We talked with Robin about:
- How her unique blend of business acumen and creative vision has led to impactful documentaries
- The process of distributing her films so they go on to foster discussions and drive advocacy
- How she ensures every screening is not just a viewing but an opportunity for education and dialog
About Robin Hauser:
As president of Unleashed Productions, Inc. and director at Finish Line Features, LLC, Robin is renowned for producing cause-based documentaries that inspire and educate. After beginning her career in finance, Robin's passion for photography and visual storytelling led her to documentary filmmaking. Her journey began in 2010 with a project about a high school cross-country coach diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. The success and emotional impact of this documentary ignited Robin's dedication to creating films that highlight important societal issues through creative content. Self-taught and supported by the vibrant San Francisco documentary community, Robin combines her business acumen with a deep commitment to storytelling, fundraising, and mentorship to bring impactful stories to life.
Featured Resources
- Robin Hauser on LinkedIn
- Robin Hauser on Instagram
- Robin Hauser’s TED Talk
- Finish Line Feature Films
- Robin Hauser’s website
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Full Audio Transcript:
Lauren (00:05):
Robin, thank you for joining us.
Robin (00:07):
Oh, I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks so much, Lauren.
Lauren (00:09):
Yeah, so we'll make sure to include links because there are so many incredible videos you've produced — and TED Talks, I know you've done many of those as well. I want to really give you a chance to be able to get into your story. But I know you are the president of Unleashed Productions and do videos around cause-based documentaries. And just to kind of open up the discussion here, how did you get into that world, right? And specifically in the actual production of these videos but then how did you land on this idea of storytelling and, I don’t know what the right word is but maybe cause-based just to focus on where you are.
Robin (00:54):
Yeah, exactly. I got my MBA when I got out of undergrad and I was working in the stock market. I never really thought I would be a documentary filmmaker, although photography has always inspired me. It's always been one of my hobbies. And I thought maybe one day I can do visual storytelling. Maybe one day I'll be able to do something super creative, like an actual documentary film. And that opportunity presented itself in 2010 when my daughter was in high school and she was running for her cross country team and her coach, who was a famous coach in California because he had so many wins, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. And so there was a story that developed around that with how hard these young women worked to try to win and make Coach Tracy the winningest cross country coach — actually, it was the winningest coach in all of California history, not just for one sport, for any sport.
Lauren (01:56):
Wow, that's impressive.
Robin (01:58):
Yeah, no, it's really impressive. And so everybody was assuming this would be his last year coaching, which in fact it was. And so ESPN and all sorts of different big production groups were there filming. And the documentary filmmaker came to me and said, we're going to make a film about this. So anyway, that's how I jumped in. I got involved and I jumped in and that was really fun. It was a hard project. It's like going to school but I'm glad I did it. And after that, I just got the bug. And what I really loved was this idea of producing creative content for the good of other people. So I didn't want to beat people over the head with any sort of a lesson about unconscious bias or the importance of diversity. I just wanted to find creative ways to bring these important societal issues to people's attention.
Lauren (02:55):
You've been self-taught then along the way, or how have you learned? There's so many nuances to the art of being able to put together a story, actually producing it. There's so many components. How did you make that leap?
Robin (03:08):
Yeah, I never went to film school but I did have and continue to have amazing support and mentorship from the San Francisco documentary community, from people I hire who have actually have a lot more experience than I have or have been to film school. And I think that's a really important thing to build a team, not just of sponsors and mentors but also of people of diverse ages, diverse backgrounds who can really offer input into this. So self-taught in a way? Yes. It's unique that I've come to filmmaking from a business perspective. So I wouldn't say this is happening to me right now but for the past 12 years fundraising for these films has been a little bit maybe, I don't know, everybody says I'm so good at it or you make it look so easy. Well, it's a lot of work but because of my business background, I knew how to at least contact corporate sponsors and try to engage people like that. So I come with a different perspective. And then at the same time, I didn't know any of the lingo on film sets, and I didn't really know how the whole idea of credits worked and everything. So I relied heavily on people who have been making films their entire lives. And I'm so grateful to all the people who have helped me learn what I've learned.
