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“Everyone in the Indie world is Full of Passion”: Producer Julie Waters on Oh, Hi!

A young white couple hold each other close.Still from Oh, Hi!. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Oh, Hi! is director Sophie Brooks’ follow-up to 2017’s The Boy Downstairs about the mismatched desires of Iris and Isaac (Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, respectively) as they attempt to rekindle their romance. The film screens as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres sections.

Oh, Hi! is also the debut feature producing credit by Julie Waters. Below, Waters discusses transitioning from the studio system to the indie world and the guiding lights who helped her succeed.

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?

Waters: I was sent the script by a studio executive friend who also happens to be friends with our filmmaker, Sophie Brooks. Everything lined up from there. I immediately fell in love with the script upon reading. The casting choices were impeccable. I then met with Sophie, whose vision for the film was so incredibly clear and unique that it felt undeniable. From the second I got this project, I knew I had to be a part of 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?

Waters: Sophie and Molly originally conceived of this concept during early COVID days. Between writing the script and working with some potential producing partners, it’s been about four years in the making for them! Once Watermark joined, our ability to finance part of the budget helped propel the process forward so that the film could finally get made.

Filmmaker: Can you also discuss how the financing came together and how long a process that was?

Waters: Watermark co-finances all of our projects and we often find ourselves interested in and championing things others consider to be high risk. On OH, HI!, we were first to support it because we believed that this film was incredibly undeniable and knew it would find an audience. While we held this belief, we were surprised by how difficult it was to find the rest of the financing. Our teams at UTA and WME were immensely helpful along with all of the producers and everyone involved in helping us secure the rest of the funds.

We officially joined the project in April 2024 with an extremely tight timeline; we wanted to make the film over the summer. We had a goal in mind and knew we had to bring financing together quickly. We got it to everyone we could and were fortunate to find a few other partners who were also champions of this project and saw its potential.

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

Waters: Before forming Watermark Media, I was a development executive and producer in the studio system for over a decade before transitioning into indie film producing in 2024. After the strikes, I was feeling dejected by the studio system and the contraction within it. I was very interested in telling diverse stories and supporting diverse artists. Upon entering the indie space, I immediately found so many incredible mentors. These people became my guiding lights, and I’ve been able to call them with questions every step of the way. Literally on our first day of production, I called Alex Sacks, who couldn’t have been more helpful with my questions. Everyone in the indie world is full of passion and truly wants to uplift rising producers and artists in the community. I couldn’t have achieved what we did this year without the support of these mentors.

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

Waters: Embarking on this indie film journey as someone who previously had the support of studios behind me, has been quite the learning experience! I had no idea how much we would need to handle. From the minutia of music rights to ensuring that our entire cast and crew felt supported on a daily basis on set, there was plenty to keep on track of, all while also working to stay within the budget of a low-budget indie film that had a very ambitious artistic vision.

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?

Waters: I take pride in how beautifully this film came together due to the efforts of so many incredible artists. Sophie handpicked every single department head, as she had such a specific and unique vision on how she wanted this film to look. It was a truly collaborative process making Oh, Hi!, and I couldn’t be prouder of working with this group of people.

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

Waters: My background was in creative producing, so almost everything was unexpected! It was somewhat beneficial that I knew what I knew and was honest with myself with what I didn’t know. So much of the process was learning on the fly and working with my fellow producing partners to divide and conquer to ensure that this film came together.

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?

Waters: At the beginning of 2024, I went into the year with a plan of solely independent producing and was incredibly fortunate to have the support of my co-founder at Watermark, Evan Dyal, who also wanted to champion indie film. One of the main reasons why Evan and I started a company was because I was looking at a year of having no income unless we got a movie made. The system that’s currently in place in which we’re asking producers to defer their fees and work for free is an incredibly broken one. I strongly believe that anyone involved who is not on a company salary should be getting paid to make the movie and for their hard work.

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

Waters: Don’t be afraid to acknowledge what you don’t know! Taking a moment to reach out to my mentors and ask for advice when I really needed it, is what saved us when a number of unexpected hurdles arose throughout this production.

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