NYWIFT Blog

By Tammy Reese

Award-winning producer and NYWIFT member Carolyn Hepburn is making waves once again with the highly anticipated world premiere of Empire Skate at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.

As part of the festival’s prestigious Spotlight Documentary section, the film captures the vibrant heart of New York City’s downtown skate culture — a world Hepburn remembers vividly and honors with deep authenticity.

With a producing career that spans Emmy, Peabody, and Gotham award-winning projects, Hepburn continues to shape the documentary landscape with bold storytelling and emotional depth.

In this exclusive NYWIFT interview, she reflects on her journey from Long Island to the global film stage, the power of community in filmmaking, and why Empire Skate feels like a personal love letter to the city that raised her.

NYWIFT Member Carolyn Hepburn (image courtesy of Carolyn Hepburn)

Carolyn, thank you for joining us and congratulations on the world premiere of Empire Skate! To start off, can you tell us a bit about yourself and share your background in film?

I’m a native New Yorker born and raised on Long Island. I went to college in Missouri, in part because I received a swimming scholarship at Truman State University and returned to New York soon afterwards where I started working for documentary producer Charles Hobson.

I went on to work on many types of productions — films, commercials, industrials, experiential — for a few years and moved back to Long Island when I married my husband.

I started working with Julie Goldman in 2009 when she founded Motto Pictures where I produced and executive produced independent documentary films and series and then came to ESPN Films / 30 for 30 in 2022.

Empire Skate is part of the prestigious Spotlight Documentary section at Tribeca 2025 — that’s a huge milestone! What does this moment mean to you personally and professionally?

I am so proud to have this film premiere at Tribeca because the documentary is such a quintessential New York story. I am very fortunate to have over a dozen films that I’ve produced / executive produced screen at Tribeca and every single time it has been an absolute thrill. Plus, it being in my hometown, it’s so fun that I can have so many friends and family attend.

Still from Empire Skate (image courtesy of Tribeca)

Without giving too much away, how would you describe what Empire Skate?

Empire Skate is a genuine nostalgia trip of New York City at a time when a new cultural scene emerged that deeply influenced me and so much of our world today. The film is as much about identity and expression as it is about skating.

What initially drew you to this particular story?

Director Josh Swade has now made several films about the downtown culture and he has wonderful insights in that whole scene. With the help of Alex Corporan, he was able to get so many people who were the fabric of that community to open up in deep, revealing ways.

I vividly remember that time and there is so much great archival used in the film — especially fun, raw skating footage of the era — that makes the story feel so intimate and emotional.

What do you hope audiences will take away after watching Empire Skate?

I hope audiences will recognize the huge influence these skaters had on our culture. It was a group of teenagers from the streets of NY that evolved the sport of skateboarding, influenced fashion and transformed downtown New York as they sought to forge their own path and community.

Carolyn Hepburch (far right) with colleagues at DOC NYC 2024 (Photo Credit: Colleen Sturtevant Photography, Image courtesy of Carolyn Hepburn)

You’ve had an incredible producing career. What advice would you give to aspiring documentary producers navigating the film industry?

With all the changes in the industry the past few years, it really can be a struggle to navigate it all while working to build and sustain a career as a producer, so my biggest advice is to build a group of mentors and peers within the film world that you can give and get support from and advocate with. I truly believe that working together as community can make the industry better for us all.

You’re a proud member of New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT). What inspired you to join the organization, and what impact has it had on your journey?

I feel very fortunate that I joined NYWIFT early in my career. Expanding my network and forging relationships with women who are experiencing similar challenges that I face, both professionally and personally, has been crucial to my growth.

NYWIFT provides a space to be vulnerable with others that ultimately fosters opportunities to learn and grow in our careers.

What other projects are you currently working on or excited about?

I’m giddy about a number of 30 for 30 & ESPN Films that our group is in production on.

Two projects that I’m personally involved with are a film about basketball great Brittany Griner and a limited series about the history of the Gracie Family who founded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Both projects are very intimate and revealing, which I think audiences will find surprising.

Learn more about Empire Skate at Tribeca: https://tribecafilm.com/films/empire-skate-2025

Learn more about the rest of the NYWIFT member projects at Tribeca 2025!

Carolyn Hepburn is an Emmy, Peabody and Gotham Award-winning producer who joined ESPN Films in 2022. Carolyn’s most recent and notable films include 30 for 30’s “Empire Skate” which is premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival; the ESPN Films “Candace Parker: Unapologetic”;HBO Documentaries’ “Love To Love You, Donna Summer” which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival; Netflix Original Emmy Winner “Victim/Suspect” which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival); Emmy Winner “The Fire That Took Her” which premiered on Paramount+ under the MTV Documentary Films banner; CNN Films’ “American Pain” which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Festival along with “Unfinished Business”; 2022 SXSW Audience Winner “The Return of Tanya Tucker featuring Brandi Carlile” which was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics; Oscar Shortlisted “In The Same Breath” which aired on HBO and premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; Apple Original Oscar Shortlisted “The Velvet Underground” which debuted at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival; Oscar Nominee “The Mole Agent” available on Hulu and premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; Frontline’s “A Thousand Cuts” which won an Emmy, Gotham and IDA Award along with premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; 2020 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner “One Child Nation” which was acquired by Amazon Studios and was Oscar Shortlisted; Oscar Nominee and Emmy Winner “Life, Animated” which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival under the A&E IndieFilms banner; Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner “Weiner” which was Oscar Shortlisted and distributed by IFC Films; National Board of Review Winner “Art and Craft” theatrically released by Oscilloscope and Oscar Shortlisted; and Oscar Shortlisted and Emmy Nominated “3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets” which won the 2013 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Social Impact and aired on HBO.