Past Quotes from Members

"I was looking for smart, intelligent women who are enthusiastic and proactive about getting ahead, but also willing to work at it with others and make a great network that will hold good in the future when we start greenlighting things and making tv/movies..."
-- Giulia Prenna - Industry Entertainment

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"It's about starting and creating a community. Reaching out to one another and helping each other out. To make a difference in the Entertainment industry, and to change by example of leadership, friendship, networking, and community service."
-- Arlona Polywka - APA

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"I have only just joined, but to me the greatest utility of the group is having a bunch of smart, cool women all over the industry who can answers questions, provide info, and share job leads. The internet is great, but nothing beats a collection of real people with real knowledge at their fingertips."
-- Hannah Wachs -Important Films

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"I joined the group after realizing that all the amazing job leads and networking leads I was getting were coming from a friend who was already part of the group. ÝWhat I've gotten out of it, since joining, was an assistant job for a director which I may not have gotten otherwise."
-- Julie-Anne Wight - Writer/Director

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Our Mission

NEXT GEN FEMMES was developed by Elise Freimuth and Rachel Abarbanell to foster a community of young female professionals to build successful leaders in the entertainment industry.

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Founders

Rachel G. Abarbanell: Co-Founder and CEO

Born and raised in Chicago Illinois, Rachel studied at Knox College, and received her Bachelors Degree in Economics, with a minor in directing for the Theatre. Following graduation, Rachel received a Post Baccalaureate fellowship to study film. After completing her fellowship Rachel moved to Los Angeles and interned for a small independent production company, Millennium Films. Her stint at Millennium led to a full time job as their Production Coordinator, and assistant to Producer John Thompson. At Millennium Rachel worked on eighteen features, including The Black Dahlia, 16 Blocks, The Wicker Man, and 88 Minutes. Independently, Rachel has also Produced Whatever Happened to Gavin Buckmaster, and The Insect Chorus. Rachel recently received Associate Producer credit on THIS SIDE OF THE TRUTH to be released next year, and is currently serving as Vice President of Production for Lynda Obst & Marc Rosen at Rosen-Obst Productions. Click to view Rachel's IMDB page.
Contact Rachel at rachel@nextgenfemmes.com

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Elise Freimuth: Co-Founder and President

Elise is the Publicity Manager for Film Independent, and heads up PR efforts for the organization as a whole, as well as the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival.  Previously, she was a Film & Events Account Executive at mPRm Public Relations where she worked on theatrical and festival campaigns for Towelhead, Bottle Shock, U23D, Southland Tales, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, You Kill Me, Surfwise, In the Land of Women, and Eagle vs. Shark. Corporate clients included Film Independent, BAFTA/LA, Movies.com and more.  Prior to working in publicity, Elise was a producer’s assistant at Cherry Road Films where she assisted in all aspects of development and production.  Elise grew up in the small German tourist town of Frankenmuth, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor with a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video Studies and English.  In addition to her love for indie film, Elise also runs a cooking and cocktail blog on the side called The Lush Chef (http://lushchef.blogspot.com).
Contact Elise at elise@nextgenfemmes.com

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