Combine artistic vision with technical knowledge and business savvy. What do you get? A successful filmmaker.

A love of storytelling helps, too. "You really have to love your subject matter," explains Elaine Holliman, director of the 1994 Oscar-nominated documentary "Chicks in White Satin," which she made while in film school.

Despite the controversial subject matter of her film (it was about a marriage between two women), "Chicks" was a hit with the critics, and she now has paying work. "It felt like career suicide at the time, but it became my calling card," says Holliman.