Editor’s note: Emily Wells is Greenlight Community Broadband’s Marketing & Sales Manager.
WILSON – Cat Brewer never expected that she would become a filmmaker or call Wilson, North Carolina home.
The California native holds twenty-one years of teaching experience, currently instructing college-level communication courses. In addition to her passion for communication and education, Cat holds a love for music.
Although she has been attending concerts since she was eight years old, she had never seen an American Sign Language interpreter at a concert until eight years ago. Intrigued, she approached the interpreter to learn more. “I was completely ignorant,” she shared. “I didn’t know that deaf people enjoyed music, let alone liked to go to live concerts. I started talking to the interpreter then communicating to the deaf people through the interpreter because at the time I knew no sign language whatsoever. Come to find out, deaf people, just like hearing people, love music but face a lot of barriers to getting access to it. It really enlightened me. I realized I had a hearing privilege I never knew I had.”
Cat Brewer
At the time, Cat was searching for a new creative outlet. She had planned to turn her newfound awareness into a newspaper article for the college where she was teaching, but a friend suggested she make a documentary instead. Cat had no film background, but she did have determination. “I took what was supposed to be a one-day intensive filmmaking class, but it really was just a tour of a school that wanted you to be their student. I didn’t learn that much, but I was super excited and went to Best Buy and bought a camera. I’m a teacher, so I bought this $800 camera and $100 tripod and was freaking out like, ‘I can’t afford this.’ I saved the receipt thinking that after thirty days I would return it. Eight years later, I still have that same camera.”
With her camera in tow, Cat hit the ground running, tweeting, and DM’ing. She waited outside comedy club doors and pushed through concerts and music festivals in pursuit of interviews. “A lot of times I would speak to management first and would hear ‘no.’ I really had to hustle to catch artists in person and pitch to them in thirty seconds to get an interview. 90% of them said yes, but actually nailing down the interview was the hard part. It was constant follow-up.”
Talking about E.A.S.T. – entrepreneurship, the arts, science, and technology – at Gig East Exchange
Some of the artists that Cat interviewed had used an ASL interpreter during their performances, but many had not. For some, seeing an interpreter on stage with them was a complete surprise, but eye opening. During her interviews, Cat never received a negative reaction towards an interpreter. The artists typically responded with, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I want more people to experience and love my lyrics or the feeling of the music.” But even if the artist is open to an interpreter, that does not necessarily mean one will be there.
“If you don’t know a deaf person it’s not in your perception” she explains. “You don’t think twice about access to things that you have always taken for granted. Let’s say your favorite band is performing at PNC Arena on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You work Friday, so you don’t want to go when you are tired after work. You don’t want to go on Sunday because you have to get up early for work the next day. So buy your ticket for Saturday night. A deaf person has to buy their ticket and then request access to an interpreter. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act by law, the venue has to provide an interpreter. But, they can say that they will only provide it for Sunday night. So then the deaf person doesn’t get to go when they want. 90% of the time those requests get lost in the shuffle and don’t get addressed. There’s lots of challenges, but that’s a big one. Sometimes they’ll even be told access will be there through an interpreter, but when they arrive there isn’t one. It’s heartbreaking. Music and laughter are universal, they connect people and cultures. It should connect the deaf and hearing cultures together.”
Cat expected the filmmaking process to take thirty days, but those thirty days turned into seven and a half years. During that time, social media became her biggest resource. She found her editor from a friend of a Facebook friend. Cat was residing in Las Vegas at the time and her editor, Kai Keefe, lived in Washington, D.C. They were able to complete the entire editing process via email and Zoom. Most of her publicity and fundraising have been executed online as well. “Social media has been amazing for me. It’s interesting how you can reach people that you would never have any contact with otherwise. Patricia Arquette is an actress I’ve loved for years and she retweeted my Go Fund Me link. It’s been incredible and I’ve had a lot of support. I couldn’t have done it without my Go Fund Me campaign and random strangers donating to something that they think is a good cause.”
Emily Wells
Now that Sign the Show is completed, Cat has moved into the distribution phase. She is currently entering Sign the Show into film festivals in hopes of an agent seeing it and pitching it to a major streaming service. “I just want it to be seen because I think it is important. I want to make a cultural shift in the entertainment world and make it more accessible for everybody.” Her dream for the film is to tour it as an education tool for high school and college campuses.
How did Cat end up in Wilson?
Wanting to be closer to family, Cat made the move from Las Vegas to North Carolina. Just when she was looking for community, Facebook saved the day once again. A contact from one of Cat’s former jobs was a former Wilsonian. She urged her Wilson-based Facebook friends to give Cat a welcome. This led to lunches, introductions, and connections within Historic Downtown Wilson and the vibrant arts community provides inspiration. The search for coffee led her to Larema Coffee House within the Gig East Exchange. She jumped in on a tour with a current member. After seeing the space, she knew it was the place for her.
“The energy is phenomenal, the people have been super nice, and it just feels like my little oasis since I don’t have Wi-Fi at home. Who knew that someone I met in Oakland over 15 years ago would have been from Wilson. It’s been really challenging being a transplant and trying to find a community of like-minded people with good energy. I feel like I’ve found it here.”
For more information about Sign the Show and to watch the film’s trailer, visit its website. The website also lists resources for accessibility, ASL interpreters, and ASL classes.
