MARCH 2020: AN EPIC TRADE SHOW: CONEXPO-CON/AGG

When I was invited by AEM to talk tradeswomen at the largest construction equipment trade show in North America, CONEXPO-CON/AGG—which drew 120,000 attendees in Vegas this year—little did I know that it would be my first and last conference appearance of 2020; I was literally in the air flying home when a pandemic was declared. But the memories and magnitude of this conference will be enough to last a long time. I was honored to facilitate a “Genders on the Jobsite” dialogue with Vicky O’Leary, organizer extraordinaire for Ironworkers International, and to later talk shop on the Tech Stage with our most recent project supporter, Hilti. Before leaving, I paid homage to the world’s largest 3D-printed statue, depicting none other than…a tradeswoman!!!

SEPTEMBER 2018: AUTODESK becomes key project partner

We could not be more thrilled about this very unique partnership! Autodesk is the name behind the construction industry’s most widely used computer-aided design software, AutoCAD. Beyond its flagship AutoCAD program, Autodesk develops a broad range of software for design, engineering, and construction project management. As part of Autodesk’s commitment to innovation, education, and progress within the construction industry, they are supporting Hard Hatted Woman’s mission and making a substantial contribution to our finishing fund, while also giving tradeswomen a platform at the upcoming Autodesk University Conference in Las Vegas, 2018, where I will be giving a keynote and participating in a panel—joined by Vanessa Cassillas and Ambra Melendez, both leading subjects in the film—for a discussion on women’s advancement in the industry.

AUGust 2018: NAWIC hosts NATIONWIDE fundraiser for the film

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) has been connecting and supporting women in the construction industry for 65 years. Now, NAWIC is supporting Hard Hatted Woman and its mission on behalf of tradeswomen. Hosting a nationwide fundraiser among all its 120 member chapters, NAWIC has raised $25,000 for the project. But even more precious to us was how warmly the NAWIC family embraced the film, and the cheers and encouragement we received from members in every region of the country. The partnership was announced at the August 2018 NAWIC Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, where I spoke about the project at a pop-up session and went on to meet some of the amazing women of NAWIC. Special thanks to NAWIC 2018 President Catherine Schoenenberger for so decisively leading this charge, and to Romina Byrd of the D.C. Chapter for being my constant champion from the start.

film GRANT awarded by NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS

What a way to finish 2017!!! This December we were awarded a $25,000 grant from NYSCA. This funding will help us cover another three months of editing, and thanks to that we're starting off 2018 with that much more peace of mind. I'm very proud to live in a state that provides such generous public funding for the arts.

TIMBERLAND PRO DONATES TO OUR FILM FINISHING FUND

We are thrilled to announce that Timberland PRO has supported the film with a generous contribution of $20,000. Not only does this get us one step closer to finishing the film, but it also strengthens our mission to see tradeswomen celebrated and supported by major brands in the industry. And proper footwear made for women is an essential every-day expression of that support. Among the many things we've learned after years of making this film: WOMEN. NEED. GEAR. MADE. FOR. WOMEN. It's a very real thing.

TRADESWOMEN'S VOICES AT "WOMEN OF VISION" CONFERENCE

Thank you DAILY JOURNAL OF COMMERCE for hosting this beautiful event and inviting me and fellow filmmaker Dawn Jones Redstone (director of "Sista in the Brotherhood") to join the panel discussion aimed at understanding tradeswomen's challenges and envisioning solutions. Special thanks to Nick Bjork, Publisher at DJC, for his deeply thoughtful and dedicated approach to the issues. If only there were a thousand more like you, Nick! And lastly, a shout out to the Sentinel Hotel in Portland--you were gorgeous.

TURNER CONSTRUCTIOn, STRUCTURETONE organization, and DRAGADOS USA become first Gc's to support the film!!!

