Art & Life with Devon Balsamo-Gillis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Balsamo-Gillis.

Devon, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’m an LA native/ Valley kid for life. The second of four girls, I was the introvert of my big boisterous family and loved reading from an early age. When I was 11, the school librarian saw me reading Pet Semetary by Stephen King and threatened to call my parents to rat on me. Joke’s on her! My dad’s the one who bought it for me! My dad, an Oscar-nominated practical effects artist, has made some of the most iconic monsters in film history, so, with his not-questionable-at-all guidance, I developed a deep and twisted love for all things Dark and Deviant. With curly hair and a big smile, I delighted in shocking people.

At 12, I became the first girl to earn her Black Belt at my Karate dojo and found I thrived in strict, structured environment. I am a Virgo, after all. With these two opposing influences reigning in my life, I found myself pushing boundaries and rejecting labels, never quite feeling like I belonged. When I started working in TV, my first job was as a Writers PA on the show Bates Motel that explored the humanity of the infamous Norman Bates. Working with the writers on Bates Motel and subsequently becoming part of the writing community in Los Angeles, I’ve never felt more at home.

I found people who want to ask the hard questions with me, and who encourage rebellious thinking. And if we get to make cool TV while we do it, that’s awesome. I also am a board member of a really awesome charity called A Cause for Entertainment; we focus on bringing the entertainment community together to fight Breast Cancer. I currently live in The Valley with my cutie patootie fiance Gabe and am pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming a pig owner.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is writing, specifically writing for TV, but I’ll write anything I can get my hands on. I love stories about women who are misunderstood or misjudged, trying to figure themselves out, usually against the backdrop of some larger than life situation, whether it be fantasy, sci-fi, or a good ole mystery. Writing for TV and film is interesting because for other kinds of artists, and even novelists or poets, their painting or words or whatever are the final version of their art. But when you write a script, the hope is that it’s produced, translated into a visual medium, and no one will ever see the words.

It’s sort of like the mandalas Tibetan monks make from sand- you build it, perfect it, and some people see it, and then it’s gone, transformed into something else. It’s a fascinating exercise in control and letting go. And now, in the golden age of television, it’s imperative that writers recognize the influence they have on Culture. Representation on screen and off, storylines that don’t perpetuate negative stereotypes, treating your characters like people and not tropes- there are big shifts happening right now, which is really exciting to be a part of.

Most recently, I wrote and produced a short film called FELLOWSHIP that’s now in the Film Festival circuit- we have a fully female cast doing comedy AND action, written by, directed by, cinematographer-ed by, produced by, edited by, music by women, with a crew of 70% women. For reference, in 2018, women held only 18% of the behind the scenes film jobs. My hope is that the creation of the art and the art itself opens doors for underrepresented groups. And the cool thing is, I have the power to make that happen! And entertain people while doing it. I’ve learned from the best, working on shows including Bates Motel, Colony, Chance, and Dirty John, with some of the most talented people in the industry who are also all just really good people. That’s basically unheard of in Hollywood. I work with Unicorns!

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success is such a tricky concept. Financial success is the first form of success that comes to mind but even that has a multitude of definitions. We’re fed this concept that art and financial success are at odds with each other, that you’re not a real artist if you make money. Nobody should believe that; that’s a message professed by people who want to knock others out of their own path.

Artists deserve recognition and payment for their work! And so success becomes when an artist can ask for and receive what they deserve- in payment, in recognition, and in respect. And of course, maintaining integrity along the way. Success and failure are two sides of the same coin- as in, NEITHER OF THEM ARE REAL. They are weird, arbitrary markers that society imposes on us to keep order.

Who even needs order?! (Actually, I do because I’m a Virgo as previously mentioned.) Ok, revising that- MAKE YOUR OWN RULES! You still can have the boundaries of rules, which is comforting, but they’re ones you make for yourself. Get out of your own way and go earn what you want, and then take it. Put in the time, put in the effort, and then ask people for help. Sheesh, I’m going to start saying this to myself in the mirror every morning. This is inspiring!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Watch TV! Watch it live, DVR it, watch it on Hulu. Watch the small shows, watch shows with women, especially women of color. Watch your friends’ web series! Go to random film festivals! Sign up for the newsletters on sites like Indie Go Go, Kickstarter, and Seed and Spark and support people earning money to make their films. Filmmaking is hard and way more expensive than people think, and a lot of people [read: women] aren’t given opportunities to work unless they have experience under their belt.

So you have to create your own projects in order to get hired, but that takes time and money that people don’t have because they can’t get work. It’s the age-old snake eating its own tail. So give what you can, even $1 here and there. We ran an Indie Go Go for Fellowship and the support, no matter how small, was such a positive influence and started the project with such a nice, loving vibe that carried all the way through. Also, give people [read: WOMEN!] the opportunity to fail and support them anyway.

Even the people with the most experience and biggest budget don’t get it perfect all the time. Judgment is harsher for women- male filmmakers get more shots to redeem themselves than women, so don’t withdraw support if a short or web series you supported didn’t turn out that great. People need to practice, and we need our communities to do so.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fellowship_film
• Facebook: facebook.com/fellowshipthefilm

Image Credit:
Fellowship Poster- Gabe Gault
A Cause For Entertainment Red Carpet- Dan Smiley
California Women’s Film Festival

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