The Reel Women

Tag: writing

  • @margauxamie

    @margauxamie

    What pulled you into film & TV in the first place?

    I’ve always been drawn to storytelling and human emotion. Film and television have a unique ability to make people feel seen, start conversations, and create empathy across very different experiences. As an actor, I loved stepping into characters and exploring emotional truth, but over time I realized I also wanted to help shape the stories being told behind the camera. That eventually led me to founding True Self Films, where the goal is to create meaningful, character-driven work that reflects voices and experiences that are often overlooked.

    What worries you most about the future of this industry right now?

    I think one of the biggest concerns is that meaningful storytelling can sometimes get overshadowed by algorithms, trends, and short attention spans. There’s so much pressure to create what’s instantly marketable that unique voices and emotionally honest stories can struggle to break through. I also think access remains a challenge — especially for independent filmmakers, women, and creators from underrepresented backgrounds. At the same time, I’m hopeful because audiences are still hungry for authentic stories that genuinely connect with them.

    What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d heard earlier?

    I wish someone had told me earlier that building a career in this industry is much more of a marathon than a sprint. It’s easy to compare your journey to other people’s highlight reels, especially in entertainment, but longevity, resilience, and relationships matter just as much as talent. I also wish I’d understood sooner that creating your own opportunities can be just as powerful as waiting for permission from the industry.

    What does success mean to you and have you ever experienced it?

    Success to me is creating work that resonates with people while also building a sustainable career doing what I love. Of course awards and recognition are wonderful, but I think real success is when a story moves someone, sparks conversation, or makes them feel less alone. I’ve experienced moments of success already through acting, producing, and seeing projects like our award-winning short film Let Go connect with audiences and film festivals. Those moments reminded me that even smaller projects can have real impact.

    What is next in your career?

    Right now I’m focused on growing True Self Films and advancing our psychological drama feature Therein Lies Darkness through financing and development. I’m also developing new film and television projects centered on emotionally impactful storytelling.

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  • Hallease

    Hallease

    Follow on instagram: @hallease.mp4

    Why did you decide to work in the film and TV industry?

    It’s debatable if I work “in the industry” or adjacent to it but I decided to tell stories (mostly online) because I wanted to be the change I wanted to see and I wanted to document my life, so that way if I ever became a hashtag for all of the wrong reasons, there was a primary source account of who I am. An unabridged primary source account of all the ways I existed here.

    What is your biggest concern with the future?

    Surprisingly not Ai (potentially famous last words – but we’ll see). I’m more concerned with the shrinking avenues for creatives to exist at every level of filmmaking. The lack of space for innovation in storytelling, combined with an overemphasis on profits concerns me. So, I find myself leaning more into spaces online where the only gatekeeper is your internet connection and relying on the community at large for support rather than an executive who’s only goal is an ROI.

    What is a successful moment in your career so far?

    I am grateful to say I’ve had a few! Getting fired from my first production job back in 2012 was a success because it led me to an amazing producer who helped shape my producing, interviewing, and directing skills. I later used those skills to produce two grant-funded documentaries combating hate speech and xenophobia on my YouTube channel and producing a web series show for PBS. One of my biggest wins was becoming an Adobe Creative Resident in 2021-22 because that allowed me to invest in myself and create a comedy web series called This Coulda Been An Email.

    What advice do you have for other women in the industry?

    Collaborate across whenever possible. One of the first collabs that helped me grow online was with my friend and fellow creative Evelyn From The Internets. I had just bought the DJI Mavic (their first mini drone model) and told her about it. She had a sponsored video on her channel she wanted to produce and asked me to DP it. That video ended up going viral. I still get referenced from it, and I know she still gets opportunities and eye balls from it too. She had the skills of storytelling and needed a DP. I had the DP knowledge and skills but needed a story to film. To this day, years later, she’s still my writing partner, accountability, and a dear friend. Focus on cultivating genuine relationships with a spirit of giving and the creative magic will come.

    What is next for you in your career?

    Cultivating more community! My goal in life is to help others tell their own stories so I’m shifting my content to focus more on tangible tips and skills to do that. My motto is, “I went to film school so you don’t have to if you don’t want to!” I love being accountability for others, giving them a spark of inspiration, or just helping them logistically with filmmaking and answering their technical questions in a safe space. There are no dumb questions!

    I’m also working on a new travel docu-series with a friend of mine who’s a lawyer, we got some grant funding for it too which is really exciting because funding is 92.7% of the battle.

    Finally, I’m developing a graphic novel based on a short story written by my husband, Chris. I’ve been working on a proof of concept scene with the illustrator I want to work with and am talking to an independent comic editor. Hopefully, I’ll launch a crowdfunding campaign for that soon and have the book done by the fall (or sooner).

    So yeah, I’m outside y’all just making stuff!

    Where can people find out more about you?

    My YouTube channel and Instagram. My name is very Googl-able so go wild – Hallease! If you’re looking for a more buttoned up me, check out my company website — StumbleWell.com