I’m interested in people’s stories. Specifically, I’m interested in the stories we tell ourselves, often fictional counterpoints, that we invent to cope with our actual stories. This is why I became a social worker, and then why I returned to a childhood inclination to tell other people’s stories through performance and acting. I’ve integrated these pursuits into vocations, and they are what ultimately led me to screenwriting.

My social worker life happened by accident. After college, I staffed an English-language camp for Israeli youth. My campers were a diverse group of new immigrants from Yemen and Ethiopia, as well as Israel-born youth whose great-grandparents left Eastern Europe. I noticed the complexities of identity development at this pivotal time in their lives. Each camper was their own set of Russian nesting dolls, an endless layering of histories and stories and family traits that created who they were at that specific moment. This person-in-environment orientation is the essence of social work, and guided me toward a career in youth development. Early on, I befriended a theater teacher who encouraged me to take an acting class for fun. This opened the door to what is now a full-blown acting career. I am a member of both Equity and SAG-AFTRA, and commit myself fully to the craft of acting. My two pursuits couldn’t be more complimentary; both require active listening, being present, responding honestly, and tapping into a deep sense of empathy.

I have spent many years, both in a counseling office and on stage/screen, developing the skills to gather aspects of other people’s lives into stories that help them make sense of things. Now seemed like the right time to turn the lens on myself. Heeding the adage “write what you know,” my first screenplay is a semi-autobiographical examination of events at around that same age as my campers so many years ago. This is a time in life when one is beginning the journey of self-discovery, perhaps still feeling stuck in their inherited family structures. The film explores the life of 12-year-old Peter as he confronts milestones and events that challenge what he holds true. There is not much resolution in the film. Rather, I advocate for suspension and ambiguity that mirrors this confusing coming-of-age period. The film does, however, show the beginnings of Peter’s path toward self-discovery and suggests that instead of happening overnight it takes years to fully know oneself.

I completed my first draft of a full length feature last fall and hosted a reading. Hearing it out loud confirmed that the script captured my desired tone. I’m at the point where I’m asking other industry professionals to read it and provide feedback. This also allows me to meet people on the production side. It’s new to me and I’m still learning about what I do and don’t know about production.

I also hope to continue writing screenplays that focus on coming of age, self-discovery, and self-actualization. I’d like to keep meeting others in the industry who are working in a similar narrative space and could forge paths of collaboration for me in the future.