winners, Colleen Brady, who received a KitSplit gift card to help make their film Firebird: Built to Burn.

Colleen C. Brady and Thomas Verdi
January 21, 2025

Thomas Verdi: So, could you tell me a little about yourself and your background in filmmaking?

Colleen Brady: Sure! My name is Colleen Brady, and much like Batman, by day I’m a corporate editor, and by night, I’m a documentary filmmaker. I love all forms of creativity and storytelling. Ever since I was a kid, storytelling has driven my passion and career for almost the last 10 years.

Thomas Verdi: I love that—the duality of what makes us who we are. If you remember, how did you first hear about The Film Fund?

Colleen Brady: We were Googling different grants and funding opportunities, and when The Film Fund came up, we thought, this is great! We loved the idea of boiling our pitch down to a killer one-liner.

I still think it’s an amazing exercise for filmmakers—so many people struggle with distilling their stories. But it’s crucial to grab people’s interest and focus your vision. This contest really forces you to say, What makes this compelling? What draws people in? It was actually one of the more fun grants we ever applied to.

My team and I spent a week going back and forth, tweaking our sentence—”What about this? Does it flow?” We also had to be strategic because we had to include both the plot and what we needed funding for. Eventually, we used a semicolon: Money for equipment; that way, it wasn’t too wordy.

Thomas Verdi: Right, yeah. We’re definitely open to creative formulations like that—run-on sentences are totally fine, too. But don’t tell my former college professors that.

Colleen Brady: Exactly.

Thomas Verdi: I’ve been doing these interviews over the past week, and so many winners have said they loved the challenge of distilling their project into a single sentence. It helps them understand their own story better, which I think is really cool.

Colleen Brady: Totally. As creatives, we have a habit of constantly expanding our ideas—saying yes, and… over and over. But that can make it easy to get lost in the details.

I always tell students that you need to create a logline before anything else—before a step sheet, before brainstorming extra elements. The logline is your anchor. You can always refine it, but it gives you something to recalibrate to.

Thomas Verdi: Almost like a North Star for your project.

Colleen Brady: Exactly! Otherwise, you risk drifting too far from the core idea. You never want to finish an entire feature-length script and have someone ask, So… what’s this about?

Thomas Verdi: Yeah, worst-case scenario.

Colleen Brady: I actually experienced that with my thesis documentary. I put together a rough cut and sent it to my parents for feedback. They called me and said, It looks nice, but what are you trying to say? That was a wake-up call—I needed to focus my story. Did every detail support my theme, or was I getting lost in unnecessary elements?

Thomas Verdi: That makes sense. So, how did The Film Fund help bring your project to life?

Colleen Brady: We received a gift card for gear rentals, which was a huge help. For the burn day—the biggest part of our movie—we knew we needed extra equipment, especially since our crew would be on their feet for almost 10 hours. The funding helped us secure that gear, and I think it really paid off. That scene turned out beautifully. We were able to capture it in all its glory, in a way that did it justice.

Thomas Verdi: It really is a stunning scene. I remember seeing it at—what was the name of that theater in Phoenixville?

Colleen Brady: The Colonial Theater.

Thomas Verdi: Right! It was amazing. Beautifully shot.

Obviously, I’ve seen the documentary, so I know you ran into some challenges with the story itself. But what were some of the biggest challenges you faced during production, and how did you overcome them?

Colleen Brady: Oh, where do I start? Most of our production took place in 2021, right in the aftermath of the pandemic. People tend to forget the timeline—vaccines weren’t widely rolled out until mid-2021. That meant a lot of restrictions, a lot of uncertainty. People had personal health concerns, and entire towns were hesitant to return to normal.

It was a constant question of What can we do? What can’t we do? And that uncertainty was reflected in the subject of our film, the Firebird Festival. They were asking the same questions—Do we need to cancel this year? Can we bring the community back together?

For us, it became about asking, Can we even make a movie again? Can we break through these barriers of isolation? That was a huge thematic and logistical challenge.

