Go backBack to selection

“We Prioritized Story Over Logistics”: Producer Grant Ellison on Sunfish

A white woman is sailing.Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake). Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) follows a group of characters as their paths begin to cross on Northern Michigan’s Green Lake. Besides being the debut feature of director Sierra Falconer, Sunfish is also Grant Ellison’s first credit as a producer. Below, Ellison talks about becoming a producer as someone whose day job is in policy research and how he was able to learn on the fly.

See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here.

Filmmaker: How did you connect with this filmmaker and wind up producing the film?

Ellison: Sierra and I are high school sweethearts. We got married in 2019 and moved to LA in 2020 to pursue her career as a writer-director. I have always played an informal role in her projects, helping behind the scenes to make things happen. When we started discussing a film on location in Northern Michigan, we decided I would be the right person to produce it.

Filmmaker: How long a process was it to produce the film, and if you could break it into stages, periods of time, what were they? Can you also discuss how the financing came together and how long a process that was?

Ellison: We started discussing the project in the summer of 2022. The first stage consisted of creative conversations about the script, the location, who we might cast and broadscale logistics.

In the fall of 2022, we began more tangible prep—getting the business and financing together. Sierra secured thesis grants through UCLA, we invested some of our own savings and we were able to raise the rest through charitable contributions from friends and family.

The winter and spring of 2023 were all about casting, crewing up, logistics and planning. Since we had limited resources, and we shot in a rural location without much film infrastructure, planning was especially crucial, as there was little room for error.

Production took place in the summer of 2023. After wrapping the film, Sierra and our editor, Chelsi Johnston, spent a few months getting the director’s cut together before I saw anything. From there we had several small screenings to garner feedback and iteratively refine the picture. After locking the picture, we focused on sound and color and brought the film to its final form. We had the first private screening to commemorate Sierra’s graduation at UCLA with her classmates and family in the summer of 2024.

Filmmaker: Did you have important or impactful mentors, or support from organizations, that were instrumental in your development as a producer?

Ellison: I didn’t set out to become a film producer. I wound up producing Sunfish because I saw that I could help Sierra bring her vision to life. I pursued my education in economics and data science at Loyola Marymount University, and I work at Rand Corporation in technology policy research. I shouldn’t count out the impact these organizations have had on shaping my thinking. The skills I have learned there have been directly impactful in producing.

Filmmaker: What was the most difficult aspect of producing this film?

Ellison: We prioritized story over logistics when choosing to shoot in Northern Michigan. Filming in a rural location means limited access to infrastructure that would typically be relied on. We flew in cast and crew from all over the country and had to acquire our equipment from Chicago (a five-hour drive south). There were no backup options, and thus, little room for error to protect against equipment failure.

Filmmaker: What single element of the film do you take the greatest amount of pride in, or maybe were just most excited by, as a producer?

Ellison: I am most proud of the team that Sierra and I put together. Our team is largely early-career artists and recent graduates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. It’s no overstatement to say that we were lucky to find the exact right people at the exact right time to be involved in the project, and otherwise, none of it would have been possible. The amount of spirit, skill, and camaraderie everyone has brought to the project has thoroughly impressed me and is a major reason for the success of the film.

Filmmaker: What surprised you or was unexpected when it comes to the producing of the film?

Ellison: Everything! Everything about producing the film has been “learn as I go.”

The thing is, a plan is only as good as its contingencies and flexibility. Every decision was made with care and an understanding that what we wanted or expected to happen probably wouldn’t.

Filmmaker: What are the challenges facing new producers entering the business right now at this unique historical moment? And what could or should change about the film business to make producing a more sustainable practice?

Ellison: I think the challenge facing producers today is the same challenge that has always faced producers: we have to make a good film, and that’s hard. I could discuss other aspects of the film industry, of which I know little about, but the truth is, I was focused solely on making Sunfish as good as possible with our resources.

Filmmaker: Finally, what advice would you pass onto future new producers preparing to embark on their first production?

Ellison: Be aware of what you don’t know, but don’t be afraid of it. Knowledge of how to do something is not necessarily a prerequisite for being able to do it! An obligatory caveat: knowledge and experience are extremely valuable. Surround yourself with a team that has knowledge and experience where you don’t. But still, don’t be afraid to rethink things and challenge assumptions.

© 2025 Filmmaker Magazine. All Rights Reserved. A Publication of The Gotham