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Writer’s Corner is a place to get to know outstanding writers, talk about the craft of writing, career advice, share horror stories and find out more about compelling films, television shows, plays, etc. There’s so much great content out there being made by female creators, we should all be keeping an eye on these women.

Today we are featuring Monique Sorgen.

Monique, I know you’re a writer/director, but tell us how you usually introduce yourself.

I introduce myself as, “Monique Sorgen, I’m a writer-director.” I make a point of including my last name whenever possible—even if nobody else is—because I think it’s more powerful. If people don’t know your last name, they never have an opportunity to recognize it. Hollywood is a small town, and you’d be surprised about how many people have heard of you when they hear your full name. Meeting someone whose name you’ve heard is a great way to make lasting connections. I’ve noticed that a lot of women forget to include their last names (even on name tags at networking events), which keeps them in a more casual and more anonymous position, so I always give mine.

Nancy Myers said after a screening of “Something’s Gotta Give” celebrating the film’s 15 Anniversary: “Have someone else direct your movie and you’ll want to direct.” What motivated you to start directing? Which do you like best, writing or directing?

I started as a director. My first job out of college was working as a director’s assistant on “Star Trek” and a bunch of sitcoms for the guys who made “Frasier,” amongst many other TV dramas and comedies. I only became a writer because I couldn’t find any material I wanted to direct. In the process, I fell in love with writing, too. Writing is a lot more relaxing. You sit around and make up stories. I love that you get to be the one deciding on the point of view and the message in writing. You are God in the world of your story. It’s an introverted power. Directing makes you feel a lot more powerful

Following the Pitch to W.I.N. seminar held on May 2at Laurel Canyon Stages, I had the utmost pleasure of sitting down with Mara Tasker, Associate Producer with VICE Media. Quick-witted, confident, with a vocabulary that includes such gems as galvanize, caveat, and nebulous, Tasker is immediately recognizable as a woman of vision and action.

We discussed her trajectory in film production, her enviable position with the massively popular and innovative media company, VICE, her advice for women who want to make their own content, and how a little boredom is key to living a fulfilling, creative life.

MK: What drew you to film production?

I was born with a camera in my hand. (laughs) No, I actually came into film later in life. I wanted to do a hundred different things, and in high school I started to ask myself some real questions about what I wanted my life to be. Even though film wasn’t in my face in Denver, Colorado, my parents were cinephiles. With film, there was no better way for me to access any part of the world; it could take me anywhere. Also, fortunately, I got into trouble my senior year and my dad came to me and gave me an ultimatum, for which he had already made the choice. So I wasn’t going to stay home with my friends all summer, I had to apply myself in something of my choice. I said, “Film.” Which is what he knew I wanted anyway. I was stir crazy and ready to go. And he found a summer program the farthest he could send me from the suburbs of Denver, and that is how I ended up in the at the Oxford Media School in the UK. That experience did everything that I didn’t know it was going to do, but everything I needed it to do. I made my first terrible film and I loved it. I loved the entire process.

MK: And then you studied film production at CU Boulder?

When I got back, I had learned that something was possible for me as a producer. I was already enrolled at CU Boulder, which didn’t have a robust film school, but happened to have