Necrolepsy

My childhood was an odd dichotomy. My parents are evangelical Christians, meaning we practically lived at church. But because of our income, we lived in poor communities, often made up of incredibly diverse people. While I learned to live with and accept all kinds of people just as they are, I was taught that there was only one right way to live and exist.

What I really learned was how to hide anything about me that was different. In my teens I only really came alive when I was on stage – either in the theater productions my parents knew about, or in the drag shows they would never find out about.

At 16 I left home and spent almost 8 years in and out of college before graduating.

After a brief stint below the line in ad and TV work, I spent 10 years with humanitarian organizations, documenting their work, and helping people have a better life. The work was good. I was happy. The people I met and their courage overcoming adversity changed me forever.

As I got older, I swapped humanitarian work for giving my kids what I never had, namely stability and security. In my second act, I became a content strategist in tech where I’ve helped companies connect with global audiences.

But through it all, there was something I’d never found, my own voice. To do that, I’d have to be honest about who I really am. Just before my 42nd birthday, I came out as non-binary to my wife. We’ve struggled, laughed, and cried as we figured out what that meant for our family, especially going home for the holidays.

Around this time I picked up screenwriting as a creative release. I meandered through a couple clunky features and a frankly obscene number of TV pilots. Through all of this, I’ve found my voice. My crazy childhood, my religious trauma, and my struggles with gender identity, plus my time traveling the world, all push me to write diverse, justice-focused stories, wrapped inside of weird, often goopy genre fare.

I write fun, fantastical stories with a purpose. I draw on my experience to craft characters that connect with people on an emotional level. And now, I’m turning those scripts into films.