Meet Your Makers: Leah Dorfman's Love of Championing Great Creatives
As executive producer, Leah Dorfman, works closely with Dress Code’s core team in strategic sales planning, identifying and pursuing new business opportunities in traditional and non-traditional channels. Additionally, Leah plays a crucial role expanding their curated director roster, doubling down on the fresh and unique approach to discovering talent.
Prior to joining Dress Code, Leah enjoyed a four-year tenure at esteemed full service production company, Psyop. As their new business producer, she worked closely with the sales and management team, devising and executing effective sales strategies, and establishing valuable connections within the domestic and international roster.
In her current role, Leah's experience at Psyop has been instrumental to Dress Code’s distinct blend of live action and animation.
LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked in or did you come to it from another area?
Leah> I was immersed in the world of production as a kid—having a commercial director as a father and casting director as a mother, and never felt drawn to anything else. The energy and creativity of being on set captivated me from an early age. What truly inspired me, though, was the incredible sense of camaraderie and shared purpose that infused every project.
LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?
Leah> I’m sure like many others, my first role in production was being a production assistant on commercial sets. I loved the quick paced nature and energy of the role and figuring out how to go a step above what was required or expected of me. I learned how to work smarter not harder, how to be vigilant and aware of what’s happening around me to find opportunities to step in, and how to be an efficient communicator.
How did you learn to be a producer?
Leah> The vast majority of the skills that were required from me as I was starting out as a production coordinator crossed over with what was needed in order to be a good producer.
I learned how to be wickedly organised, find efficiencies, and work quickly but calmly. At that time I also became well versed in how to balance different personalities and adapt to how each individual prefers to work.
There were so many factors that contributed to me evolving into the producer role: by learning and observing from the best and when the time came, taking the firsthand knowledge I've learned from my peers and putting it into practice.
I was fortunate enough at the start of my production career at Psyop and to be surrounded by seasoned industry pros to learn from. They gave me opportunities to have ownership over certain facets within production as I was growing into the role.
And at Dress Code I’ve been able to build upon that foundation and really come into my own with an elite team of colleagues.
LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?
Leah> One of my favourite things is the camaraderie that quickly forms. Having been a competitive athlete throughout my life, I’ve always wanted to be in a profession that requires you to work as a unit. That feeling of, “we’re in this together,” creates a closeness because of the intensity that’s involved in making it happen.
What attracted me to Dress Code was that despite its smaller size, the diverse output of top tier work is very impressive and requires us even more so to move and operate like a team because we’re all so involved every step of the way.
This notion that every individual has an important role to play, but it’s how those individuals and pieces come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts is extremely gratifying for me.
LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?
Leah> Do not underestimate the power of a cell phone free walk around the neighbourhood. Taking a moment to focus on listening to my breath and the noises around me, as chaotic as they sometimes may be in the city, it gives my mind an opportunity to take a break from cycling through what’s next on the “to do” list.
LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP?
Leah> A lot of it has to do with trusting and properly communicating with the other people on our team and staying super organised.
Staying on top of that allows me to do my favourite part of my job, which is being a conduit and champion of our amazing roster of directorial talent. I’m super competitive and will do everything I can to help them succeed and evolve their craft.
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Leah> What I am most excited about as of late is signing two talented film directors (Silence and Talya Galasko) and an outstanding 3D animation director (Limbert Fabian) to our roster. This has been an incredibly exciting milestone for both me personally and for our company as a whole.
These additions have marked a significant step forward in building upon our creative capabilities across both film and animation. It’s been an exhilarating period of growth, exposing us to undiscovered talent in new territories and opening up fresh opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
