E22: An early career move out of the city for a healthier pace of life | Documentary film festival producer and writer Simone Leon

I’m excited to invite you to my conversation with Simone Leon, a writer, and film festival program producer living in Camden, Maine. After attending film school, Simone was thrilled to land a job working for a major talent agency in Los Angeles. While she loved the people she worked with and the projects she got to assist on, the traffic, long hours, stress and pollution began to overwhelm her. Simone began dreaming of living a life on her own terms and moving to a place where nature was closer and local food was plentiful and affordable. At 25, she left her job in the film industry and moved across the country to work as a talent/locations scout for a small creative workshop school. Even though it was a big pay cut, it was the perfect job to meet people and become familiar with her new home of Midcoast Maine. I met Simone in 2019 while teaching a course at the school where she worked. She has been a trusted freelance collaborator, assisting me on writing stories, planning workshops and producing podcast episodes. In addition to her freelance work, she works full time as a program coordinator for Points North Institute - a documentary film festival and launching pad for documentary filmmakers. I am so grateful that our paths crossed because of Urban Exodus. Without Simone's encouragement and help I probably would’ve never had the courage to start this podcast. I look forward to future collaborations with this incredibly intelligent and hardworking woman and I look forward to seeing what Simone and her partner build for themselves here in Maine. To see photos from our photo tour of Simone's home and links to her partner's music, visit the Urban Exodus Blog Support the show Sign up for Apple Podcasts premium or our Patreon Membership for ad-free listening, rapid-fire guest interviews & our new mini-pod Ditch the City. urbanexodus.com | @theurbanexodus | buy the book