Meet Camille Bertrand
Camille is the Director of Acquisitions and Development at a leading independent film distributor whose impeccable taste and tireless networking helped her break into the notoriously difficult film industry. Originally from France, she has made a home for 10 years in the New York City she dreamt of growing up. Extremely pregnant and incredibly stylish, Camille’s deeply held opinions on her forthcoming motherhood, work and the drive to find personal satisfaction in one’s work are incisive and informative.
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Dress, Vintage
ON HER MORNING ROUTINE
I wake up between 7am and 7.30am, though since I’ve been pregnant it’s been much harder to sleep. I like to take my time in the morning and make breakfast and coffee while listening to podcasts (I like Reply All, Analysis on BBC 1, Les Couilles sur la Table - a French one about feminism - Le Masque et la Plume.) I enjoy that time alone before my partner - who’s not at all a morning person - emerges. I usually write a few goals and to-do items for the day in a little planner. I used to not take anything but I have been taking prenatal vitamins (Best Nest Mama Bird), my hair and nails are to die for. The legends are true.
on her background and moving to NYC
I grew up in the south of France, mostly in Avignon then went on to college in Lyon where I attended Science Po. It’s your typical French “grande école” which means you get a master’s in 4 years including a year abroad. The year abroad was what drew me to the program as I was aching to experience more things outside of France. I had traveled to NYC before with family and had completely fallen in love with its energy. The closest American university I could attend with my program was University of Pennsylvania in Philly so I made sure I got accepted. I spent a lot of 2008-2009 on Chinatown buses to come to NYC. I also met an American man and we started dating. After a couple of years of visa shenanigans, we moved permanently to NYC in the summer of 2010. I’m celebrating my 10 year NYC anniversary very soon.
on differences between france and america
There’s a huge difference for sure. I would say I am now much more aware of the benefits offered by French society (free schools, health insurance etc.) but when I was an ambitious 20 year old I was really excited to be in what felt like the center of everything where everything felt possible. I completely bought into the American/NYC mythos at first. Over the years though, I realized how important it was to preserve a connection to French culture. I think it’s really important to have friends from France, from other countries to allow for diverse perspectives and speak our native tongue. Recently, we made sure a group got together to eat king cake and hang out. Americans tend to organize their lives with efficacy in mind, they’re strategic and sometimes a bit too transactional about their time. Since I’ve been here for so long, I’m a bit of both and need the two sides at different times, it’s a bit of a balancing act.
““I love film, I love talking about it. Being a small part of making films and helping them get seen feels like a huge honor. That’s why you stick it out; this business makes no sense, it’s constantly evolving, it’s punishing but it’s really fun? I think the minute it’s no longer an interesting challenge, you have got to do something else. Same is true about NY, if you no longer love to hate it, you have to move.””
on getting into film
I got in through internships. I crashed every party, I networked like a crazy person. I would come back to NYC in the summers to work the last few years of college and my last year I lived in San Francisco for a bit working for the SF Film Society, which was a wonderful experience where I met a lot of key people who would help me later. I worked for festivals, for start ups, for distributors I was really curious and wanted to learn as much as I could about the field. Now it’s illegal not to pay your interns but back then all the internships were unpaid. I would work on the side, I lived with so many roommates. It was precarious but you didn’t have time to think about how poorly the industry treated the incoming grads. It was that “hundreds of kids would want this opportunity so you better deal with it, pay your dues” mentality.
