Board Spotlight: DORIS CASAP

We are so fortunate to have recently welcomed Doris Casap to our Board of Directors. Her experience in both the world of entertainment and the world of political and social activism make her an ideal addition to our community. She has already brought great value and we’re grateful to her for joining us as our organization evolves.

Doris is the former senior vice president, Film Programming, for HBO, responsible for managing the Film Programming group and for the following film acquisition activities: major studio output, library deals and independent film acquisition for HBO and Cinemax. She oversaw all content acquisitions for HBO Latino. She joined HBO in 1991 as a management associate in the Film Programming area, where she acquired films and other television programming for HBO’s international services in Hungary, Latin America and Asia. In 1998, she was promoted to vice president and her duties expanded to a greater focus on major studio deals for HBO. Doris is also the founder of Mother Films, a production and consulting company for film and television and acts as a distribution consultant for women filmmakers and entrepreneurs.

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SWC: We are so thrilled to have you on our Board of Directors. What inspired you to join our community?

DC: When I was approached to meet with your board and consider joining, I researched the organization and was delighted by its mission and the execution of that mission. The first approach was from a dear friend, who attended the October program on Nantucket in 2018 and loved it. He is a friend who inspires me, always. His advocating for SWC moved me. As in all things, a personal reference or pitch is powerful. I love the model of not just giving writers the space, peace and support to write, away from everyday concerns, but giving them the gift of mentoring from professionals. Speaking to the board was the clincher, of course. After that conversation, I really felt I could contribute immediately and have an impact on the programs and the community.

SWC: We’re grateful to Harris Doran, a member of our Alumni Advisory Committee and talented writer/director for connecting us. Do you find you establish close relationships with writers and filmmakers? Any chance you’re a writer yourself?

DC: Yes, Harris and I are very close. I have so many filmmaker friends and yes, I do think that I have an easy time becoming close to writers and filmmakers. I just love them and their work, it leads to conversations of substance immediately. People assume I met these friends through my work at HBO, in Film Programming. The reality is I met most of them through activism. It is artists who are so often at the  forefront of advocacy for justice. Artists use their voice, their art, their bodies, even. I relate to the impossibility of separating my life, my passion and my work. Everything is personal and political. Artists live this way, at least my friends. And I live this way. I laughed when you asked the last question in this set. I’ll admit that I have been encouraged to write - especially when people hear my immigrant story. It feels like a magical power that I do not have and yet... maybe. You never know. I definitely have ideas and stories in my head - maybe with a writing partner!

SWC: Can you give us a glimpse of your work week? What are you spending your time on now? 

DC: Well, I left HBO after 28 years, without a clear plan. I loved HBO, it was truly a dream job, doing film acquisitions. I left, however, because I was burned out. So a big part of how I spend my time now is an awareness of my energy levels and priorities that come out of that decision. My ‘week’ has developed in the year since I have left. I decided to just see what came. And that was filmmakers. I came on as EP for a still unfinished doc called “A Most Beautiful Thing” and then led its sale to Amazon and Peacock. I became a consulting producer on another doc called “SURGE”, and sold it to Showtime. I also have been consulting. I like that every day has been different, and project-oriented. In the summer I invested in and became EP for a horror movie called “Red Pill”.  The film is almost finished and we are very excited to introduce it to buyers. Everything I do I am doing for the first time. I am joining other projects and teams right now. In addition, NYU Tisch has asked me to teach a class during their intense January session, on “Film Marketing and Distribution”. I surprised myself by saying yes. I love these surprises. So, every week is different in that new projects are coming and going. The constant is helping my kids with homework, high school and college applications, family stuff - and lots of it, always.

SWC: What do you look for in a story? Is the answer different for your professional self and the ‘on the couch and chill’ self? 

DC: As I am approached with projects, my preferences are revealing themselves clearly to me. I love every kind of movie and series. But I find myself responding to stories that are ‘more than personal’ - the canvass is larger.  They are clearly linked to, or even cover the issues of the day. This is true of a horror movie as much as a documentary. This is definitely different from my habits as a viewer, which are not limited in any real way.

SWC: I know you do a lot in the world of activism, but could you speak to what’s underneath your actions? What drives you to do the work you do? 

DC: Being from Bolivia, with its tremendous inequality, I have always been acutely aware of my privilege, privilege that comes from simply knowing that my basic needs would be met. My father worked in Bolivian foreign service and then, when stationed in New York, lost his job and became unable to return to Bolivia for a while, after a military coup. He was lucky enough to land at the United Nations as an expert in Latin American affairs, working for the Security Council. When I was in first grade, we moved to Washington DC, during a brief spell of civilian rule, so that my father could take the job of Ambassador to the OAS. Once again, there was a coup, and we came back to NY, and luckily, back to the UN. So I am aware both of privilege, the dangers of extreme wealth gaps and of the fragility of democracy. In 2015 and 2016, I was appalled at the clear threat to democracy, the clear racism and cruelty on display. I believe we have a responsibility to be active in our democracy, fighting for it and for policies that will bring greater equality in all its forms. To say one is ‘not political’ is simply denial of our individual roles in all of our communities.

SWC: In a recent conversation you stated your belief that it’s helpful when people can have uncomfortable conversations about race and culture. Can you speak to that a bit and how it might relate to creative fields such as film and television? 

DC: These conversations are absolutely vital to the fields of film and television. The power of the stories we tell and produce is immense here and around the world. The overall output of Hollywood in films and television represents the ‘important stories’, the stories that get made and celebrated. Representation is power. I feel very strongly that the companies that make and distribute films and programming must be run by a diverse group of people for any real change to be possible. We have seen some strides but these truly have been baby steps. To quote one of my heroes and friends, Rashad Robinson, the leader of Color of Change, ‘Presence does not equal power” in these companies. And power - the ability to effect change - is the goal.  This is far away and so, we have to keep talking about it.

SWC: As an organization dedicated to writers, we like to dig into backstory a bit. What about your childhood informs what you do now? Your career? Your passions? Anything that comes to mind…

DC: As I described in an earlier question about activism, my family’s history and its entanglement with the history of Bolivia certainly informs my activism. In addition, my grandparents were born in Syria and came to Bolivia as children.  So I am an immigrant in the US, the grandchild of immigrants to Bolivia, an advocate for immigrants.  Also, I believe that the future will be led by mixed, third culture leaders. In my family, we all married people from different cultures. I love that. I also am fascinated particularly by the immigrant experience in the US.

SWC: I know a lot of people are choosing not to look into the future but are you looking forward to anything in particular as we near the end of 2020? 

DC: A new President. And a Black, Indian, female Vice President. I have been donating to Kamala Harris’ campaigns for about a decade, after hearing her speak at the Black Filmmaker Foundation Summit. Omg, please sometime soon - travel and movie theaters and dance parties! I love to throw dance parties!  When we started to shut down in March, I went back to read about the 1918 Pandemic. I remember thinking, well I know there was a ‘Roaring 20s” so at some point, people were allowed to party. It turns out that the 1918 Pandemic was a two year event. Hopefully, that is our time horizon as well, to be past the Pandemic. So on that note, I look forward to a science-based national policy on containing the virus for the benefit of us all.