If We All Stay Silent: a short film

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If We All Stay Silent: a short film

This is a film I created as part of my MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. During the Fall semester in 2022 I took a film concentration and worked under the brilliant filmmaker Nina Davenport. As part of that concentration, I made the film you’re about to see.

My original plan was to hire a cinematographer, since as Story Producer for 15+ films for the I Am A Creator docuseries, I've always worked with the brilliant and skilled cinematographer Henry Thong. Typically my role in the filmmaking process is to find the subject, research and craft interview questions, ask interview questions behind the camera, build the foundational pre-production b-roll plan, and then do the first skeleton edit of the raw interview footage.

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When to Hold Tight and When to Let Go

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When to Hold Tight and When to Let Go

Professional stunt performer and driver Richard Marrero has been in Marvel films and award-winning TV shows, but sometimes a creative life also means life of uncertainty.

This is a story about how he (and his wife Carly) deal with the ups and downs of a life in the entertainment industry, and what kept Richard going towards his dream even when it felt like it was going nowhere. 

It starts with a breakfast burrito.

Years ago, my longtime writer-friend Carly Miller-Marrero mentioned a film project her husband, Richard Marrero, was hoping to be working on soon. She didn’t use any proper nouns, but shared that Richard might be stunt doubling an actor that he would be excited to work with. But of course, she said, you never know with these things. 

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Telling Stories with Hair

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Telling Stories with Hair


Why head of the hair department for Stranger Things Sarah Hindsgaul moved to another country to tell stories with hair, the rejection that changed her life, and why she followed her gut and risked everything to create the buzz-cut wig for Eleven.

The day Season Four of Stranger Things comes out on Netflix (May 27, 2022) I’m unable to watch (aka binge) right away because of plans I’d made long before I knew the release date. The next day, on my way to plans I slightly regret because I wish I was spending all day watching Stranger Things, I reply to an Instagram Story of the only other person I follow who is as obsessed with Stranger Things as I am (her mom is currently watching the series for the first time and provides the best quotes) about her post-binge, spoiler-free thoughts, which I devour. Then I reply, with urgency that surprises even me:

“But I just need to know…how is the hair this season??”

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7 lessons from the artist who gave me permission to dream

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7 lessons from the artist who gave me permission to dream

What did you like to do when you were a kid?

I've been thinking about that question a lot lately.

I put snails in a jar.

I wrote plays.

I acted in my own plays and one-woman shows. (Thank goodness YouTube did not exist then).

I memorized and performed scenes from The Little Mermaid.

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maybe being embarrassed by your creative work isn't always a bad thing

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maybe being embarrassed by your creative work isn't always a bad thing

Doing creative work can be embarrassing: putting yourself out there for all to see, waiting to see if anyone responds, all the while unsure which scenario you fear more - someone actually seeing it and responding or no one seeing it. Both sound terrible in the beginning. 

I'm sure there are things I probably never published because I felt embarrassed, or maybe things I never said. I'm sure there are projects and ideas I've never shared because I was embarrassed. Somehow I came to think that embarrassment about something before sharing it was a sure sign that the thing would indeed be embarrassing (i.e. a total failure). 

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