on her current job
I work for an independent distributor that focuses on theatrical releases. I’m across acquisition and development so any one day I could look at a treatment or a script all the way to a finished film. My role is to bring potential projects in and then evaluate the film’s potential (artistically and financially). Then comes the question of whether we can afford said film. It’s a competitive business but we hold our own. As I’m super pregnant I’m not traveling for a while but usually at this time of year I would be attending Sundance then the Berlin Film Festival. Next one will be Cannes - my favorite :)
advice for breaking in to the film industry
It’s a scary and exciting time right now, there’s a lot of talk about the future of film, about streaming, about “content”. I would recommend people come in with open eyes and do their homework to really understand what the players are, how they operate, what are the challenges they face. The boundaries between film and TV are now completely porous, everyone is chasing IP, brands (corporately speaking and people) are driving the conversation yet there are still so many interesting opportunities, weird niches, wonderful artists making important work. It’s about finding what floats one’s boat. Despite what most people tell new grads, you don’t have to move to LA instantly and be on a desk at an agency to get in--there are a lot of different paths. It’s definitely much harder to break in in NYC since there are fewer companies here but there’s also a lot of physical production happening here. Also a lot to do with books, with theater. See what interests you the most, specialize, meet a ton of people.
Pants, Old Navy
““People will project their own anxieties onto you when you’re pregnant and they have little scruples about sharing their opinions or asking very intimate questions. It was interesting at first but you definitely learn to go with the flow and not get pissed off at people (while maintaining your sense of self!). I bet this will be even more useful once there’s a kid and everyone will chime in with their parenting advice!””
Kimono, Vintage
on the biggest career decision she’s made
I wonder what would have happened if I moved to LA four or five years back, I probably would have been able to find a more lucrative job, work for a big entity yet there was something holding me back. LA is a great town (the food! the greenery!) but it felt so far from Europe, from my culture, from the kind of films I care about. I had to find a path in NY as more and more people moved to the West Coast. Making sure I stayed relevant, connected to this new reality took a lot of trips and countless late night calls but you find a way. I also realized my European perspective and connections could be an asset so I leaned into that as well. The industry tends to be reactive and a little monolithic, if you can bring a unique take on a project, different ideas, you can stand out.
on dealing with the tension between art and commerce
That’s the conundrum at the core of our field. It’s tough out there so you always have to balance your personal taste with the necessities of running a business. It’s something I struggle with often, when you see a film you adore but you know it would be very challenging to make it work commercially. My company can be conservative, and they’re right, we do not have the cash some of the big tech platforms or studios have. I’m proud that I have steered the company to interesting places sometimes. I will push for the films I’m passionate about and I’m excited to bring in more left of center projects now that we have a new development fund in house.
advice for newly pregnant people
As soon as the internet knows you’re pregnant, you will be targeted nonstop with ads for expensive shit you don’t need. See what else is out there before you click on that cute maternity wear brand. Skip expensive stretch marks creams, it’s a scam - organic simple oils (Viva Organic Argan Oil or Jao Body Oil for example) will do great and can be found at reasonable prices. Having a doula was very important for us, sure it added to the budget but I can’t recommend it enough. I wanted someone who spoke French and Yoko came up when another friend was looking for her birth team. The fact that she could talk to us in French was such a game changer but I would recommend her to anyone and everyone. There’s a great podcast called The Birth Hour which I found so helpful, it’s insane to realize not one birth is like the other and the tone is always intimate and positive. The book The Fourth Trimester was really helpful as well. Important: Make the dads read the books and listen to the podcasts! Make sure they know what the deal is!
““Women have to fight so hard to get any decent time off if anything at all. It’s staggering that this is not a bigger issue in the upcoming elections, in addition to the sheer insanity of the cost of healthcare here. I guess on a related front, a big misconception is that expecting parents should buy all this unnecessary stuff and do unnecessary wasteful baby shower things. Reuse, recycle others’ stuff, give away when no longer needed, there’s no need to buy a ton of stuff on Amazon you don’t need.””