Immense gratitude to TURNER, STRUCTURETONE, and DRAGADOS USA for understanding the importance of this film, and demonstrating their commitment with such concrete and generous and support. And a special thank you to Robert Pekar for being my fundraising champion. But beyond material support, these industry partnerships are essential to helping us fulfill the mission of the film, which is to energize dialogue around recruitment and retention of women in the field, shed light on best practices, and inspire bold and meaningful action to make sure jobsites are safe and fair for ALL workers.

hard hatted woman goes to ifp film week 2016

What a thrill to be invited to participate in the Spotlight on Documentaries forum at IFP this year. After thirty-odd meetings in four crazy days, we got to talk about the film one-on-one with representatives from Sundance, HBO, POV, and a host of other amazing festivals, distributors, and funders. We were even more thrilled to see how Hard Hatted Woman was met with unanimous interest and enthusiasm. Original, provocative, relevant, and visually compelling were just some of the words used to describe it. Overall a red letter week. Thank you IFP!

DIRECTOR LORIEN BARLOW DELIVERS KEYNOTE AT THE 2016 ENR "GROUNDBREAKING WOMEN IN CONFERENCE" CONFERENCE

SO MANY THANKS to my friends at Pekar & Abramson for inviting me to speak about the project at this fabulous conference for women on the construction management side of the industry. Still pinching myself to be on the program with Debbie Sterling, CEO of GoldieBlox--I've been following her work since the earliest days of this project. One of my missions is to see dialogues about women in STEM include tradeswomen also. The women who actually build structures should be celebrated along with the women who design them!

Endings and beginnings

Every time we visit our characters for an intense four or five days of shooting, it feels like a major milestone, and always a bittersweet goodbye. Every shoot brings us closer to the end. There's no words to describe the privilege and honor of spending time with these incredible women. We just returned from our first (but not last) shoot in Texas with Selena Bridges Cryer. Thank you, Selena, for gifting the film with your life and story, and for showing us the face of wisdom, strength, grace and grit.

2015 Fork films grant recipient!

Hard Hatted Woman is among Fork Films' 2015 grant recipients! A lucky thirteen projects were chosen to receive funding, and we are unbelievably honored to be among them, and to find ourselves in the company of so many amazing projects. Check them out here. Immense thanks to Abigail Disney and Gini Reticker, two incredible filmmakers and wonderful human beings whom I am honored to call my executive producers, and special thanks to grant manager Kat Vecchio for her faithful support.

autumn eakin,cinematographer, joins the team

She runs, jumps, climbs, scrambles, ducks, dodges, and rolls. She does whatever it takes to get the shot. Hard Hatted Woman is no ordinary project: we're shooting in crazy conditions on construction sights and wearing hard hats to boot. So I could not be more thrilled to have the intrepid cinematographer Autumn Eakin by my side, whose fearlessness is matched only by the beauty of her artistic eye. She is the only woman I could ever imagine for the job.

Hard Hatted Woman on Huff Post Live

Our deepest thanks to Huffington Post writer Nathalie Vasallo and HuffPostLive producer Brooke Sopelsa for noticing and loving our Kickstarter project, and inviting us to HuffPost Live for a 30-minute interview segment to discuss the film and the issues it explores. Director Lorien Barlow was joined in the studio by Ambra Melendez, a NYC ironworker featured in the fim, and via webcam by carpenter Rudy Mulligan and long-time tradeswomen advocate Francoise Jacobsohn. Watch the full segment HERE!

Kickstarter: Successfully Funded!!

GOOOOAAALLLL!!!

As of midnight last night, WE REACHED 100% OF OUR GOAL!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

There really aren't words to describe the feeling. Launching a Kickstarter is so many things: stressful, exhilarating, lots of hard work, and A LOT of trepidation and hope.

Because it's not JUST about getting funded. It's also about sharing an idea, and discovering that people want to give it wings. It's about sharing the beginning of a story, and discovering that people want to hear more. This campaign is ending with a ring of affirmation. Just look at how many of us are standing behind this story.

Your support has not only granted us the funds to keep rolling, but also given us a huge burst of energy and inspiration--and we can't wait to move forward! We are doing a crazy joyful happy dance and thanking each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts.

This is what we're feeling inside: