We recently had the chance to connect with Lizabeth Yandel and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lizabeth, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
We have a nine-month-old daughter who is objectively the sweetest baby of all time. Watching her discover the world and herself is beyond joyful.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Over the years, I’ve held many different creative roles, but have always considered myself a writer first and foremost. For about 15 years, I worked as a musician and songwriter, and while I’ll always play and hold a deep love for music, I’ve shifted my creative focus to film.
My husband, Sebastian Pigott, and I are building an independent film production company called Dog Unlimited. Our first feature film, Bring it all Back Home, was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and is now streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Roku.
We are now in post-production on our second feature film, Body in the Trunk, a dark comedy/thriller/elevated horror genre-bender. We’ve partnered with the highly respected Circus Road Films to maximize the film’s distribution potential.
Our model is uniquely suited for the new filmmaking landscape. This is because we strive to create the highest caliber of indie film while keeping costs down by using modern, streamlined production methods that prioritize acting, realism, and storytelling.
Just like I did on our first film, I’m spearheading the audio post-production and sound design on this one. We prioritize storytelling in every aspect of our films, and that is definitely true of my sound design as well.
In Bring it all Back Home, I was lucky enough to have my first acting role- a very small but fun little part. In Body in the Trunk, I played one of the leads. It was a really intense, stunt-heavy role, and I absolutely loved it. It’s still unbelievable that I get to make movies. It is truly the most fun I’ve ever had.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My husband knew I’d make a great filmmaker before I did. Actually, I’d always sort of daydreamed about making films, but it never occurred to me that I could actually do it. Like I said, I’ve always been a writer. One day, he read some of my poetry and, because it tends to be very image-driven and cinematic, he suggested I’d be great at screenwriting. Then he invited me to join their filmmaking team. When I reminded him I had zero experience in film, he said something like “Yeah, but you’re brilliant and I only want to work with brilliant people.” By that point, their team had already produced one feature, a pseudo-western called Two Deaths of Henry Baker that premiered at Austin Film Festival. I was honored to be asked, but it definitely took me quite a while to feel as confident in my abilities as he did. Confidence has always been a tricky thing for me to maintain, but having people in my life who truly believe in me really helps.
As it turned out, he was right; I do love screenwriting. My first screenplay was actually a semi-finalist in the BlueCat Screenwriting Competition, and we are set to put that script into production next summer. And now I get to be part of building a really special production company, just as a new golden age of independent film is dawning.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
Before the pandemic hit in 2020, I’d been playing shows around Southern California and had just recorded 4 tracks at Pacific Beat Recording in San Diego. Elise Trouw played the drums on those four songs, and actually co-wrote one of them. I was gearing up to give them a proper release with all the promotional bells and whistles and whatever. But when the quarantine started, all my booked shows were canceled, and any momentum I’d built up came crashing down. I was forced to really think about my music career and what it meant to me. That time reflecting made me realize that I’d gotten so far away from everything I love about music– way too much of my time and energy was spent promoting myself on social media, trying to figure out what the algorithm liked, trying to make the songs I thought other people would want to hear. But really, I don’t care about any of that shit– I just bought the lie that these are the things we as musicians have to do if we want to be successful. I let myself get tricked.
So, I took a step back completely from pursuing music as a career. I felt like I’d gotten so far off track that I couldn’t even see where I was headed anymore. Not long after, I met my now-husband and started collaborating with him on a film. Luckily, film needs music, and I got to record some songs for our first film (I’ll be doing even more for our 2nd film!)
I’m slowly getting back to playing shows, but my approach is totally different. It’s important as artists that we remember we don’t need anyone else’s permission to make our art; we don’t need anyone else’s approval; we just need to make the best art we possibly can and insist on doing it however the hell we want.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
It seems to me that dreams and creative ideas exist in the same place, and the artist’s job is to siphon both of them from that place and into this place. If you listen and open yourself up, it’s easier for them to come through. Then you can start the impossible work of translating them through whatever medium you prefer for other people to enjoy. Making art is kind of an interdimensional act.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I kind of try to stay just beyond my depth most of the time. I learn best this way. It’s like how people say you learn a language fastest when you move to a country where it’s the native language and are immersed in it. Actually, I taught myself to play guitar this way– I would always write songs that were just a little too difficult for me to play. Then I’d play them over and over until I was good enough to play them. I also learned how to do sound design while doing the sound design on our first film. I’m a big proponent of being out of my depth– that way I’m always reaching just beyond myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lizabethyandel.com/. https://dogunlimited.carrd.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizabeth_yandel/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3AKM8Yrn81qukke3AOpYZP?si=HStwjgZ8Rf22BMqxUfmrDw
Image Credits
Sebastian Pigott
Maggie Love
Bryce Holden
