I discovered the magic of being a performer when I was about 8 years old. I am very fortunate to have parents who supported my artistic inclinations by enrolling me in almost every arts activity available in my hometown in Colorado--from children s choir to violin lessons. My love for the arts continued to grow, and I went on to attend Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where I received a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. After graduation, I enjoyed a considerable amount of success as a professional actress, including a national tour with Sesame Street Live, numerous off-Broadway and regional theater shows, and some television work.

As I got older, I found myself growing more politically and globally aware. I became more confident in my beliefs, less sure that I knew everything, and drawn to a different kind of story I was more interested in what was happening to people in real time and in the present tense, and I started to crave real-life adventures instead of scripted ones. After much consideration (read: pacing, wine consumption, sleeping, and chocolate eating), I decided to change directions and pursue a career in documentary filmmaking.

I started by launching Where I Don t Belong, a series of documentary shorts dedicated to exploring the lives of people who live outside the proverbial box, and by doing so illuminating how much we can have in common with people we might not otherwise understand. From there, I found my way into making authentic, documentary-style web content for clients ranging from solopreneurs to global brands such as Target, Dockers, and Dove.

It s been a long and winding road from the farmhouse in Northern Colorado to my apartment in NYC, and my guiding light has always been the joy that comes from cracking open the core of the story.