Writers’ brains completely fascinate me. Not in a zombie eating way, but a building an…
About Deborah Lee Smith
Deborah Lee Smith is an award-winning actor, producer, and founder of “More Than You See”, a non profit organization dedicated to sharing stories and resources surrounding the daily struggles of mental health. Recent projects include “Here Awhile” starring Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), and “Last Three Days” starring Robert Palmer Watkins (General Hospital). Deborah is also a regular contributing staff writer for the entertainment website “Ms. In The Biz”.
Here is the danger of polling people and the difference between polling and constructive advice.…
About Kim O'Hara
Prior to launching her business A Story Inside as a book and story coach, Kim spent her adult life as a producer and screenwriter of independent film, developing countless projects from script to screen. On the never-ending quest to know more about writers and writing, she has taken short fiction, satire and screenwriting classes at UCLA, Stanford Writers’ Lab and San Jose State. To hone her skills in comedy and collaboration, she survived an Improv Intensive at IO West. She was also the Editor of a prominent food journal, charged with the task of making subjects like antibiotics in meat a riveting read. She is passionate about intuitively and mindfully connecting women entrepreneurs to their hidden greatness and help them achieve their unrealized dream to write a book. Her children are the root of her existence, her true teachers.
I’ve written about having a balanced life on here before, but I’ve had to remind…
About Jen Levin
Actress/Blogger - I’m originally from the Bay Area, but I’ve been in LA for over a decade now, so I consider myself a native. I’m working as both a blogger and actress (with a couple of day jobs to pay the bills on the side). I love being in the entertainment industry where every day is an adventure! When I’m not working on my career, I’m either reading (I’m a total book nerd) or enjoying my newfound love for spin class (which is helping towards my goal of losing 100 pounds for the last time). I like to joke that I’m a girl with Southern charm and Jersey moxie, which I think has worked well for me so far!
What’s that movie where the guy wakes up reliving the same day? Groundhog Day? Yea…
About Vicky Ayala
Vicky is a digital strategist and personal brand coach who works with multi-passionate soloprepreneurs and teaches them how to build a thriving online business. She muses on the entrepreneurial journey and uses storytelling as a vehicle for showing others how to design a lifestyle that’s on purpose and by design. She is also founder of The Brand Asylum, a virtual training academy for solopreneurs who want to leverage and launch their way to success.
This month’s “Dame in the Game” returns to actresses who left an indelible mark on…
About Maureen Lenker
Maureen Lee Lenker is a writer, actress, director, and producer. She has written for Turner Classic Movies, Stage Raw, @ This Stage, LA Weekly, and more. She is also working towards an MA in Arts Journalism at USC, reporting on arts, theatre, and entertainment. When not at USC, she works on theatre productions throughout Los Angeles (primarily as an assistant director). She is a native Angelino who hates driving and cites peacoats and scarves as her favorite clothing items. An Anglophile, she attempted to fulfill her dream of attending Hogwarts by completing her master’s in British History at the University of Oxford. She is a cock-eyed optimist, rom-com aficionado, classic movie buff, musical theatre geek, and general pop culture enthusiast.
Back home in Australia I have a wonderful friend named Sarah. Sarah and I grew…
About Sophie Webb
Sophie Webb is a filmmaker and performer from Sydney, Australia. She is passionate about microbudget filmmaking for its ability to open up the medium to a more diverse range of artists and storytellers. She now lives in LA and has directed several short films, music videos and most recently a microbudget feature. She is a proud member of Women In Film Los Angeles and her ultimate goal is to be a part of changing the way women and minorities are portrayed in mainstream media. Her all time favorite film directed by a woman is “Fish Tank” by Andrea Arnold.
“PALISADE is a short film about a man named Lloyd who robs a convenience store…
About Kaytra Parkman
Kaytra Parkman is an American actress best known for playing various compelling and complex characters in award-winning indie films such as “The Last Protester” and “In The Basement”. She also garnered attention from the LGBTQ+ community for her portrayal of Jordan; an awkward and self-deprecating young women in the the digital series “The Flannel Channel”. The project quickly landed distribution on the popular queer site TelloFilms.com and a front page article on afterellen.com. In 2018, Kaytra continued to build momentum with a recurring role on Snapchat’s first original scripted series Solve, as well as a leading role in the film Ellie. Born and raised in Southern California, Kaytra developed an interest in the arts at a very young age. By 12, she was taking professional acting and music classes in Los Angeles and creating & editing her own short films and online videos. Kaytra attended the competitive Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) for four years, where she excelled at both academics and her daily performing arts classes. Due to her filmmaking and on-camera abilities, she was hired at the age of 15 as Host and Interview Correspondent for SweetyHigh.com’s online platform for several years, working with Cat Deeley, Cody Simpson, and Greyson Chance, among others. Kaytra brings intensity, vulnerability and maturity to her performances, and naturally gravitates towards characters with mystery and edge. A self-proclaimed nerd, Kaytra is obsessed with space, has been known to cosplay her own creations from time to time, and is training to one day become a Jedi Knight.
I recently returned from a hiking trip in Yosemite and had a wonderful time, but…
About Christina Parisi
Before Christina stepped behind the camera, she worked in a variety of positions, including being an assistant to producer Scott Rudin and an assistant editor on American Idol. Armed with knowledge learned on the job, Christina set out to make her own films. She wrote and directed the short film, Making Your Tea, marking her directorial debut. Making Your Tea world premiered at the 2006 Palm Beach Int’l Film Festival. Christina continued writing/directing/producing short films, providing her an opportunity to hone her craft and learn the festival circuit. Christina’s body of work explores themes of humanity and philosophy, told through character-driven stories. Her latest short film, Your Move, can be seen on Gaiam TV and several of her shorts are available on Amazon. Christina is currently seeking financing for her co-written feature script, Driving Your Mind. Christina has been a freelance script analyst for over ten years. And her personal blog "Life As I Know It" can be found here: christinaparisi.wordpress.com