on her beauty routine
My mother, a true French woman, never cared much about that stuff so she never really taught my sister and I. She just said moisturize everyday... thanks mom. My grandmother loved fragrances so I’m a bit obsessed with that, mine is an Italian oil based miracle called Sushi Imperiale by Bois 1920, it’s a pain to find. It was a bit of a trial and error to find a routine I like and then I had to change it all again when I got pregnant and realized most products are loaded with terrible chemicals. Right now, I use Innisfree’s Intensive Hydrating Toner and Cica Balm with Bija Seed Oil, Farmacy’s Green Defense and Weleda products which are pretty safe. I also use Burt's Bees Micellar Cleansing Water and Avalon Organics Intense Defense Sheer Moisture. Makeup wise, I use a little bit of concealer (Fenty or Bite) with mascara and Glossier’s Boy Brow. I love a red or deep purple lip to go out. I’m so lazy at night, I wash my face with water and lather on Weleda Skin Food and crash. I am looking forward to using these breastfeeding shells I got from BEBE NACRE.
on her favorite books and publications
Peste et Cholera by Patrick Deville is a biography of scientist Alexandre Yersin who was a fascinating figure at the turn of the 20th century. He was a Institut Pasteur fellow but never cared for the establishment and traveled all over the world, ultimately settling in Vietnam (one of my favorite countries to travel to). His life is so interesting and at such a crucial time in history when everything was barreling down blindly towards industrial progress, the World Wars etc. I love to learn about lesser known figures in the grand scheme of history. I also recommend Les Cavaliers by Joseph Kessel, Villa Kerylos by Adrien Goetz and Le maître et Marguerite by Mikhaïl Bulgakov. I also enjoy reading comic books - Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, La Terre des fils by Gipi, Je l'appelle monsieur Bonnard by Hazan and Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. NY Magazine, NYT, The Atlantic or the Daily Beast are always in the rotation. I miss Gawker terribly. There’s this great twitter @longreads highlighting all sorts of great, longer-form journalism. I read a lot about film as well, trying to balance the trades (which I read for work and are ‘ahem’ not great journalism) with more in-depth things like Film Comment or Little White Lies. Cleo Journal (RIP) a feminist film magazine was also lovely - their anthology is now available!
Turtleneck, Oak + Fort ; Pants, Old Navy ; Shoes, Martiniano ; Bag, Studio De Lostanges
on her style
European minimalism? I avoid logos and will usually prefer something comfortable but architectural. A lot of my wardrobe is vintage along with predictable millennial basics (COS, Everlane, Oak + Fort). I will splurge on a reliable brand from time to time (Agnes B, Rachel Comey, something from Need Supply) but it will have to be special. Inspirations are usually from films; a mood from a Rohmer film, anything worn by Isabella Rosselini or in 90s gems like Chungking Express.
camille’s favorite films
The Piano by Jane Campion, The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Chungking Express by Wong-Kar wai, Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone and Phantom Thread by Paul Thomas Anderson.
camille’s favorite places in nyc
For food: Izakaya, Hanon and Four Horsemen in Williamsburg, Cafe Gitane (never disappoints), the steak tartare at Metrograph, the mapo tofu at Mission Chinese, the jambon beurre at Boulud cafe, the bialys at Gertie, the weekend pho at Little Skips. To dance: Nublu, The Lot Radio, La Milagrosa, Knockdown Center depending on the artist. To watch films: The mezzanine at Metrograph, Lincoln Center, MoMA or Film Forum. Alamo or Nitehawk are great for more popcorn fare where I don’t mind being distracted by the food. To drink: Tuffet in East Williamsburg, Hi-Collar in the East Village for sake, KGB for cheap beer and poetry. For wine and grocery shopping: Wine Therapy on Elizabeth or Bottle Shoppe are both affordable with great advice for interesting natural wines. SOS Chefs or Kalustyan’s for spices. Eataly is a circus but can’t be beat for some cheeses. Mister Kiwi for produce and I highly recommend subscribing to the sustainable, organic and local CSA from Local Roots. Little Shop of Soil in Bushwick are great for flower shopping. For coffee: La Cantine in Bushwick, Gasoline Alley. For self-care: Nails at Sunday Studio in Flatiron and hair at Ringo’s on Ludlow. For museums: The Noguchi museum in Queens has an incredible garden with some of his sculptures, I could sit there for hours. I also love Dia Beacon.