Marele Entertainment: An Interview with Brie Eley & Charisse Woodall
How did you two first meet and start working together?
We met during a two week workshop that brings actors from New York out to Los Angeles for introductions with casting directors and agents. Once we had both settled in Los Angeles, we would meet up for hikes and chat about our past experiences, commiserate about the transition to Los Angeles and brainstorm ideas for projects that we could produce. When we came up with the idea for a comedic short film, we started to pull our resources and more formally work together. That idea turned into a 30-minute single camera comedy and Marele Entertainment was formed!
Tell us about your production company, Marele Entertainment! What is your big vision goal with your company?
Marele Entertainment is a bi-coastal production company with experience across a wide range of genres including political satires, talk shows, sketch comedy and short films. Our goal is to incorporate our point of view into innovative stories that reflect America's diversity. In addition, we are committed to giving back as we have mentored with Young Storytellers, volunteered with Reading to Kids and donated portions of our event tabs to local charities like Hashtag Lunchbag and Lights!Camera!Cure! In a perfect world, Marele Entertainment would have our feature film playing in theaters while our binge-worthy series was enjoyed in homes. And when we weren't individually acting in outside projects, we would be producing and supporting the work of other creators.
You've supported a ton of great organizations, established partnerships, secured distribution, and held co-productions. It's inspiring! What motivates and inspires you?
The process of creation and collaboration has been a huge inspiration for us. Over these last few years, we have been really fortunate to find and collaborate with people who are as passionate as we are. When you do find those members of your team and you're able to complete a project, it is such a celebration. You need those little victories! Plus, it gives you the extra energy to start the next one. And when members of our team win, it feels like a win for us too. We have a lot of friends and colleagues on this same journey, and it is a huge source of motivation to watch these dreams come true.
What do you think is the most effective way of changing the systemic gender gap in Hollywood?
Thanks to powerhouse women like Shonda Rhimes, Dana Walden, Gail Berman and Ava Duvernay [just to name a few], we are all witnessing incredible growth in the opportunities for women and women of color in our industry. By working within the system, these woman have made some incredible changes. And while we're watching the gender gap close, we must keep writing and producing projects and collaborating with other passionate creators.
Any advice you would give young women pursing similar career paths?
We would encourage them to keep creating. When you get an idea for anything ...write it down, write it out and start to put it into motion. Don't be afraid to ask for collaboration, opinions, or assistance of any kind. Be kind to your fellow collaborators and pull together any resources and contacts you have. And in the same way, be a resource for others. Lastly, remember: everything you see was once "just and idea," so go out there and share your ideas!
Any cool projects you're currently working on?
Our atmospheric thriller Sonya is currently out to festivals. We hope to have premiere details for the short within the next few months. We are also in pre-production on an action thriller called The Stairwell, and we're shopping a comedy series about a group of co-workers.
Where can we find more of your work?
You can watch links to our work on our website MareleEntertainment.com. If you sign up for our newsletter, you'll also be kept up to date as new productions, casting, and industry announcements are made. Individually, you can follow Charisse on IMDB and IG (@CharisseWoodall) and Brie on IMDB and IG (@brieeley)
Link to a fun Behind the scenes video from our last short Sonya:
