Get to Know our Member Spotlight: Jade Hamdan

Meghan Dubitsky

Each month we highlight a Production Lot member through our Member Spotlights, which include a featured position on the Production Lot homepage and a Q&A to help the rest of our community get to know our Spotlight member better.

This month we’re highlighting Jade Hamdan!

Meet Jade Hamdan

Jade Hamdan is a California-based, Assistant Production Coordinator with experience ranging from production, visual effects, and the art department. Known for her collaborative approach, she fosters inclusive, performance-driven work environments with great appreciation for the curious mind. Hamdan is passionate about bringing meaningful, diverse stories to life—showcasing the raw truth of the human experience through visual storytelling.

Ready to learn more about Jade? Check out our Q&A with her below, and don’t be shy – Ask her a question in the comments!

Spotlight Q&A: Six Questions with Jade

What inspired you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?

As a child of the ‘90s, we were always fighting to be spotlighted in front of Uncle John's camcorder. Who could out-perform the other with their best joke, or who found the biggest rollie pollie. "Hey look—Hey look! Over here! Over here!" Behind the scenes, Uncle John was not only the cameraman but the narrator of his family's stories, our stories.

My fascination with recording the world around me started then - begging Uncle John if I could "hold the camera, just this once." He had a dry sense of humor and an uncanny ability to think on the spot of 101 ways to reject a child and her sticky hands from holding his expensive fancy toy. It was eighth grade when I was able to convince my parents to buy me my own camcorder. I may have negotiated my way out of gifts for every major holiday that year - but alas I could finally trade in my friend Desserae's tape recorder to finally put images to our backyard stories.

What is something about your role you'd like people to know more about?

I would like people to know that it's A-okay to not like production coordinator work. In all seriousness. It is not your standard picture of what the movie industry looks like when thinking: "lights, camera, action!"

Wonder through the forest until you find the path that gets you to your destination - whether you follow the trees, the river, or the outlay of the humble meadow. There are a million ways to get to your destination and everyone's route is going to be different.

I always encourage those interested in producing, UPMing, line producing and coordinating to give the Production Office a try - but if it is not getting you closer to your dreams and goals, change direction.

If you weren't in your current role, what other industry job would you like to have?

I have worked in so many different departments trying to soak up and learn as much as I can about the greater picture of the industry, and have loved each department for different reasons. I typically work in scripted film and television but have always had an interest in working in Documentary filmmaking.

In high school, growing up outside the nation’s capital—my options, having no one in the film industry—were realistically looking like some sort of work in public services or the government. I studied both journalism and media and decided I wanted to be a war correspondent. That was until my mother swore she'd kill me if I even thought about it. Her threats were far scarier than what I could even begin to imagine what I would see in the places I wanted to document. This might be a bit of a stretch but as her only child, I pivoted these ambitious ideas to ease her worries… and maybe even deep down—my own. The flame is still there and I always look for other ways to give that dream wings.

What advice do you have for people just starting out in the industry?

Interesting people, do interesting things, that interested audiences want to experience. This is the artist's job. Get outside, feel the sun on your face, and be still for a bit—allow your mind to get carried away.

Our world is starting to feel over-produced and recycled—it's because the people have lost their vision and it is money that is the driving force behind the art. That has shown to not work in any creative spaces. Pull the message from deep down where you haven't explored lately.

Also… be kind, genuine, curious, and willing to work for free in the beginning. Despite the stigma of "working for free" - the right people will make sure you're not working "for free."

How would you like to advance your career in the industry?

I inspire to produce thought-provoking stories with other creatives that drive my creative side to areas I can't reach on my own. That's the big dream.

What is your favorite production or project you've worked on?

I have checked off so many career bucket-lists and each are all my favorite in so many different ways. But the gigs I worked early in my career, typically for little-to-no financial compensation, where everything was a "first," hold the most special place in my heart.

Do you want a chance to be featured in the Member Spotlight? It’s easy. Register for a Production Lot account, complete your member profile, and leave a comment on the Introduce Yourself post!