It’s happening right now. While I’m not new to writing in general, TV Writing is still a new beast. Luckily, I got a lot of amazing help from the Barrow Group in NY and have now been submitting my pilot to film festivals.

What are your upcoming and active projects?
The next step for my pilot will be staging a table read in New York; likely February 2022. Showtime’s Carole Montgomery has already signed on to direct which is super exciting. I would also like to write another pilot to build out my portfolio. I’m looking at scheduling a stand-up comedy tour alongside other plus-sized female comics; we want to call it “The Big and Bawdy Tour.” And this may sound silly, but I’d like to join TikTok in 2022 and work on creating an engaging community/following through social media. I also regularly tour for colleges and universities which is a big passion of mine.

What type of stories interest you and why?

Honestly, this is very simple for me. I love it when a story can be deeply moving but at the same time also make you laugh out loud so hard that you almost pee yourself. The marriage of comedy and drama is so titillating to me.

What is your genre of choice?

I talk about my pilot to anyone who will listen haha. I’m genuinely so passionate about the story and what it could mean for women and fat women everywhere. I know my show won’t be for everyone so the question I’m asking myself is- how do I find my audience? The answer may lie in those I meet on a comedy tour, at a table read, a comedy festival, a podcast, etc. I just have to keep talking.

What inspires you as a storyteller?

Storytelling can make others feel less alone; that’s so beautiful. I believe with my specific brand of storytelling, I can do something drastic; I believe I can CREATE a community. Many fat people view themselves as in a transient state which makes finding community almost impossible. I want to use my storytelling to help extinguish shame around body size and in doing so, creating some cohesion for the fat community… which sadly is practically non-existent at the moment. Storytelling can change the world.

How do you prep for a film, from writing to being on set?

I’m the kind of writer who is always writing on napkins and in the notes app on my iPhone as ideas come to me. So a lot of it is very unprepared haha. Then, I will of course sit down later and try to compile the chaos. I haven’t had the pleasure of being on set for my own project yet but before I go on stage for a stand-up comedy show, I typically run a series of mantras in my head. Sometimes, I will just pretend like I’m already famous and like everyone is already so excited to see me and walk out like its the biggest deal ever.

There must be a protagonist. This was hard for me for such a long part of the process because it’s about a group of friends but once I carved out Jackie as the protagonist, the whole show fell together.

What practical tips do you have for indie filmmakers (budgeting, marketing, directing)?