Why I Make Films
My drug of choice is making people laugh. I feel it when I perform improv with my troupe in Austin, when I embody characters like Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or even when a joke lands at lunch. But the biggest rush comes when I make people laugh through my films.
In my work, I try to find the absurdity in the pressures and fears my peers and I face and turn our anxiety into humor. This message is one I think we all need to hear (especially me) so that we can find levity in our struggles. My goal is always to bring a little more happiness into people’s lives.
As a filmmaker, I’m deeply involved from start to finish—writing, directing, filming, editing, and sometimes acting. Each stage challenges and excites a different part of my brain: building a narrative, framing shots, playing with the mechanics of the camera, collaborating with actors, and dealing with the inevitable chaos that comes with any shoot. When I finish a film, I take pride in knowing I have shaped every aspect of it.
Filmmaking allows me to express myself from my passion for storytelling and my curiosity about the world to my desire to entertain. There’s no better feeling than hearing people laugh—it is the best drug.
