By Tammy Reese
The NYWIFT Women Crush Wednesdays Podcast Team works so hard to bring the most informative, empowering, entertaining, and fun interviews to our listeners. Today we are thrilled to highlight our podcast team co-host and contributor Leah Curney.
Leah Curney is a writer, director, producer, and performer. Her short film 6:18 to Omaha won the inaugural CinemaStreet Women’s Short Screenplay Competition and she was a semi-finalist for the 2019 Made in NY Writers Room Fellowship. She’s directed several award-winning short films and is an accomplished video producer/director in the corporate space, creating content for a global finance company. Her performing work spans television (God Friended Me, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Blindspot), stage (Manhattan Theatre Club, Guthrie Theater), independent film and new media. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, New York Women in Film &Television (NYWIFT), and the PANO network.
Leah Curney
What is your role with the podcast team, how long have you been involved, and how did you get started?
I joined the podcast team in 2018 after participating with the NYWIFT communications committee for a while, and have had the pleasure to be both a co-host and contributor since then.
What do you enjoy most about the podcast and how has this journey been for you?
One of the most rewarding parts for me is getting to interview extraordinary women and bring their inspiring insights and stories to our audience. That and connecting with my fellow podcast team members who so generously contribute their time and talents and are always looking for ways to reach new people and have a greater impact.
Leah Curney (right) on set
What would you like to see more of this year?
I’d love to find ways to connect with our listeners and find out what they’d like to see more of!
For anyone who may want to join the podcast team, what would you like to say to them?
Welcome! Jump in with your ideas and enthusiasm — it doesn’t matter if you’ve done this before, your voice matters and you have lots to contribute!
Leah Curney
What would you like to say to the team members and the listeners?
To the podcast team — you rock! Thanks for bringing your talents and creativity month after month. To our listeners — thank you for tuning in! We know your time is precious, so let us know what you want more of and where we can improve.
What else are you working on outside of the podcast?
A feature screenplay, a couple of shorts, a full-time position as a corporate video producer, and spending time with my husband and adorable 16-month-old daughter.
How can we follow you on social media?
You can’t, I’m afraid. Just deleted my Twitter account and have been on a social media hiatus since my daughter was born. I do try to keep my website updated, though, so you can find out what I’m up to or send me a message there. https://www.leahcurney.com/
Listen and subscribe to the NYWIFT podcast at nywift.org/podcast.
Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese is CEO of Visionary Minds PR & Media, and a New York award winning Actress, Writer, and Journalist.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jamie Kiernan O’Brien
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jamie Kiernan O’Brien! Jamie is a filmmaker based in New York City and a current M.F.A. candidate at New York University’s Graduate Film program. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., she began her career as an actor before shifting her focus behind the camera. Jamie’s films have screened at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Wicked Queer Boston, and TRANSlations Film Festival in Seattle. She loves highly stylized work that plays with and subverts genre, having made films inspired by horror, screwball comedy, erotic thriller, and melodrama. Her debut short film, an adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper (in which she also stars), won several awards in the festival circuit and premiered at TRANSlations Film Festival in Seattle in 2022. Her most recent short, Egg, debuted at Wicked Queer in Boston, and went on to screen at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and World Pride DC. She received her B.A. in English Literature from New York University. Jamie is an openly trans woman. In our interview, Jamie discusses her transition from acting to directing, recent projects, and the filmmakers who have inspired her work!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Rita Marcocci
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rita Marcocci! Rita Marcocci is founder of Verus Studios, LLC a female-owned, award-winning production studio based in Westport, CT. She is a former executive at FOX Television with an accomplished background in revenue growth and strategic partnerships. Her most recent project, the Oscar and BAFTA shortlisted film The One Note Man, is currently available on Amazon Prime. Next up is a short film collaboration with award winning director, Daniel Deville and the Oscar-winning team at Slick Films. Rita brings a strategic perspective to projects, offering a full understanding of successful operational knowledge as well as diverse, hands-on experience in the entertainment industry. In our interview, Rita discusses her current projects and the process of running Versus Studios!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Cassie Rubio
Welcome to NYWIFT, Cassie Rubio! Cassie Rubio is a Brooklyn-based screenwriter, educator, and community organizer. Whether it’s running free art labs for QTBIPOC youth or teaching guerrilla filmmaking workshops aimed at documenting climate change, Cassie believes in the transformative power each of our creative voices have. A recent graduate of Stony Brook’s MFA in Television Writing program and a 2024 Television Academy Drama Writing Fellowship Finalist, they use their voice to author stories about the harm and healing found in collective spaces. In our interview, Cassie discusses the intersections between activism and filmmaking, their writing inspiration, and an upcoming project!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Ellie Nix
Welcome to NYWIFT, Ellie Nix! Ellie Nix is a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she played key roles in over 25 short films during the three years it took her to complete her degree. With a growing passion for assistant directing, Ellie brings a unique blend of efficiency and diplomacy to the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of media production. Ellie is most inspired when surrounded by people who challenge their perspective and a passion for those perspectives, and hopes to spend a lifetime pushing boundaries and helping bring bold visions to life. In our interview, Ellie discusses her experience as an assistant director, finding film community, and her short film Barreling Down!
READ MORE
Comments are closed