This month, we sat down with producer Bronte Payne (AFI Class of 2017) to discuss how she went from her native Australia to the AFI Conservatory’s Producing Program to Senior Vice President of Film at LuckyChap. Recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top 35 Rising Executives 35 and Under, Bronte has worked on acclaimed films including I, TONYA; PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN; BARBIE; BOSTON STRANGLER; SALTBURN and the upcoming feature MY OLD ASS which debuted at Sundance and hits theaters on September 13. We explored her transformative experience at the AFI Conservatory, how she climbed the ranks at LuckyChap and her passion for telling stories by and about women.

AFI: What first led you to the Producing program at the AFI Conservatory and how has the Conservatory prepared you for working in the film industry?

Bronte: I had always been fascinated by the process of making movies. AFI felt like one of the only programs where you learnt how to physically make films. I feel like the knowledge I gained through the practical experience of making short films in cycle and thesis production at AFI has helped me enormously!

AFI: How did you first come to work at LuckyChap and what was the benefit of getting in on the ground floor and working at a relatively young company at the time?

Bronte: I started at LuckyChap as a coordinator after I TONYA came out. It was in an exciting moment where we were getting PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN into production, and they had just got the rights to BARBIE. We work on films of many different sizes, so I have loved the opportunity to see how studio and independent films are put together, and to get hands on experience in both due to the small size of our team at the time.

The principals at LuckyChap – Margot [Robbie], Tom [Ackerley]and Josey [McNamara]– have always been so supportive of my learning, so it was always an environment where I felt like I could ask any question. This really helped me understand the industry better when I was first starting out.

AFI: What does your job entail now as Senior Vice President of Film? As a producer, what kind of stories are you drawn to and what principles or values do you prioritize when selecting projects to develop?

Bronte: My job is different every day which is why it’s so much fun! I work very closely with our internal team and our filmmakers to develop ideas, scripts and move projects through the various processes of production. We are an extremely filmmaker-driven company, and so it’s often about finding storytellers we really connect to. We always want to entertain first and foremost while challenging or surprising audiences to look at something in a fresh way.

AFI: LuckyChap has become synonymous with centering female stories. What is the most satisfying aspect of being part of such an innovative and ambitious team of filmmakers that continue to create stories told by and about women?

Bronte: It’s amazing to work for people who really walk the walk. When I interviewed at LuckyChap in 2018, they said they wanted to support filmmakers to do their best work and to bring more female-centered stories to audiences, and I feel like that’s what we’ve done. We work hard to cultivate a creative environment where each team member’s contributions are valued and celebrated, and I think that’s what nets work that can make a real cultural impact.

AFI: What have you learned about the creative and collaborative process from working with a wide range of talented directors including Greta Gerwig, Matt Ruskin, Emerald Fennell, Megan Park and Jimmy Warden?

Bronte: Each filmmaker is different, and it’s so much fun to dive in with each person and build that rapport. I love having that strong, open line of communication with my collaborators, where you have trust and can be super open and honest. We really see ourselves as adaptable and flexible and want to do whatever works best for each filmmaker and their process.

AFI: You recently worked with director Megan Park on her second feature MY OLD ASS. What was it about the project that resonated with you and what do you enjoy about collaborating with new directors?

Bronte: I love the sense of discovery with emerging filmmakers. Every collaboration is like a marriage, and it’s always different, but I love working with new voices and creating the environment around them that allows them to dig in and get deeper into their process.

Megan and I met because of some other AFI Alumni. Kristen “KII” Correll (AFI Class of 2016), who shot MY OLD ASS, was working on music videos that Megan directed that were also produced by Tom Burke and Leal Naim (both AFI Class of 2016). A year or two after that, I saw THE FALLOUT, which KII also shot, and was blown away by the movie. Megan does an incredible job of representing young people authentically on screen, and we felt that was something we hadn’t seen someone do for this next generation yet.

When we reconnected, Megan pitched us the idea for MY OLD ASS, and we were just so taken with the concept. I think everyone has asked themselves the question of “what would you tell your older or younger self?” Megan has such a unique voice as a filmmaker and found a way to tell this story with such specificity in tone, setting and with her characters. It always had real heart, humor and levity. We wanted to be part of putting that out into the world.

AFI: What advice would you give to aspiring producers who want to follow a similar path coming out of AFI?

Bronte: Say yes to every opportunity and treat everyone with kindness. There’s such a pressure to feel like you need to know the answers to everything, but the best producers I know are the first to say, “I don’t know, let me find out.”