Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Haller
Hi Olivia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My favorite thing – what really lights me up – is working with a team to tell stories that move people. This love crafted my theater geek identity and led me to getting a BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University. After college, I spent six years in the Washington DC theatre scene working as a freelance playwright, actor, dramaturg, and sometime ghost tour guide.
Over time, I saw many of the playwrights that I admired were writing for television while their plays were produced around the country. I thought: that would be the perfect life! I always loved LA and knew that I wanted to end up there someday. When my theatre work dried up during the pandemic, I enrolled in the UCLA Professional Program in Writing for Television remotely. I loved it so much that I took the leap and moved to LA in 2021.
It’s truly one of the best things I’ve ever done. I found work in the industry, first in production then at a management company, to learn more about how the business works. I met some of my best friends by forming writers groups and going to mixers.
In 2023, I produced a short film that I wrote and starred in called [subtext] that had a wonderful festival run. We played in over 50 film fests including the American Pavilion at Cannes and the Austin Film Festival. My director, Erin Brown Thomas, and I basically made that film so we could finally create something after covid. That experience reinforced the value of collaboration in my art-making. By coming up with our own idea and fundraising to give jobs to other talented filmmakers, we were able to create more opportunities for ourselves to continue a career in the business.
Currently, I am in the process of co-writing 2 indie features while working as an actor. I would love to staff on a television show and apply everything I’m learning towards eventually running my own show.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggle is ongoing! As someone who wants to earn a living in an unstable, creative field, the process of carving that path out has been twisty to say the least.
Sometimes I work on a project or choose one path but find that it isn’t the right thing for me. Sometimes my day job gets in the way of my creative projects. Sometimes I am doing exactly what I want to do but not earning enough money.
I think the key is embracing and enjoying the journey. For example, I love the process of writing. I love being a part of writers groups, giving notes, receiving feedback, and finding new layers to the story. That joy makes me excited to get up in the morning and continue the process, even if I’m not earning millions of dollars (yet).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a multi-hyphenate: writer, performer, and producer.
I write across many formats and genres, but the stories that I write are earnest and emotional with a healthy dose of the surreal or supernatural.
One play that I’m proud of writing is called LONELINESS WAS A PANDEMIC, which oddly enough was written in 2018 and is about robots, not covid. It’s about a human painter who is forced to teach a robot how to create original art after a post-apocalyptic AI takeover. It keeps taking on new life in the current conversations surrounding AI in creative fields, but at its heart it’s truly about how people deal with emotionally distant relationships in an increasingly digital world. It will have its Off-Broadway premiere in November 2024.
My most recent pilot that I’m very excited about is a half-hour dramedy about a nice Catholic church lady who comes out as bisexual in her 50s – it’s called AND ALSO WITH YOU. That script is based on my own late-blooming bisexuality and is the kind of cozy, affirming show that I would want my younger self to have had.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Moving to LA after living in a city like DC was a breath of fresh air. The difference is that the “hustle” is legitimized here in a way that it is not in most other places. As a creative multihyphenate, I can say “I’m a writer but work as a barista” in LA and have someone reply, “oh, you’re a writer, awesome!” instead of “oh, writing, that’s cute, so you’re a barista, got it.”
It’s so refreshing to be able to connect with other creative entrepreneur types and make projects together. You can throw a rock anywhere and hit a super talented actor or 1st AD. In other cities, it can be harder to find your people and actually build a career.
Also, I love that the experience of the city itself is surreal. You can be in the middle of Hollywood then round a corner and be on a trail with a huge lake in the middle. There is nature in unexpected places. It’s diverse in ecosystems and in cultures. One of my friends has a great quote about LA: “the people that say they don’t like LA just haven’t found the part they like yet.” It’s so vast that it defies broad characterization. There are so many stories and histories here.
Also, like, the tacos. And the sushi? Come on.
I do dislike how expensive it is, of course. More affordable housing would be great. Home ownership feels like an unattainable dream (and I don’t think a tasteful bungalow with a patio is too much of an ask). The film/TV industry is going through a lot of monumental shifts at the moment, which is anxiety-inducing to say the least. But my hope is that LA will always be a creative hub and evolve to meet the challenges of our era.
Pricing:
- I am always happy to read a script and gives notes and feedback! Please contact me directly for pricing that fits your budget.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/olivia_haller
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivia_haller
Image Credits
[subtext] BTS: Jonathan Slusser
Filmquest trophy photo: Joey Reidhead