And then—spoiler alert—inclement weather hit. The burn day was supposed to be the climax of the film, but it was canceled by the fire marshal due to safety concerns. And their decision was totally valid…

Thomas Verdi: Yeah.

Colleen Brady: That was definitely a hit to morale, especially because we were shooting so close to Christmas. We had planned this huge day, and then, within three days, we had to completely replan everything for the following weekend. That was really tough.

Then, in post, after two and a half years of shooting, we knew what the story was—but the question became, How do we support that overall thesis? What do we include, and what do we leave out? We had a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of people, and we had to figure out how to tell the story while respecting their privacy.

Since this was going to be shown in their town, we had to be really mindful. These were real people, and many of them were working with friends, but tensions existed. We had to find a way to show those tensions without casting anyone in a negative light. Could they be redeemed?

Colleen Brady: Editing always throws you into an existential crisis. You reach a point where you start questioning, What story am I even telling? Our original assembly cut was four hours long, so cutting it down was incredibly difficult. We kept swapping things in and out—What if we take this away? What if we add that? We did that for about a year. It was exhausting, a real test of endurance.

Colleen Brady: And then, of course, distribution is a whole other beast. It’s infamously gatekept, which comes with its own set of challenges. But persistence, leaning on our crew and friends, and staying committed to finishing the film got us through it.

Thomas Verdi: What kind of impact would you say your project has had since its completion?

Colleen Brady: It had an amazing reception in Phoenixville. So many people came up to us at the world premiere and said, I never thought my home would be shown so beautifully on the big screen. That meant a lot to us.

Then we took the film around the country, screening in small communities in California, Utah, and Appalachia. It was incredible to see how people in these communities resonated with the story.

They saw themselves in Phoenixville and the Firebird Festival. People took personal lessons from it—whether it was about letting go and starting over, reaching out to their neighbors to build community, or finally starting that creative project they had been putting off.

One of the most memorable screenings was in Cumberland, Maryland. Much like Phoenixville, their main industry left, and they’re now trying to revitalize through the arts. Watching our film gave them a sense of proof of concept—that if Phoenixville could do it, they could too. That was really powerful.

I never anticipated that when I started this project. I thought I was just telling a story about a cool burn, but five years later, people are saying, This film showed me that we can make real change through art. It completely changed my perspective on what filmmaking can do. It’s not just about telling stories—it’s about making an impact.

Thomas Verdi: That’s real impact. You’re showing a community in—where did you say?

Colleen Brady: Cumberland, Maryland.

Thomas Verdi: Right. You’re showing them how they can replicate Phoenixville’s success, how they can revitalize through storytelling. That’s so cool.

Colleen Brady: Yeah, I think it’s important to plan your story carefully and really do the research.

Thomas Verdi: What advice would you give to filmmakers entering The Film Fund’s short film funding contest?

Colleen Brady: Know your subject inside and out. When you’re crafting your pitch, you should have a gut-level confidence in it—so much so that no one can poke holes in your plot.

That confidence is key when applying for grants. Funders want to know that you understand the story you’re telling. But beyond that, knowing your story deeply helps you stay grounded.

Things will shake your confidence along the way. You’ll have moments of doubt. But if you’ve done the work upfront, you’ll have something solid to fall back on. You’ll be able to say, No, I know what I’m doing. I just need a breath… and maybe a little cry… but I can do this. Because filmmaking is not for the weak, that’s for sure.

Thomas Verdi: No, definitely not.

Colleen Brady: And you have to keep reassuring yourself that you are the person to tell this story.

Thomas Verdi: Along those lines, what’s your best tip for crafting an effective one-sentence pitch?

Colleen Brady: I’d start with a word map—list out the best descriptors for your setting, main conflict, and characters. Look at those words and experiment with different sentence structures.

You still have pitch examples on the website, right?

Thomas Verdi: Yeah! We even did a deep dive on one of Don Fanelli’s winning pitches, where we analyzed what worked about it. Judges went through it word by word—I like this because it evokes this emotion… A lot of winners have studied that model.

