about me...
I am a storyteller, but my stories do not always follow a linear narrative. I stole my dad's camera at 4, I began painting while in kindergarten, created and voiced fictional radio shows when I was 6, I started dancing and playing organized sports in the 1st grade, I sang in choirs all throughout my youth, and I completed a fine-arts-track program in high school.
As I sought out new ways to shape my creative personality, all conventional artistic practice was shunned in favor of dissident expression. I left my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to Alaska, then Washington State, California, Latin America (Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, etc.), Texas, and back to California. All the while I maintained my creative focus while still coloring outside the lines at every possible opportunity.
I was 25 before I started college and pursued the creative and cultural studies that had always steered my life: photography, writing, cinema, research, food, art, language, and how human societies enrich the world we all share. In my MFA program I focused on film & media production, which resulted in four original short films that I wrote and directed: three narratives and one documentary on subjects ranging from Texas BBQ food culture, to a woman confronting pregnancy as a professional stuntperson, to a child's confusing grief in losing a parent, to a Dystopian future world where a woman must choose between saving her dying brother or saving the world.
After years of interdisciplinary practice, I now center my professional work on research, writing, editing, media production, and teaching on discussions around gender, anthropology, cultural heritage preservation, and food culture. I explore topics and publish in creative freelance settings within academia, online & digital platforms, film & media outlets, and traditional publications.
EDUCATION - double-major BA degrees in Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies from University of California at Berkeley with a focus on cultural heritage and digital documentation; MFA degree in Film & Media Production from University of Texas at Austin with a focus on documentary & narrative filmmaking and media
TECHNICAL SKILLS - academic research & writing; blogging; screenwriting; developmental editing; copyediting; photography; documentary & narrative filmmaking; directing; cinematography; lighting; film production design & art direction; video editing; audio production & editing; art history; dance; vocal training
BACKGROUND - screenwriter; blogger; academic researcher & writer; copy & manuscript editor; instructor of film production for university, private & youth courses; freelance production manager; art, prop & wardrobe stylist for films, commercials, online platforms, and still photo shoots for print & digital publications; festival hospitality manager; retail manager
ACHIEVEMENTS - creator & writer of four+ blogs; founder & creative director of photography & videography production company EEven/Odd Productions