What makes a Harvard-trained PhD scientist in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology walk away from the lab and into the director's chair on a Star Trek set, no less? Dr. Valerie Weiss joins Scene N Nerd to share her extraordinary journey from earning a PhD at Harvard to directing some of the biggest franchises on television. We talk about the grit she carried from science into Hollywood, why she directs fight scenes from a place of emotion rather than choreography, and what she learned about leadership from putting Kirk in the captain's chair. Plus, Dr. Weiss gives us an inside look at her upcoming Amazon Prime dramedy, It's Not Like That (premiering May 15th), a show with the DNA of Parenthood that tackles grief, family, and mental health with humor and heart.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction to Dr. Valerie Weiss
1:49 From Molecular Biology to Film
6:43 Scientific Tenacity in Hollywood
10:18 Applying Research to Creative Direction
15:05 The Mechanics of Television Directing
21:19 Directing Character-Driven Action Scenes
27:30 Navigating the Shift to Streaming Media
33:37 Previewing "It's Not Like That" on Amazon Prime
40:48 Promoting Sustainability in Production
45:25 Supporting Women and Diversity in the DGA
49:25 Insights from Directing Star Trek

Follow Dr. Weiss: https://www.instagram.com/valerie.weiss.director and IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401177/ 

Kids Mental Health Foundation: https://www.kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org/ 

Sustainability: https://scriptation.com/blog/tag/valerie-weiss/  and Earth Angel: https://www.earthangelsets.com/blog/dr-valerie-weiss 

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