LivLive Ep. 0000013 - Allie Rood

In this episode of LivLive, host Dave Pollard sits down with Allie Rood, filmmaker and storyteller, to dig into her decade-long journey making Prickly Mountain: And My Design/Build Life, a feature documentary rooted in her upbringing in the Mad River Valley of Vermont and the unconventional architecture movement that shaped her life. Allie shares how living in and around the design/build community in Warren and the Mad River Valley influenced her worldview and ultimately inspired her to tell this story through film. She talks about the countercultural design/build ethos — a movement that emerged in Vermont in the late 1960s and 70s when architects rejected academic rigidity and instead built by hand, embraced experimentation, and turned architecture into a lifestyle. The conversation explores how Prickly Mountain traces that history through archival material, interviews, and location — not just as a film about architecture, but as a story about community, creative risk-taking, and how place shapes identity. Allie also reflects on the creative process, the intersections between build culture and storytelling, and what it means to document a philosophy of making that values imperfection, learning by doing, and collective connection. In this episode, listeners will learn:The story behind Prickly Mountain: And My Design/Build Life — a documentary about a unique architectural and cultural movement in Vermont. Why the Mad River Valley and Warren, VT became fertile ground for experimental architecture in the late 1960s and 70s. How a filmmaker’s personal history and environment shaped the film’s narrative and thematic direction. What the design/build philosophy meant to the architects and builders who landed in Vermont — prioritizing community, creativity, and learning by doing. How archival storytelling, interviews, and place-based footage bring historical and emotional depth to documentary filmmaking. The challenges and rewards of documenting a philosophy that values imperfection and process over perfection. How Allie balances creative intention with practical constraints over a multi-year filmmaking process. What it’s like to turn a deeply personal project into a universal story about community, creativity, and making.