Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Taguilas-Morales.
Hi Nikki, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was younger, I wanted to be two things: a writer and a ballerina. While I did have a gratifying stint as a professional cheerleader, I found my true passion was from writing. Throughout school, my dream was to write features or editorials for a big-time New York magazine or newspaper. I watched every rom-com, seeing how successful these women were – every last one of them was an editor for something. I believed at a very young age that writing was how I would become successful. I knew it as the only option when thinking of my future.
As I grew older, I realized there was more to writing than just editorials. I realized you could make a living writing poetry, fiction, fan fiction, satire, handbooks, and what captured my attention the most – television.
TV has always been my escape. I used to get up early to watch Heathcliff, stayed up fighting sleep to see Tales From the Crypt, and would both laugh and cry to Family Ties. While all of those shows were great, I never saw characters on screen who were mixed race. I rarely saw families who were divorced. There were very few shows about families who were really, truly struggling financially. And you could never put it past an episode to tackle the topic of severe depression or break down any stigma associated with mental health. At that time, TV showed a level of ease that was happily imagined but didn’t seem too relatable in many aspects of my life.
Being mixed ethnicity in the industry, we well as a mental health advocate, I feel a large responsibility to share my experience with others who might relate to or learn from it. This is why I focus on telling underrepresented stories – to offer some insight into my world and the world of others like me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road. It’s easy to get discouraged in this industry. You spend months writing what you think will be the next great half-hour comedy, get notes from several people, do ten rewrites, finally decide it’s good enough to dump into your sample list. You blind email agents hoping they’ll actually read your script, and big bonus – want to meet with you. Most of the time you don’t hear back from anyone, or if they’re kind, will give you a quick “thanks, but no thanks.” If you get the chance to sit down with someone, they always want to see more: a feature, a spec script of your favorite (current!) show, an animation script. They want an entire cannon, and you’re thinking, “Well, cool. That should take me about another…forever.” By the time you send them more, they’ve usually forgotten your work, aren’t excited about it anymore, or just don’t respond. And then it’s back to what feels like the beginning…except this time you’re more prepared.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Right now, I’m writing freelance for Nickelodeon animation. I’ve worked with kids for 16 years, and to be able to write for them is a dream come true. It’s been a really rewarding and silly process, and every time I sit down to think of pitches, I have a moment of, “Is this for real? Am I really coming up with show ideas for the same network I grew up on?” I mean, I have a Heathcliff tattoo.
What I’m most known for, however, I believe would be my passion for mental health. I am very open about my different struggles, and most recently released a short film about a woman who admits herself into a mental health facility. Both the pilot version of the script and the short film have received many awards and positive feedback, and I’m hoping it gets enough traction to gain the attention of any higher ups that might want to read or watch it. I think ‘admitted’ really showcases who I am not only as a writer but as a person. My experience with my mental health journey paired with a comedy background is very unique, and I think really sets my work apart from other writers.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I have learned a few important lessons during the Covid-19 crisis, but the most important one is to keep doing the things you love, regardless of what the future will look like. I was very fortunate that animation kept running when most of the rest of Hollywood shut down, so my grind wasn’t completely halted but definitely dragged to almost non-existent. I was hanging onto any hope for more freelance work but had moments of “what’s the point” when writing my own stuff. “It’s not like it’s going to get made.” “It’s not like any agents or managers are reading anything right now.” “No one is looking for new clients to take on.” But I realized during all of it that though I was miserable for several reasons – not getting to see my friends or family, seeing my favorite mom-and-pop businesses close, feeling terrified of getting sick – I was mostly sad because I wasn’t creating. I didn’t see the need for it, and it only fueled my depression even more. Once I was able to motivate myself to even just journal a few minutes a day, the spark lit back up, and I was able to start new projects and get some more scripts in my cannon. I’m still not signed with an agent or manager, still not getting my scripts made, but the world is starting to turn a little bit more, and I feel better prepared going back out into it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @nikkinikkitm
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nikki.pierce1
- Other: https://bit.ly/3DxlID5