Lauren (04:35):
I feel like that's more than half the battle though, just understanding the business side and then being able to speak the lingo of at least the business component. And then when you're able to marry that with also the creative component of actually the production side. So tell me a little bit more about how you are identifying people who say, yeah, we do want to — I think you used the words sponsor or support the creation of these productions. How are you going about that? And is it part of a bigger cause or a conference or a campaign, or how does that come about?
Robin (05:08):
Well, the idea for this was knowing I had to raise very well for my second film, which was called “Code: Debugging the Gender Gap.” I needed about $850,000 to make the film. And that premiered in 2015. So I looked at it, what is the issue we're covering? We wanted to expose the fact that tech wasn't diverse. It was mainly white engineers. Now it's mainly say white and Indian, for example, throw in Southeast Asian maybe. But I really was wondering where the women were. I mean, these are really good, well-paying jobs; women are just as good at science as men are. Where are the women? Are they actually keeping them out? Anyway, then I thought about, well, what are the companies that actually would care about this? What are the companies that stand to gain from a film coming out that are going to look good if they're behind this film?
And of course, the tech companies. So it was a little harder to get to companies like Google and Facebook and some of the really big companies but I was able to bring in some amazing sponsors for that film and through the corporate world, people who really cared about those issues of diversity. And same thing, when I made my next film after “Code,” I made a film called “Bias” about unconscious bias. And for that film I had all sorts of sponsors. IBM jumped in. Melinda Gates jumped in through Pivotal Ventures because people knew how important it was that we're all human. I wasn't pointing a finger at anybody. I put myself in the film as a guinea pig. But I was saying, look, this is really important. We all as humans have bias. What are those unconscious biases blocking and thwarting in our lives and how do we learn to mitigate them so we can produce better products and become better companies?
Lauren (07:07):
Absolutely. Can you tell me more about “$avvy,” about the video or the film you produced?
Robin (07:15):
Yeah. So “$avvy” was inspired by the fact that I got divorced in 2016. And I have my MBA, I've had really good schooling. I consider myself a pretty savvy person. My father was an investment counselor. Even though I had all that as a foundation, I still was ill-prepared to manage finances on my own when I got divorced. And I also was filled with some shame that I let myself be in a position like that where I didn't really pay attention to what was going on with family finances when I was married. And so at age 50, I had to start over completely. And I was lucky enough to be in a position where I had some support that was going to be coming my way for the next several years but I thought, boy, if I'm in this position, there must be so many more women who are in even worse positions.
And how is it that if/when you get divorced, everybody's supposed to land on equal footing? Why is it that within three years men have so much more net worth and are on such a higher trajectory than women and a lot of women who get divorced end up under the poverty level? So that was really disturbing to me, and that's what made me want to make the film. We identified sort of the major issues women face when dealing with money. So not being intimidated by or not understanding investing, having high credit card debt, not understanding what the APR is and how that can affect you, credit scores — how important it is to have a good credit score so you can rent an apartment or get a mortgage or lease a car. So student loan debt, of course, is huge, not just to women but to women and men, financial abuse. Now, this is something that happens to all genders but really specifically financial abuse where women are targets. And then the older community too — women who are widowed, what happens to them if they're not financially savvy, if they're not prepared to take the reins of their finances? So it's a film that's had a lot of exposure. I've taken it around internationally with the American Film Showcase. It's really been a very rewarding project. And yeah, happy I got that one done.
Lauren (09:42):
So after you've completed these pieces, right, these documentaries, how are you getting them out to the public? Are there organized functions where there's a watch and discussion around fundraising efforts and where do you go to even watch as well? I'd love to hear a little bit more about that piece and how people are using these as really, I think to promote discussions, advocacy, and so on and so forth.
Robin (10:12):
Yeah, I mean, once they're finished my first line of action is to apply to film festivals. And not everybody chooses to go the film festival route. It can be a lot of money to travel to them but it's one way to win awards. It's another way to get the film really out there into the world just to give it exposure early on. So that was a fun way to do it. We did really well on the festival circuit so far with all my films. They've won awards. And then we've had follow-up screenings at universities and different companies. Also, it's an opportunity for me to then promote private screenings. So I've had a really robust schedule of curated private screenings of all my films, whether it's to huge companies like Google, Microsoft, and Citibank, or even smaller organizations like the YMCA of Milwaukee. And then after that, I'm lucky enough to have been able to get distribution. I know some good distribution companies. I send the film around online and to a bunch of different — you can employ a sales agent if you want. None of my films have sold outright. It doesn't surprise me. The world doesn't really value cause-based films; they're looking for sexier films about drugs and sex and …
Lauren (11:43):
… violence, all of that.
