Be Careful Who You Trust

# Be Careful Who You Trust: Ivy Lee Turns a Painful Industry Lesson Into Her Next Chapter

Ivy Lee has spent years turning difficult emotions into durable stories. The Cleveland-area author, filmmaker and producer began writing as a child, self-published her first book at 25 and eventually built An Infinite Creation into a publishing company for her own work as well as the work of other authors.

Her catalog includes *Juicy Deception*, *Supreme Reigns*, *Fun Girl: A Novella* and *7*—stories shaped by love, betrayal, ambition, consequences and the complicated choices people make when trust is tested.

That instinct to build worlds on the page eventually carried Lee into film.

She has writing, directing and acting credits on the short films *Your Eyes* and *Iniquitous*. She later expanded her work with *Fun Girl*, a feature-length drama adapted from her novella. Released in 2024, the film follows Cocoa, a confident college student who becomes entangled with a basketball star and discovers how dangerous desire can become when the truth is hidden.

But another project, *The Catalyst*, would become the center of a much more personal conflict for Lee, one that she says taught her a difficult lesson about trust, ownership and protecting creative work.

According to Lee, people she trusted took control of *The Catalyst* without her authorization, leaving her fighting to regain authority over a project she considered her own. What began as a creative endeavor became a battle over who had the right to control the film and make decisions surrounding it.

Lee did not simply accept the situation.

She took the dispute to court.

**In 2025, Lee says she won her court battle, resulting in *The Catalyst* being returned to her.** After fighting to regain control of the movie, the legal victory represented more than getting a film back. For Lee, it marked the conclusion of a difficult chapter and reinforced an important lesson for independent creators: creating the work is only one part of the business—protecting your ownership can be just as important.

For an independent filmmaker, that kind of experience can be devastating. A film is more than what audiences eventually see on a screen. Behind it are scripts, footage, contracts, passwords, distribution rights, financial agreements, master files and relationships that may involve numerous people.

Lee says her experience with *The Catalyst* showed her how quickly trust can become complicated when creative relationships are not backed by clearly defined authority and documented rights.

The lesson is simple but powerful: **Be careful who you trust.**

That does not mean creators should stop collaborating. Film is inherently collaborative. Writers need actors. Directors need crews. Producers need partners. Independent filmmakers frequently depend on relationships to accomplish what would otherwise be impossible.

But trust and business protection are not the same thing.

A handshake cannot replace a contract. A friendship cannot replace clearly defined ownership. And allowing someone to help with a project should not automatically mean giving that person unrestricted authority over it.

Lee’s experience with *The Catalyst* became a reminder of why independent creators must know exactly what they own, what they have agreed to and what authority they have granted to other people.

Important communications should be documented. Agreements should clearly establish ownership and decision-making authority. Creators should maintain access to essential files and accounts. Distribution rights, revenue participation and the ability to authorize the use or release of a film should be understood before disagreements occur—not after.

Lee's 2025 court victory also changed the ending of her story.

She was no longer simply fighting to reassert her position. **The movie was back in her hands.**

That outcome matters because Lee's experience demonstrates the difference between believing something belongs to you and being prepared to defend those rights when they are challenged. Her fight over *The Catalyst* forced her to approach filmmaking not only as an artist, but as a business owner willing to stand up for her work.

That distinction may prove to be one of the most important chapters of her career.

Lee has demonstrated that kind of persistence before. In a 2018 interview with Cleveland radio outlet Z 107.9, she spoke about discovering writing as a childhood escape and encouraged aspiring writers not to wait until everything is perfect before beginning.

“Just start,” she advised.

Years later, those words seem to describe more than her approach to writing.

Lee started with books. She moved into filmmaking. She encountered an experience with *The Catalyst* that challenged her trust and her understanding of control. She fought the dispute in court. And in 2025, according to Lee, she prevailed and regained the movie she had been fighting to recover.

Her story now carries a warning for other independent filmmakers who may be eager to get their projects made: excitement cannot replace protection.

Creators should know who controls their intellectual property. They should understand every agreement they sign. They should know who can authorize distribution, who possesses the master files, who controls important accounts and what happens if a partnership ends.

Most importantly, creators should understand that protecting their work does not make them difficult to work with. It makes them prepared.

Ivy Lee's journey from self-published author to filmmaker is already a story of persistence. But the battle over *The Catalyst* added another dimension to that journey.

Success is not only about creating something worth watching.

Sometimes it is also about fighting to make sure the work you created remains yours.

For Lee, that fight ultimately ended with *The Catalyst* returning to her. The experience left her with more than a movie. It left her with experience, awareness and a clearer understanding of what ownership means in an industry built heavily on relationships.

Her story offers other independent creators a lesson worth remembering: **trust may open the door—but ownership, documentation and the willingness to protect your work help make sure you still have the keys.**