"I became more drawn to the forgiving nature and second chances that filmmaking provides."

I got into filmmaking by being a performer myself and coming up through a community theater background. Once I got to high school and was able to get my hands on a DSLR camera and I started making really bad short films that I would write, direct, produce and star in. I got obsessed with the process of making a short film and trying to capture the perfect performance. With live performance (theater) what you see is what you get... there's no redoing anything. There's something special about the nature of theater but I became more drawn to the forgiving nature and second chances that filmmaking provides -- and of course the discovery of how many ways you could tell the same story.

When I was directing my queer dark comedy short film "Psycho Baby" I remember feeling really proud when one of my leading actors, Truman Flyer, gave the most heart-wrenching performance in one of our final scenes of the shoot. Truman had no prior acting experience when I cast her as Sadie... but that really excited me. She didn't have all these rules for herself  the way some more experienced actors do. Watching Truman overcome the emotional obstacles of her character was especially rewarding because we were in it together. I love watching actors hit peak performance. When they're the best they've ever been. That really sticks with me as a director.

In general, I feel the most proud when I get to experience crew and cast members feeling excited about something they've accomplished — if that was a set build, a great performance, or a costume they made by hand — I always feel the most proud of my work when other creatives feel accomplished in theirs. 

I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented LGBTQ+ actors, creatives, and crew. Without my queer community I'd be so lost. In college I made a comedic gay web series called Chapstick because I was on YouTube one day wanting to watch something narrative, funny, and gay without the entire storyline of the show being centric to the characters "gayness" — a tall order (I know). I wanted to watch something short form that wasn't a sad "coming out" story. And when I couldn't find what I was looking for — I decided to make it myself.

Immediately I turned to my queer community in Chicago (where I lived and went to school at the time) and everyone was so supportive in making Chapstick happen. Two seasons and 22 episodes later, we had an acclaimed, VICE Magazine raved, comedic LGBTQ+ web series that had been watched by half a million people.

That couldn't have ever happened without the hundreds of people that worked on the show or without the support of my LGBTQ+ community in Chicago. It takes collective of people sharing a common goal to create something special. I've found my voice in making LGBTQ+ content alongside my community. I learn more about myself and my queer identity every day by working with the most vulnerable, beautiful people. Find your community, raise each other up, and hold on tight!

Get started right away! Don't wait for the "perfect" time because there's never a better time to do anything than the present. You should start by enlisting the help and support of your friends and community. Ask them to make a short film with you... and just have fun with it. Learn by doing. Tell stories about your life and lived experiences. Work with likeminded individuals. Find your voice through your truth and then share your findings with all of us.