Robin (11:44):
Violence sells really well. True crime is a big one. And honestly, celebrity-driven Kardashian-type films. So that's not the kind of films I make but I have been able to get distribution for my films; you'll find them on YouTube, on Amazon Prime, Google Play, on a lot of different platforms to be now too. So the only one I've held onto for now, although it is available internationally, is “$avvy.” And that's because I've just gotten a little frustrated with the amount of revenue that comes back to a filmmaker once they have it out there on a major streaming platform. So “$avvy” is available on my website for a $25 tax-deductible donation, and I'm doing it that way for now. We'll see what I do with it in the future.
Lauren (12:33):
When you have the private screenings, you had mentioned earlier that work with corporations where they've done that for their employees — is that going through an HR department, DEI initiative, and then is it a private screening and discussion? How is that sort of brought about? And I'm asking the question really because there could be folks who are listening who say, I want to bring this to my organization. And how do you prompt that conversation to be able to have a meaningful dialog and then those meaningful dialogs that can often shape culture, it can shape hiring decisions and org structure and all kinds of things and thinking. So I'd love to hear a little bit more about if there's a framework for that or what your folks are doing.
Robin (13:14):
Absolutely. Well, the good news is I work for myself so I can be super creative. And generally what happens is somebody is seeing the trailer or watching the film at a conference, for example, and they want to bring it to their company. So they'll reach out to me at the website — finishlinefeatures.com — to inquire about a curated screening. And the price has gotten, for nonprofits the price is a little bit less, but at this point we've been able to command pretty good pricing for a major corporation of $25,000 for an unlimited audience. And that includes my presence to curate a 60-minute post-screening discussion. So that works really well. And there are different ways companies use this. Sometimes, say a bank, I mean, let's just use Capital One Bank as an example, which is a great client of mine, they would want to bring me in. They want to have their invited guests, so not necessarily do an internal screening but also this is a wonderful opportunity for them to say let's invite the community.
Let's invite our community and have this as a perk. So then I always suggest we fill up a panel with experts in the field. So if we're talking about women and financial independence, we're going to want to bring somebody in who's a wealth advisor, probably somebody from the host company, and then maybe somebody who's experienced hardship in a way onto the panel. And then I can either curate or I as director can just be a participant on the panel. But I have a discussion guide for every film I've made that really helps people understand. It has a lot of content in it but it also has instructions on the best way to set up a screening. And again, at different times a lot of universities do the same thing. Sometimes companies want to do it all virtually, in which case I will get them a virtual screening link with a password. They share that with everybody in their community or whoever they want streaming it. Then we'll do an online post-screening discussion on a mutual date. They can record that. They can't record the film but they can record the post-screening discussion, put it up on their website, and then people are going to have access if they weren't able to watch the film.
Lauren (15:34):
Sort of a separate training, if you will, for folks.
Robin (15:37):
Yeah, absolutely.
Lauren (15:38):
Yeah. Oh my God. So I enjoyed hearing too that you have a whole, sounds like a set of discussions too, to be able to help to guide that conversation, even if it's independent or things to think about post the conversation. So I want to be mindful of time here. I feel like we could actually talk for quite a bit. And I do also want to call out the Likability Dilemma TED Talk you've done and would really also encourage folks to watch it. It's such an inspiration for, I think, hearing your words and how you're really able to just really own the stage and share some tough things that aren't always said out there. So anything you want to say to that? I kind of want to be able to give you the floor because it pairs so well with the cause-based work, and especially just coming off the conversation about really empowering women and their finances.
Robin (16:26):
It's interesting. Most people's journey onto the TED stage is first to do a TEDx and then to do a TED. For me, it was the opposite. I was approached in 2017 by the TED team when I was making my film “Bias” and somebody had, I guess, seen a trailer or something, and they came to talk to me about what was the most surprising thing I learned when I was studying unconscious bias. And I told them about how even artificial intelligence was biased. And at the end of that discussion, I didn't really actually even know that I was pitching a TED Talk to them.
