SOMERS, N.Y. - Spencer Santini got her start as a production assistant on the set of Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart, later moved up to production coordinator on Season 9 of the Netflix version of Queer Eye, and is now working as a producer for an upcoming HGTV pilot.
But her first film credit came much closer to home.
Inspired by the ESPN 30 for 30 film The Undefeated, the 2015 Somers graduate approached Coach DeMatteo hoping to document the football team’s pursuit of a third straight sectional championship.
She got the green light and began gathering content, drawing on her familiarity with many of the athletes.
With a lot of friends across the football, lacrosse, and soccer teams, she remembered, “I felt like these guys always opened up to me and talked to me about what was going on in their heads and their lives.”
As a senior, she followed the team to practices and games, frequently sitting down for one-on-one conversations with players.
“I really got to the heart of some of these guys,” said Santini.
A loss to Rye in the sectional final wasn’t the ending she had hoped for, but the result didn’t diminish what the young filmmaker gained through the experience.
“I had these intimate moments that were isolated,” she revealed. “I learned things about my guy friends that I would never have learned in a pack.”
The documentary was later screened at the high school and again as a fundraiser after one of the football moms suffered a stroke. The rewards, she said, have continued long after graduation.
“The guys still reached out to me,” she revealed.
Her interest in filmmaking began even earlier, thanks to her older brother. When he started experimenting with a camera, being an unpaid production assistant felt natural.
“The little sister in me followed him around and wanted to be part of his filmmaking,” Santini recalled.
From props and decorations to camera work, Santini picked up more mentors at Somers High School. Art teacher Christine Connolly, in particular, encouraged her to think creatively and act on her ideas rather than wait for approval. “If you have a camera, and you want to create, then go out and create,” Santini conveyed the wisdom.
That foundation served her well. At Chapman University, she found herself thriving in a hands-on environment.
“You weren’t sitting in a classroom taking notes. You were going out, finding stories, working with groups and figuring out how you were going to produce short films of your own,” she reflected.
After graduation, Santini moved from California to New York City and hit the ground running. Starting again as a production assistant, she did far more than make coffee.
“You’re kind of a pack mule, a jack of all trades and do everything to assist every department on the shoot,” she said.
Long days and constant learning helped her rise quickly. “I worked my way up to production management and production coordinator for companies like, Hit and Run, Left to Right and iTV,” Santini said.
This past year, she worked as a segment producer for Worst Ex Ever and a true-crime series on Netflix. Working alongside the story producer, she often returned to lessons learned at Somers. “You’re helping to create an environment where people feel comfortable to tell their story,” she said.
Ultimately, her goal is to become a producer.
“My strength lies in putting a team together,” Santini explained.
To get there, she makes sure to keep showing up—networking, attending film festivals, and seeking out collaborators.
“It’s figuring out where your people are,” she assured.
New York City continues to energize her professionally. “New York is a place filled with so much energy and that helps me to continue to want to work,” Santini clarified.
For Somers students hoping to follow the same path, she offers simple but steadfast advice.
“If people know that you work hard, that you’re willing to put in the time and energy into your craft, you will always have work,” she concluded.
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