NCS Hobby Leads to Arts Career

When I was at NCS, my happiest times were in the photo lab and on the track field. I never dreamed I could turn either into a career. I was correct about track.

However, when I got to college at University of Miami, photography became the focus of my time in school. Portrait photography, underwater photography, I loved it so much that I transferred to NYU where internships with photographers were numerous and I could get the chance to work on my craft.

The first commercial photographer I worked for gave me some advice that changes my life. He said, “You’re at the best film school in the country. Don’t leave there without taking a film class.” And so I did. Film brought together my love of images and storytelling in a way I’d never imagined.

Once I discovered film, the world, and New York City, opened up. After NYU, I got a job for a startup called BrainPOP writing animated educational movies for kids. (BrainPOP is now used in 35% of K-12 schools, including NCS.) While working at BrainPOP, I made films on the side, which played at festivals. I also explored theater and writing/directing plays. When an actress dropped out of my first one, I filled in for her and began acting at the ripe old age of 27.

Since then I’ve written, directed, and acted in a dozen plays Off and Off-Off Broadway. My plays have been published and I made one into a feature film, but none of these have been moneymaking ventures. To make a living, I’ve continued to write for BrainPOP and work on iPhone and iPad apps for Disney. I work to support my art. It’s not always ideal to have at least two jobs going, but I’m extremely grateful to do what I love.

Several years ago, I went back to school and got my MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. I discovered a new love in teaching and its something I hope to do more of. I also discovered that I missed making things. Being a writer is great, but for me, that’s just the beginning of the process.

My latest project is a web series that I write, direct and star in called 37 PROBLEMS. It’s about a single, struggling 37 year-old screenwriter, who is totally focused on her career until she finds out she has one egg left. Suddenly she has to find a guy to fertilize the egg, freeze the egg, or do nothing and live a different life than she imagined. (It’s a comedy.) I’ve shot three episodes and I’m currently crowd funding to finish the remaining seven. 

I had no clue that photography, something I considered a hobby at NCS, would lead me to a rich and varied career in the arts. I never thought I would act. We didn’t even have cell phones back then so forget about imagining mobile apps would exist. If I could speak to current students, I would say to do what you love doing and keep your imagination open. Life leads if you’re open to the possibilities.