I look for a few key things when assessing a script: is it diverse (or does it have the possibility of being made diverse through casting and changing the story)? Can it reveal an unspoken truth about a character that the audience will find intriguing? And as I’m reading the script, do the words jump out on the page to me and not let go? When I see a project like that, I do everything possible to make it happen; no matter what. As a disability advocate, I am drawn to stories of struggle, diversity, and change. But if I read script after script, and find that one gem of a story that talks about feminism, race, an unsung historical figure, I jump on it. These books or scripts that people toss aside for years despite the amazing content within them should get made into the unique movies they were always meant to be. Change can come by creating content about these untold stories to the masses and change opinions too. I have a knack for finding the few existing gems within a stack of scripts, and understand what audiences are looking for; they just don’t know it yet.

I pride myself on my adaptability on set, and how to solve any problem that is presented to me. I was a casting director, producer, assistant director, and caterer on a short called The Talk a few years ago. And woke up at 4:30AM to cook for a set of 10 people, took care of the child actor twins and their father throughout the day, and managed to act as a producer, line producer, and assistant director at the same time within a proper 12 hour shoot day that I scheduled. And with my thesis film Warrior, I was taken by the loving community of veterans across Rhode Island who donated food, locations, and support for our small project about a disabled veteran. I also spent 5 months interning at Likely Story in 2017, reading about 100 books, scripts, teleplays, and watching films, writing coverage on each project. The last script I wrote coverage for really stood out to me, and a year after I pitched it to my superior it was picked up by Netflix. A few other, darker scripts I pitched my coverage on during my internship were passed over at the time but have been picked up within the past year. I know a great story when I see it and can tell what people will pay (or stream) to see.

I’ve always been a firm believer that finding the right content and stories is key. But finding gems is also the way to tell the truth. And the audience will have a more sympathetic reaction to stories told in a truthful way, than those stories that are being churned through the mill and spat out at the other end. Making those gems into a comprehensive film is a difficult task, but one I would jump at the chance to take on.