Today we’d like to introduce you to Moira McFadden.
Moira, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey to film producing began over 7 years ago when I moved out to Los Angeles to pursue acting. In doing so, I quite literally found my voice— the back row of a theatre has to be able to hear you— and the experiences I have had since then have greatly impacted the who and what that voice is for.
During the course of a two-year theatre program in college, I learned some of the most important things about myself that have greatly impacted the work I do today. While being cast to play a man in a Shakespearean production, I found myself absolutely enamored with the town Courtesan. Though I had never been in love with another woman before, those feelings hit me in such a way that I simply could not question what my heart was telling me. Those feelings continue to reinforce what I know to be true: love is love is love.
Following the completion of that acting program, I made the decision to switch majors and dive into the world of radio broadcasting. The choice to do so was made in part to find a more financially stable way of breaking into the industry but also to familiarize myself with sound which I found to be a sorely overlooked element on most indie film sets (at this point in time I had been cast in a few short films).
While working as the sound engineer for a series of recorded interviews conducted by my college’s Gay-Straight Alliance, I happened to find myself in conversation with a representative from the LA LGBT Center. One amazing conversation and a major leap of faith on her part led to a bridged email into the Outfest office.
Starting out as an Assistant Programmer, watching films and providing script coverage, I have since seen myself grow both personally and professionally in ways I never thought possible. Though I know I am a visual learner, I never truly understood the power of film as a teaching tool until stepping foot into the Outfest office.
Power truly does come in numbers— upon seeing characters who I could relate to in the films screened by Outfest, the flood gates suddenly burst open and the permission to be myself came pouring in.
As an artist, I never saw myself working in an office setting. However, as Outfest sits right at the corner of art and activism, I knew there was no other place I wanted to be; thanks to the help of many, many mentors (“Successful people do it themselves but never alone”) I was able to move up from an intern, to the Hospitality Assistant, Development Assistant, and now full-time (and very proud) Outfest Development Coordinator.
In 2018, prior to my Outfest hire, I was encouraged to apply to Outfest’s and the LA LGBT Center’s youth film program, OutSet, and was accepted. During the course of that program, I produced my very first film, The Curse, which premiered at the 2018 Outfest LA Film Festival. Currently, The Curse is still on the festival circuit, having been picked up for an additional four screenings to include Wicked Queer, qFlix Philadelphia, the Media Film Festival as well as an international premiere at the Paris Short Film Festival.
In tandem with the OutSet film program and after identifying a need for more film content to reflect the part of the LGBTQ+ community I identify with, I worked with my twin sister to produce a second film titled, One of the Flowers, which tells the story about a bisexual youth, drawing parallels between their life and nature. That film is also still on the festival circuit.
I owe my love for producing to the OutSet film program; had it not been for that program, I never would have known the power and possibility [to create change] producing provides. A producer has their hand in everything from script, cast, and crew selection and in that lies immense opportunity to push for diversity, inclusion, and equality in film.
While huge strides have been made in all three, more work still needs to be done. As a producer, actor and LGBTQ+ activist, and as art is a reflection of life, I will continue to play my part to create a more inclusive world until that which we see on screen is a direct reflection of our beautifully diverse world.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think one of the biggest challenges/struggles I’ve had is learning to have patience with myself and the process. Simply put, “Great things take time.”
Since moving out to Los Angeles, I’ve tried many things for the very first time: acting, radio broadcasting, sound recording and editing, singing, animated voiceover, producing…
I wasn’t great at any of them when starting out and I still have much to learn, but I haven’t left LA, I am still working in film, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Talent is definitely part of the equation to success, but I believe grit and determination outweigh talent any day— be bad now so you can be brilliant later. Fail forward so that forward momentum will carry you through to the next opportunity.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
While producing is my leading love, I think the title Filmmaker is a better indicator of what I do as I still currently act and record sound for film when requested by friends.
Being so greatly impacted by film as I have, I am an ardent supporter of the cinematic arts, especially when used as a tool to educate.
Diverse representation reflected in film enriches the lives of all as it presents the unique opportunity to learn about others unlike ourselves, closing the cultural and geographic gaps through the convenience and comfort of a movie theatre.
I have learned some of the most powerful things about myself through film; whether it be as a producer, actor, or boom operator, if there is a story that needs to be told that isn’t being told, I will always do my best to be there to provide support in whatever capacity possible.
Together we rise.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, absolutely.
I never fully understood the saying, “You are who you surround yourself with” until moving out to Los Angeles. Living in Los Angeles has gifted me with many life-long friends, family, and the freedom to be exactly who I am.
While I was lucky to grow up in the extremely ingenuitive city of Dayton, Ohio, home to the Wright Brothers and the “Birthplace of Flight,” I don’t feel I truly grew my wings until coming out to California.
Being constantly surrounded by art and artists of all mediums, I have been able to more clearly define how my art can be used as a means of activism and peaceful protest for change, equality, diversity, inclusion.
Los Angeles certainly has some magic in the air and, at least for the time being, I feel this is the place I need to be in order to affect change.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MoiraMcFadden.com/
- Instagram: @Moira_McFadden
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moira.mcfadden.9
- Other: imdb.me/moiramcfadden
Image Credit:
Mo McFadden, Angelica Hernández
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
