The Film Stalled—Then We Started Over | Cassidy Tee & Kristina Mercado on First Chair

Mischief and Mastery

What does it look like to grow into a role you didn’t expect to take on—and do it with someone who trusts you, even before you trust yourself? In this episode, Cassidy Tee and Kristina Mercado talk about their collaboration on the short film First Chair, navigating setbacks, building momentum from scratch, and making decisions in real time with creative instincts as their compass.

Cassidy Tee is a filmmaker and screenwriter whose work blends suspenseful world-building with grounded character drama. Based in Chicago and drawn to the psychological thriller space, she’s directed a variety of indie projects and is currently deep in pre-production on First Chair, a tech-meets-orchestra short film with Black Mirror energy. Kristina Mercado is a producer and teaching artist who co-runs the production company Tide on Topic, and brings a sharp sense of logistics and community to the table—often jumping into roles she never imagined for herself.

We chat about:
→ Reigniting a project after a stall-out
→ Creative trust between director and producer
→ Running a female-led team on an indie budget
→ Letting momentum lead (even if it’s messy)
→ What it means to define success beyond just “finishing”

Check out Cassidy’s fundraiser for First Chair at crowdfundr.com/firstchair and follow her at @cassidytposts.
Learn more about Kristina’s production work at tideontopic.com and on IG at @kristinamvlg14.

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