Colleen Brady: That’s super helpful. Never underestimate the power of a carefully chosen word. For our film, since the phoenix is a mythological creature, we wanted our pitch to evoke that same mythical storytelling feel. So we started with On a wintry cold night in December… It immediately places you in the scene and gives it a once upon a time quality. We thought about it on a deeper level—Our film is about a mythical phoenix, so how can our sentence reflect that? I encourage filmmakers to think that way when crafting their pitches.

Thomas Verdi: Yeah, and that approach clearly worked—you won one of our prizes. Plus, it makes your pitch cinematic. You already have an incredible story—a community rallies to set a giant bird on fire—but setting the scene with a wintry night… makes it even more powerful. You have to set the scene, make it cinematic.

It reminds me of something Mike Gerbino, another one of our winners, said yesterday. He wrote and directed the short film, “Freelance,” which is also now a feature. He talked about thinking beyond just what the story is about—as a writer, yes, but also as a director. Your whole vision should come through, even in the pitch.

I think you did a great job of that by setting the scene with your wording—talking about the wintry night, the weather, all of that.

Colleen Brady: Thank you!

Thomas Verdi: Fun question: what’s next for you in your filmmaking career or creative journey?

Colleen Brady: This is exciting—and a little under wraps—but I’m thrilled to share it with you. I’m pursuing my next feature documentary, Amish Country Queer. It explores the drag and LGBTQ+ scene in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Verdi: That’s definitely an interesting topic. I’ve spent a lot of time in Lancaster, so I know that’ll be a fascinating story to tell.

Colleen Brady: Absolutely—especially given the political backdrop. Right now, we’re still developing the project, but I’m really excited. A lot of things have fallen into place, and it feels really rewarding.

Also, Firebird is now available for streaming!

Thomas Verdi: That’s great! Where can people watch the film?

Colleen Brady: Right now, it’s available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. And hopefully, more platforms in the future.

Thomas Verdi: Awesome. And what’s the best way for people to connect with you and follow your creative journey? Instagram? A website?

Colleen Brady: You can learn more about Firebird at firebirddocumentary.com or visit our production company at littleechoproductions.com. On Instagram, you can find me at @cucumberapocalypse, @littleechoproductions, @firebirddocumentary, and @amishcountryqueer. I know, that’s a lot!

Thomas Verdi: I have two more questions. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned—either from your experience with The Film Fund or from making your documentary?

Colleen Brady: I used to be such a perfectionist. But I’ve learned to be okay with the discomfort of just getting things done. You’re never going to get things perfect, so what’s better than perfect? Done. I’d rather have a finished movie out there than spend forever chasing some impossible standard I’ll never reach.

Thomas Verdi: Yeah, there’s a great quote: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If you obsess over perfection, you’ll never actually make anything.

Colleen Brady: Exactly.

Thomas Verdi: In my grad program, they used to say, Good is good enough. I struggle with that one, but at the same time, if you’re trying to get things done, sometimes good is more than enough.

Colleen Brady: You should always push yourself to tell the best story possible, but no film will ever be perfect—there’s no universal standard of perfection. When things don’t go as planned, it helps to take a step back and ask, Is this really a make-or-break moment? Can I salvage this? How much time and energy am I willing to invest before the returns don’t add up?

Thomas Verdi: One last question—do you have any final words for The Film Fund community or aspiring filmmakers?

Colleen Brady: Just don’t give up. It’s really, really hard. Especially when you’re making your first film, there will be a lot of people saying, Most people don’t make it. But my response to that is, Okay, but at least I want to try. There’s this negativity—Who are you to think you can do this?—and my answer is, Because I want to. Nobody else is going to make my art except me. That said, don’t bankrupt yourself. Don’t destroy yourself over it. But go make your art. Don’t let people stop you.

Thomas Verdi: Yeah. Kevin Smith famously maxed out ten credit cards to shoot Clerks. Not saying you should do that—but hey, it worked for him.

Colleen Brady: It’s like gambling—how much are you willing to lose before it starts hurting?

Thomas Verdi: Right!

Colleen Brady: It’s about knowing how much you’re willing to invest in yourself. And I think you should invest in yourself.