My Professional Story

I have always known that I wanted to be involved in the entertainment industry. From a very young age, I have always been eager to tell any type of story, and I got interested to be both in front of and behind a camera thanks to my impromptu talk show performed by me and my younger sister. 

I strongly believe that the arts truly make a difference in both a child's development, as well as changing the world around us. In my early childhood years, I was heavily involved in the arts as much as I could. It started when I took the stage in both school and community theater plays then, as I went to high school, my artistic ability expanded to the pages of my first novel. The book would take around four to five years to complete, but the hard work paid off as I happily submitted my final manuscript for publication days before my high school graduation. 

The book didn't appear on any New York's best seller list, however, I felt the pure joy of sharing a story to the world had on me. Since that moment, I've always aimed to share more and inspire.

Even though I was obsessed with films, as a child, I really didn't get into the nitty-gritty of film production until college. While studying at James Madison University, my original plan was to pursue theater as my major. However, with the multiple obstacles that came my way, I felt a calling to try a different path: filmmaking. That was when I decided to major in media arts and design and a double minor in theater and film studies. For the remaining two years of my college experience, I was involved in behind-the-camera work and acting work. One of my pride and joy is my senior project, a film that was adapted from a fellow student’s musical script. Bonded The Musical: The Movie was a great experience and my first as a director, which brought such joy into my life and helped me realize the path I would take in my life.

Upon graduating from James Madison University, I had the opportunity to study in Los Angeles. In the two months that I was there, I had the opportunity to take on two internships, both based in reality TV. Granted, this was not the path that I wanted to go on, but I did learn very insightful knowledge and met some amazing creatives along the way. In my studies, I also cemented my magnum opus project; a feature film, which takes place during the Second Lebanon War in Israel, with the main story centering around a dual citizen and her journey in the Israeli Defense forces. 

After the completion of the program, I did not waste any time and moved out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. While I was trying to find my footing in the industry, I worked on a plethora of projects for smaller companies and individuals. I got to work on music videos and short films, and for those projects, it was truly amazing to see the beauty of the finished project after all of our hard work. It truly does take an army to create something so beautiful.

My first opportunity to work on a professional set came when I was hired as a post-production assistant for a Disney Channel show called Stuck in the Middle. I was only hired for its third and final season, but I learned a massive amount about the post-production side of the business. I also made some incredible connections, some of which I still keep in touch with today. After that show ended, I was recruited to join the post-production team on the ABC hit show blackish, I worked on the show for its fifth and sixth seasons. One of the highlights of my career was being able to work on blackish’s 100th episode, which revolves around the musical legend Prince. I got to see the entire process of the film production world, from sitting in at read-throughs all the way through to delivering the final cut to the network, I gained invaluable experience and knowledge. I also made some truly wonderful connections and friends within the industry. I also firmly believe that the post-production department is more vital than people realize. Without our editors, assistant editors, and all of these sound and visual teams working behind the scenes, TV episodes wouldn’t be as impactful.

When COVID-19 came into the world’s spotlight in 2020, we were wrapping up the final details for our final episode for season six. The sudden shift that occurred really threw me off and made my job a whole lot more difficult. Everyone else that I knew during this time also struggled in different ways, but I cannot speak for their experiences. After the season ended, I took a look inside myself, and I realized that Los Angeles was not the place for me at the present time. I made the difficult decision to move back to the East Coast, but in the continued hope of pursuing the industry.

It took a lot of digging around and applications, but I managed to find my footing in an unexpected niche. There was a YouTube channel local to the area that gave me the opportunity to work on set. It was a very different type of work, but it still made me happy to know that I was involved in telling stories through my production design work. I worked on this channel for almost two years, working on set as well as managing their monthly fan newsletter.

No matter what job I pursued, I am forever grateful for all of those creatives who gave me a chance to be a part of their work and their stories. I hope that someday in the future, I will have the opportunity to bring my own stories to life for the world to see.