Unit Publicist Wolf Schneider has been an IATSE member for 14 years, compiling a strong industry biography that includes features like Running With The Devil, Corporate Animals, Sicario, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Only the Brave, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Stargirl, Gold, and the upcoming Focus release Half-Brothers. Her television credits include Perpetual Grace LTD., Graves, and Crash. Before Schneider relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico (where she now lives in an apartment surrounded by pine trees, cottonwoods, cactus plants, ravens, and the region’s famously endless skies), she was director of West Coast Public Relations for Showtime/The Movie Channel. An award-winning writer/editor, Schneider has also worked as an editor and film reviewer for industry publications like Movieline, American Film Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and Mademoiselle.
600Live! How have you connected with your family or friends during quarantine? Has the shutdown revealed any new facets to those relationships?
WS: I’ve been talking with friends and family, and connecting on Zoom with union colleagues. It makes me feel more connected and I love seeing the real backgrounds of people’s homes. I gotta say, the DPs have the coolest homes – all light and airy with outdoor spaces. [Local 600 President] John Lindley seems to have a dedicated home office. Rebecca Rhine often has a refrigerator in the background. I do have a quarantine Zoom look – a headscarf like Steven Van Zandt, gray tee-shirt, and leggings.
What have you been doing to keep those isolating with you (or yourself) engaged and active?
I’m noticing the purple and yellow irises in bloom in the high desert where I walk, huffing behind my bandana. Ravens and crows are proliferating here in Santa Fe, and they seem to be flying closer to us humans. I’m using the Calm app to meditate. I’m online watching the awesome Governor Cuomo’s daily press conferences, monitoring New Mexico virus stats, and reading Dr. Fauci’s warnings about opening up too soon. I’m dosing myself with Fields of Flowers, a calming homeopathic remedy, and growing scallions by a sunny window. I also created my own iPhone message icon.
Have you attended or participated in any live Q&A’s with industry peers?
I attended a live Q&A webinar hosted by indie producers John Sloss and Christine Vachon. It was more intimate than a film festival panel would have been. Sloss was at home in the Hudson River Valley, while Vachon was in the East Village. They talked about an expected lack of production insurance and waivers we may have to sign. Vachon said she looks forward, not backward, which I found inspirational.
What hobbies or skills have you been able to resurrect?
I’m writing a screenplay with a partner, a drama about two friends in love with the same man over a lifetime. Collaborating makes it more fun. I’m re-writing a novel. Baking biscotti and Irish Soda Bread. Next up: Spelt tortillas. And yes, I know, too many carbs.
What music is at the top of your COVID playlist?
It’s my always playlist: Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Rolling Stones, Warren Zevon, Bob Seger, Leonard Cohen, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks. Can you tell my first career was as an album-oriented rock FM radio deejay?
How many books have you read? What are your favorites and why?
Books are my best escape. I read one or two a week. In the past month, I read The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman, set in Italy; Greenwood by Michael Christie, which had an environmental theme; Wine Girl by Victoria James, about being a sommelier; a romance called Side Trip by Kerry Lonsdale; The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey, about a 79-year-old and a dog!; and The Truants by Kate Weinberg, a college mystery.
Once the restrictions are lifted, what is the first thing you want to do?
Honestly? The first thing I want to do is get my hair cut and colored. [Smiles.]
What is the one thing you miss most about being on set?
I miss being productive and having a purpose. Also, the money, the camaraderie, and the health/pension hours.
How has the Union been able to help you through these tough times?
Local 600 has helped me feel like I still have a career, even though I’m not working.
How do you think your outlook on life will change post-COVID?
I think I’ll be less likely to put off things I want to do.
