Two theatre alumni lend talents to Martin Scorsese’s newest film
Piper Blake | August 11, 2021
Texas State University alumni Hanna Hurd (B.F.A. '21) and Sophie Misercola (B.F.A. '21) are working side by side as production assistants on Martin Scorcese’s newest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” These talented Bobcats each charted their own path in the television and film industry before ending up on the same production.
Hurd made her directorial debut with her short film “Method,” released in 2020. “[‘Method’] helped me get my feet wet and exercise an artistic muscle and solidify my desire to work in film,” says Hurd. She was featured in six short film festivals and credits the opportunity to work on “Killers of the Flower Moon” to the success she achieved with “Method,” noting that the film boosted her confidence and brought her some respect as a filmmaker.
Misercola took a different route, getting her experience as a production assistant on the sets of the Amazon Prime series “Panic” and the CW Network’s “Walker,” the retelling of “Walker, Texas Ranger.” “Working on ‘Panic’ and ‘Walker’ were such wonderful experiences,” she says, “I’m also grateful for them because they landed me on a Scorsese set.”
Hurd and Misercola both attribute their successes to Texas State and the lessons they learned from their professors’ first-hand experiences. Hurd says her success has “everything to do with professors stressing the importance of working hard, putting in the time, and prioritizing networking/communication over everything else.” Misercola agrees, adding, “The thing I’m most grateful for is [my professors’] constant emphasis on networking and connections because, yes, the film industry is about art and storytelling, but to really be successful and work, you have to be able to network and make those solid connections.”
Networking is what ultimately brought Misercola to the Scorsese set. “I worked on ‘Panic’ for someone who in turn hired me on ‘Walker,’ then worked with someone who got me a job on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’”
These Bobcats have bonded throughout their shared experience as production assistants on “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Hurd says together they have navigated the job and the industry.
“We have grown so close and I will have the fondest memories of doing this movie with her,” Misercola says. “Hanna is one of my best friends, and getting to work on this movie with her has been wonderful…Filmmaking on location, in the middle of nowhere, in Oklahoma, can get lonely so it’s been wonderful having someone there to make the transition a little easier.”
This opportunity has been a surreal experience for both.
“It is absolutely a dream come true and an unexpected opportunity,” says Hurd, “18-year-old freshman Hanna would have never seen this coming. It has been incredible, I am so thankful.”
“Scorsese is one of the best directors in the business so of course, it’s wonderful to see someone of that stature work in real time,” says Misercola. “I’m very thankful to be working on this film and meeting people who work on nothing but big-name films. Not many people can say they graduated college while working on a Martin Scorsese movie!”
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