How Brit Marling Has Become an Absolute Entertainment Powerhouse

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

In the world of entertainment, Brit Marling is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. A director, showrunner, writer, and actor, Marling has versatile talents that have left an indelible mark on the industry. It all began in 2011 when she made her foray into the industry with films Another Earth and Sound of My Voice, which premiered side by side at the Sundance Film Festival, catching the attention of both critics and audiences. The films not only garnered nominations for Independent Spirit Awards but also secured distribution deals with Fox Searchlight.

Marling's career continued to skyrocket as she went on to create and star in hits like The East and The OA. Her unique storytelling abilities and captivating on-screen presence set her apart in a competitive industry. However, Marling has proven herself to be a constant innovator, always pushing the boundaries of her career. In November, she made her television directorial debut on the FX murder mystery show A Murder at the End of the World. The show has been praised for its gripping narrative and thoughtful storytelling—two things that have defined Marling’s career.

What may come as a surprise is that her path to stardom began in a completely different field: investment banking. Before becoming an entertainment powerhouse, Marling was on a trajectory to a career in finance. While pursuing a double major in economics and studio art at Georgetown University, she landed an internship at the esteemed Goldman Sachs. It was a promising start in the world of high finance, but Marling's gut feeling told her that something was amiss.

Driven by a profound desire to tell stories and a passion that finance couldn't quite fulfill, Marling made a bold decision. She decided to drop out of school and pivot her life toward the world of filmmaking, following her heart's true calling. Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Marling managed to pivot from the world of finance to indie filmmaking and now television direction.

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