I Married a Filmmaker
I Married a Filmmaker
This week we decided to do something a little different. Ann Marshall Tilton (Greg’s wife) and Nicole Gaidos (Mickey’s wife) weigh in on what it’s like to be married to a filmmaker. Needless to say, it’s not your typical relationship. What are some of your stories? Take a look here and share with us what it’s like to call filmmaker – or anyone with an “unconventional” occupation – your significant other!
1) Please introduce yourself, where you’re from, and what you do.
AMT: I’m Ann Marshall Tilton, an MBA candidate at Tulane University, and I’m married to a film nerd!
NG: My name is Nicole Gaidos. I am from Metairie and I am a mental health therapist in private practice.
AMT: Well before I was a student, I worked in a (roughly) 9 to 5, Monday – Friday job. When the person you’re dating is shooting nights and weekends a lot, it can be tough to see each other! I’m pretty sure some of my friends thought Greg was imaginary for a while! But now that I’m a student and my schedule is more flexible, it’s a little bit easier to coordinate our lives. On the other hand, meeting other people who work in film and drinking at abnormal hours (cause that’s when you have off) is great!
NG: Mickey’s job used to have a schedule that would work for both of us. Even though he was on jobs for long days had late hours, we would still have a lot of time to see each other. Then our son was born! Since mickeys schedule is so inconsistent, it can be difficult to keep Jude on a “school schedule.”

AMT: Sometimes the schedules can be a little tough to coordinate. Other than that, I’d say the impact is positive! I get to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise meet.
NG: Same as #2! It can be challenging, especially when kids are involved, because they need to be on a schedule and it’s almost impossible for a filmmaker to be on a consistent schedule.
AMT: I’ve gotten to go to film premiers, get free photography lessons, and Greg has filmed pretty much all of our vacations together so I get to relive those whenever I want.
NG: There are benefits. I love film and the whole film making process is fascinating. It’s really neat to see “behind the scenes.” Going to screenings and events/parties for projects he’s worked on is also a lot of fun.
AMT: They talk about cameras A LOT. I now know enough to occasionally comment on the conversation, which scares me a little!
NG: I consider his film maker friends my friends and have all been awesome. Everyone is easy going, funny and a pleasure to know.
AMT: Greg is pretty much always “on” since clients and producers call him at odd hours. I remember one weekend in particular when it was 10 p.m. and we just finished dinner. He got a call then to go film at 6 am the next morning. That said, he is usually able to turn the “film critic” off when watching a movie.
NG: Haha Mickey never “turns it off.” He’s always checking emails and taking calls. He can also be a perfectionist.
AMT: I used to work in marketing and now am studying market research/strategy. I definitely think that my marketing background helped Greg figure out how to position the inDEPTH brand… or at least I hope so! On the flip side, I was working for a huge national brand so I have learned a lot from watching Greg put a small business together. He’s very adept at getting a lot done with limited resources.
NG: Not sure what I have taught him but he’s taught me what hard work looks like. I’ve seen him work 30 hours straight with no sleep and barely eating!
Are you dating/married to a filmmaker? Are you a filmmaker seeing someone outside the industry? What are some of your experiences and stories? Hit us up on twitter, facebook, and check us out at our website!
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