Editor’s Note: Supporting women should not be limited to a month. So at Reel 360, we have decided to amplify and promote dynamic women’s voices all year long. Today, let us introduce you to a very talented woman – Writer, Director and Costume Designer, Patia Prouty.
Patia Prouty is a multifaceted woman whose creative vision shines across multiple mediums. An accomplished costume designer, she has earned multiple Costume Designers Guild nominations for her work on CBS’s Cold Case and has designed for acclaimed series such as Justified (FX), American Crime (ABC), and Banshee and Quarry (HBO/Cinemax).
Her work on Banshee‘s social media platform opened the door to directing, leading to her directorial debut on Banshee: Origins, which earned two Emmy nominations for multi-platform storytelling. She later directed second unit and action sequences for Banshee and Quarry.
As second unit director on Manhunt: Unabomber (Discovery), Patia played a pivotal role in crafting the show’s signature macro bomb sequences, adding a striking visual element to the series. A graduate of the Warner Bros. Directors’ Workshop, she is known for her deft hand with actors and a proven ability to execute complex action sequences.
Beyond directing, Prouty is an award-winning screenwriter. Her sci-fi pilot, Stream of Consciousness, won a 2023 Page International Screenwriting Award and was a finalist at the 2023 Austin Film Festival and Josephson Entertainment Fellowship.
With a distinctive storytelling perspective and a deep well of creative expertise, Patia Prouty continues to push boundaries across film, television, and design.
Let’s meet Patia Prouty!
What is your origin story?
I grew up in a small town in CT. My mother is extremely creative and has a great sense of style. I inherited my eye from her. She was always big on lessons: Piano, Pottery, Tennis, and Riding. I was always learning something new which I found fun. My father is very handy and would let me “help” a lot. I know how to glaze a window and fix the sprinklers.
I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I graduated from college with a business degree and had no idea what was next. A friend from school called and said “Why don’t you come out to Los Angeles?”
How did you break into your industry?
I moved to Los Angeles on a whim. I stayed with my friend from high school who was living in a loft across the street from Davey Jones Liquor Locker in Venice. When I say “loft”, I mean a converted garage that my friend took over after an artist moved out. The walls were blue and covered in bubble wrap for wallpaper. Just imagine two stories of bubble wrap.
I had a loose plan: apply to FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, get in, and become a shoe designer. My friend drove me down there, and admissions was so discouraging that I decided not to apply.
A decade later, they were exhibiting my work. I received a Costume Designers Guild nomination for COLD CASE. It was the first show I had ever designed. Since I wasn’t applying to FIDM, I needed a new plan. My friend got a call they needed a production assistant for a Michael Jackson video and he got me a job. It was a surreal introduction to the entertainment business.
Who were your mentors, and how did they influence your journey?
I am the product of mentorship and continue to mentor through my guilds. I believe the process is invaluable. Every project has taught me something new. My entire career has been a continual lesson of watching other people’s successes and failures and learning how to apply that to my life and career. If you are doing it right, you should be in a constant state of growth.
What fuels your creativity?
Boredom. And the thrill of creating something from nothing. I think for creative people there is an innate drive to create regardless of the medium, regardless of the outcome. it’s the process. the flow.
What’s the biggest myth about women in your field?
That women are only capable of directing dramas and comedies. That we lean toward softer
female-driven material. That’s what the majority of female director are offered and they typically
have smaller budgets. There aren’t that many women directing Action, Sci-Fi, and Horror. We
can do it, but we are often not given the opportunity. I would like to see that change.
Name a creative risk you took that paid off?
My first job, the Michael Jackson video, was to answer the phone at a makeshift production office in Hollywood. The best thing about answering the phones was that I knew everything that was going on. When I learned there was a costume department, I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I heard the costume fittings were happening the next day at Western Costume and that they needed help. I asked my boss if I could go, but was told no. The next day, instead of going to the production office to answer the phones, I decided to drive to Western Costume. I told the costume department that production sent me to help. I worked hard, and at the end of the day, they asked if I wanted to stay. I went on to work on films like Pulp Fiction and Almost Famous. Sometimes you just have to shoot your shot.
What’s your take on the rise of AI?
We are frogs in a pot. AI has been marketed to us. Fed to us. Humans become weaker and weaker. Our phones are our memory and lifeline. Algorithms dictate what you consume. We are seeing the beginnings of “modern miracles” with nueralink and breakthroughs in the medical field because of AI.
The blind will see and paraplegics will walk and that will truly be miraculous but at the end of the day governments will try to monetize and weaponize something that is ultimately smarter than them. It sounds a bit tin foil hat-ish but I believe we as humans are on the cusp of evolution. Homo Sapien to Homo Superior and man’s merge with machine. It’s already happening.
What’s a piece of advice from another woman you carry with you.
My mother always tells me “It will all work out.” She’s usually right.
Are you rebooting Soul Train, American Bandstand or MTV spring break.
None. I’m tired of reboots and remakes. I want to see something I have never seen.
How do you balance ambition with self-care.
I live on a reservoir and I walk a lot. It helps me think and you can do it just about anywhere
anytime.
You’re writing a memoir. What’s the title?
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark!
Go to Karaoke song.
No one wants to hear me sing!
In 10 years, what do you hope to look back and say you changed?
I want to change the landscape of ageism in film for women. To create more opportunities for women to showcase their talent. Men become seasoned and skilled while women are often overlooked for a longer version. The Substance was a beautiful portrayal of society’s view of women. The ultimate irony is that life imitated art and Demi Moore lost the Oscar to someone half her age.
What’s next for you?
This summer, I will be directing Right Hand to God a feature film set against the backdrop
of civil war politics and the origins of the West. I’m developing a new Sci-Fi series Stream of Consciousness.
Set in the near future, about an investigative journalist’s estranged husband who is gunned down and she must decide if he lives or dies by allowing the government to put an AI implant in his brain turning him into the one thing he never wanted to be – a hybrid.
To see who else is a Reel Woman like Patia Prouty, click here.
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