Gill Gillespie is an Ireland-based writer, actor, and first-time director whose work explores connection, resilience, and the quiet transformation that happens when people finally speak their truth. After several years working in legal content policy at YouTube and Google (where she focused on platform accountability, regulation, and public interest issues), Gill took a pause to become a parent and re-centre her creative life.

That pause became a turning point. Without a traditional film school background, she threw herself into self-guided learning and hands-on experience: writing screenplays, acting in indie projects and TV shows (for Acorn TV and the BBC), and studying screen acting at The Lir and Bow Street. Her debut short film, What It’s Like, was written, produced, directed, and acted in by Gill, and shot on a shoestring budget with the help of a small group of collaborators. Rooted in Irish landscapes but aimed at an international audience, What It’s Like is a personal story about loss, trust, and finding the courage to connect again.