Daily Inspiration: Meet Laura Hunter Drago

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Hunter Drago.

Hi Laura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I started out as an actress, went to college as a theatre major and did the audition rounds for many years in both New York City and Los Angeles. I started to want to have more control over my career creatively, so I got into producing from there and made my first feature film (To the New Girl, which is available now on Tubi) as well as some short film projects. 

Then, around the pandemic I had the opportunity to get involved with an amazing screenwriting workshop, and I fell in love with writing. Since then, I’ve completed a handful of screenplays and also wrote and produced an award-winning fiction podcast called The Crime at Camp Ashwood (which you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts.) 

I’m very passionate about making films and other creative content that focuses on women’s stories. Next up, I’m planning on directing a short film that I wrote later this year. I’m really excited about that and just enjoying the process of constantly trying to create something new. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely been more of a back road, windy and with a lot of unexpected turns! 

When I first started out as an actor, I had a very narrow idea of what I expected my career and life to look like. When that didn’t pan out in the timeline or the way that I had anticipated, it took me a while to redirect the route and figure out what I really wanted. I ended up learning that what I really love is creating stories and providing a venue for other creatives to shine in whatever it is that they love to do. I get to cast my own projects now, and there’s nothing more fun to me than getting to reach out to an actor and tell them that I’m offering them a job. It feels very full circle. 

But I wouldn’t have ever gotten to this place had I not had some of those initial frustrating experiences. You have to learn to let the journey take you where it is going to and try to get the lesson in those ups and downs along the way. 

Actually, the entire process of me becoming a writer was a result of challenging experiences. I realized that I’d spent many years devoting myself to saying words other people had written for me and had lost that spark that made me want to get into a creative career in the first place. But I also went through a situation where someone I knew used me as inspiration in a lot of their own writing. That ended up making me pretty uncomfortable and feeling taken advantage of, but ultimately it also made me realize that I needed to find my own voice and create my own narratives, literally and figuratively. 

It’s been such an impactful learning lesson in my life and led me down a path that I love. I really believe in that saying that “the only way out is through” and that if you let challenging experiences teach you about who you are and where you want to go rather than allowing them to damage you permanently, you’ll end up being grateful in many ways that everything happened the way that it did. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a writer, I focus on female-focused stories that are usually in the thriller & mystery genre. I love creating unique worlds within the stories that I write, and especially enjoying building suspense within those stories that will hopefully have audiences on the edge of their seats. 

My most recently released project–The Crime at Camp Ashwood–is an audio drama podcast, which is kind of like an audiobook with episodes or a traditional radio play. It’s about a young woman who is trying to solve the cold case of her best friend’s murder that took place at a summer camp many years ago. There’s ghost stories that you’d expect to hear around a campfire, plenty of teen angst, and a crime mystery at the center of it all. It’s the first project that I’ve been able to have full control over, from writing to producing, and I’m really proud of it. The show also won the Austin Film Festival Fiction Podcast Award last year, which was so cool! If you’re into mysteries, definitely check that one out. 

Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I am all about collaboration, and I love meeting new people who are in creative fields. Also, I’m always interested in hearing about what other people are working on and going to see friend’s films or events. 

I’m on social media, primarily Instagram (@laurahunterdrago), or on messaging through my website at www.laurahunterdrago.com. Say hi! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurahunterdrago.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurahunterdrago
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/laurahdrago
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@newgirlpictures
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crime-at-camp-ashwood/id1713637754

Image Credits
Jessica Robles