But they got back saying, we love this. Can you do a TED Talk? So that's a crazy experience. I mean, it's wonderful but they set you up with all these different coaches — a speech coach, a writing coach, a design coach. It's a lot of work but it's a really fabulous experience. So after that, I mean that one I think now maybe has 70,000 views or something but it was very specific about whether we can protect AI from our biases. And it was about 18 months later that somebody approached me to do a TEDx talk in Marin County, and I said, I've already done a TED, I don't want to go do that again. It's a lot of work. They said, we'd really like to have you, is there anything you'd like to talk about now? And I remember I was going to be doing a screening that night at Indiana University, and they called once again and they said, we haven't received your application.
Would you please apply? So finally I just sat down and I started writing about the microaggressions that women face and modern-day sexism. And what that really reminded me of was this likability dilemma that I had learned about from a really brilliant woman at Harvard named Iris Bohnet. And so I called Iris and I said, can I have your permission to talk about the likability dilemma? And she said, absolutely. She's like, yeah, I think you should. And so that's really how I brought that into the talk. But what was interesting about this is that what we're talking about is microaggressions, right? I mean, present day, it's rare you're going to have somebody in a corporate audience slap a woman on her derriere and say, boy, you look good today, sweetie. I mean, those kinds of things that happened in the “Mad Men” era aren't really happening as much now but why are we still feeling these microaggressions of sexism? The little things like one of my examples in that talk is my being at a cocktail party and asking somebody what he did for a living. And he said fintech. I was interested. I said, really? What kind? And he looks at me kind of up and down and says, oh, it's complicated. Completely dismissive. What? Too complicated for me because I'm a woman?
So I just think it’s really interesting that he didn't intend to be dismissive. He didn't intend to be anyway, really, but it was his unconscious bias that just sort of assumed that as a woman, I probably wouldn't understand the intricate details of his company or of what he was doing. And it's possible that's true but let me decide and let me ask the questions afterwards, right?
Lauren (19:46):
Right. Well, I'm thankful you took up the opportunity to give that talk because it's really powerful and I think it's really important for folks to hear that message and the courage to be able to stand up on the stage and say the things you were able to say in such a fluid, thoughtful way. So I feel like we can have a whole separate conversation on that. So I do want to, again, just round out our time and just give you another opportunity if there's anything you want to share as far as maybe new projects you're taking on, or trends you're seeing that are upcoming or things of that sort just to share with folks.
Robin (20:25):
Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited about the film I'm working on right now. It's called “Thaw,” and it's about the rapidly rising trend of elective egg freezing and the future of fertility.
Lauren
Oh, fascinating.
Robin
Yeah, you've probably heard birth rates are dropping in the U.S. and for the first time ever, in 2023 more women had their first children in their 30s than their 20s. Infertility is on the rise. One in six couples have a difficult time conceiving but it makes sense, right? I mean, we used to have babies when we were 15, 16. Historically, that's what biology wanted us to do. Now we're waiting into our 30s to try to get pregnant, and we're having a really hard time doing that because our bodies weren't meant to work that way. And in a way, I guess you could look at it, we're out-evolving evolution, right? So the hacks for this, I mean, what can we do?
And I also was struck by the fact that as young women, we spend half of our lives trying not to get pregnant. Every time we talk to a doctor, a fertility doctor, they're telling us how to be careful, how not to get pregnant and not to get an STD. And then suddenly you turn, say 35 or 36, and you try to get pregnant, and you're having a hard time, thinking, why didn't I know about this sooner? So the idea of just awareness, how important it is to be informed about your fertility and maybe to look into egg freezing early so it takes the pressure off your biological clock. The problem of course, is that it's very expensive and it's not that accessible. So we need to find ways. Women are leaving the U.S. to go abroad to have this done where it's cheaper. But it's a really interesting trend that I'm excited about. So if I can raise the finishing funds I need, I'm going to submit to Sundance by the end of the summer.
Lauren (22:17):
Wow. Fantastic. Well, it's a topic I think is very important, and you're right, it is definitely, I don’t know if the right word is trend but it impacts a number of people. So thank you again for your time, for just all the work you're doing to be able to help promote these conversations. And I think more importantly, as you alluded to earlier, doing it in a way that's storytelling, to really be able to impact that social change, and ultimately to potentially change policy or culture or just climates we're all in. So again, thank you for your time.
Robin (22:54):
Thank you, Lauren.
