My parents met in a film class and I was born on opening night of a show my mom was Production Managing. My English Major parents showed me that a bookcase is actually a series of portals to other worlds… I read voraciously and started to write adaptations of books for film and my own inventive stories, plays and films.
At the arts high school I attended I discovered a passion for theatre behind the scenes. It was an incredible feeling to evoke a world out of a blackbox using only lighting design and minimal set pieces to represent an entirely new place, physically or emotionally.
I learned to lead because I watched Captain Janeway do it on Star Trek. By 16, I was the Technical Director of the Tech Crew at my arts high school leading a team of thirty other students (mostly boys) and overseeing a large theatre’s worth of equipment. I often had to prove that girls were capable of lugging counterweights or patching lighting boards.
There were four outlier girls with me on the crew. We were tough, funny, loud and gross. We refused to sit in the corner while the boys did the heavy lifting or complex work.
My passion for movies and TV was unstoppable. I’d sit in my parents room with the VCR pausing and transcribing Monty Python sketches until I had them memorized (or the tape wore out). I wrote and directed short plays and films wielding the camera and revelling in creating in-camera effects and directing my friends performances.
At college for Technical Theatre Production I learned to make anything with nothing in no time at all. In essence, be resourceful and get the project finished because opening night is coming whether you’re ready or not!
The closer I got to the professional Technical Theatre industry, the more forcefully I was given the message “this is not for you”. I admire the fierce women from my graduating class who met the outright adversity with humour and talent and perseverance. However, film was my first love and I was accepted into York University’s Film Production Program.
After graduation I spent 8 years working as a Producer before I realized I needed to write Lady Ada’s Secret Society. I wanted to share comedic role models for girls in STEM at the critical age where they start to think about their post secondary options and their careers. The characters are inspired by the fierce and funny women I’ve known.
I’m secretly a Karaoke assassin. I’m descended from a family who’s motto is “dulce periculum” - Danger is Sweet. I’ve struggled through depression and now I just try really hard for a blend of realism and optimism. I strive to be the spark of inspiration that will give a guiding light to women overcoming inherent biases and discouragement if they are being told “this is not for you”.