Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Coriell
Taylor, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m originally from Kentucky, born and raised, and I went to the University of KY to study vocal performance with a focus in opera and classical music. Shortly after I graduated, I moved to New York City to pursue a career in musical theatre as an actor which I did for a long time, basically up until the pandemic.
Around 2014 though, I started taking improv and sketch at UCB. This was around the time literally everyone and their mother was making a webseries to have a calling card, whether it was to showcase themselves as an actor, writer, director, what-have-you. So a friend, Jasmine Romero, and I decided to write something to showcase ourselves as actors, and we both really took to it–she has gone on now to be an extremely successful writer and podcast producer. Since raising money for indie projects is hard, by the time we were gearing up to shoot it, Jasmine had left acting behind but she gave me her blessing to recast and go forward to produce it by myself, and that became my first show, a buddy comedy we called You’re The Pest. I really loved every part of running that show, from writing it with Jas all the way through to post. After that, I started getting offers to direct on short projects and to produce and that’s basically how I made my way into TV/film production.
I was still pursuing musical theatre alongside my work in the indie film space basically up until the pandemic–I had been doing an Off-Broadway show in NYC for a year, left towards the end of 2019, and was all prepared to take a break because doing 8 shows a week is pretty tiring. Then when Covid hit, I just…..kind of never went back.
I realized that I was happiest writing and directing, and so ever since then I’ve been in a full court press to make it my full time livelihood–writing my own scripts, freelancing on indie projects and commercials, and working as an assistant on two full seasons of TV before hitting the picket lines in New York last summer (#morecowbell) with all my WGA & SAG-AFTRA pals. And then, after planning the cross-country leap since 2022, I finally moved to LA at the beginning of July this year!
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?
There’s always some bumpy roads when you make a career transition, especially in your 30s, not just logistically but, at least for me, mentally. The imposter syndrome is so real, and easy to back up with my own “facts” because I still have so much I want to learn as I move into bigger, higher-stakes projects. And, if I let it, it really infects every part of a process, from pitching to fundraising to even just simple networking at a bar with other writers. Sometimes I really wish I’d known exactly what I wanted to do when I was 18 and had it be the thing that stuck. But it wasn’t. And maybe it’s small comfort to myself, but I think the years I spent trying on almost every hat in the box definitely inform the way I write, direct, and collaborate… I’ve been so lucky to work with some really incredible artists and companies, who I beg/borrow/steal techniques and management styles from all the time.
All that being said, I try to remind myself that I’ve wanted to work in entertainment since I can remember…I was officially bitten by the bug when I was 10 playing a townskid in a local production of Hello Dolly. I started “writing” and “directing” (aka. making my friends practice with me after school) my own plays when I was in elementary school, made home movies on my grandpa’s camcorder, studied theatre at the performing arts magnet school in my hometown from middle through high school, taped my movie ticket stubs to a poster in my room…. and I’ve already talked your ear off about my time in NYC! So in some ways, I’ve always known I wanted to be *here* because I love to make people happy, and to make people laugh–it just took me awhile to figure out what I could really contribute in an industry already teeming with creative talent. Instilling that self-knowledge bone deep has been a struggle…. as you can obviously tell from this very long answer haha. Tl;dr – the biggest struggle has been my mental game!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Sure! I’m a writer and director, particularly drawn to stories about characters searching for where they belong through the lens of through the lens of female friendships and familial relationships, whether related by blood or found family. I like to focus on these stories through the lens of ladycentric TV dramedies, or buddy comedies & rom coms in the feature space. Basically, I like to make the kinds of shows and movies that you love to curl up with on a rainy day.
As a director, I enjoy working on actor-focused dramedies with heart, playing with the visuals and energies of the soft feminine with the sharply masculine. I’m very proud to run inclusive, sustainable sets where people feel free to speak up with ideas and issues equally, knowing that there is a patient person on the other end who is actively steering the ship towards the best film we can make together. I believe fundamentally that when people feel happy and heard, they will not only have a great day at work and want to come back to work with you, but that you will reap the rewards of their most creative selves.
I’m probably best known for, and very proud of, the aforementioned buddy comedy series, You’re The Pest, my political dramedy pilot set in Kentucky called Always Blue, and my Black List Recommended period piece buddy comedy feature called Ladylike. I also directed a queer rom com short last year in Atlanta, written by the inimitable Madison Hatfield of Peach Jam Pictures, called Thank You Places that I’m excited to premiere soon on the festival circuit (though we’re still waiting to be allowed to announce so stay tuned)! And this fall, I’ll be directing a short film version of my feature script, Ladylike….this piece is a long time coming and I’m excited to finally start prep for it with my wonderful producer & gifted actress, Lauren Sowa, and our kickass team.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was very lucky to grow up in a supportive, artistically-inclined family. My mom raised me herself (single moms are heroes), alongside my two much older, but very involved siblings who were practically grown by the time I became sentient. We were also fortunate to have my maternal grandparents so active in our lives for so long and regularly had weekly family dinners with them, siblings included, depending on if they were away at school or not. Perhaps because I have stories on the brain, the favorite memory jumping to mind first is Friday afternoons with my grandmother. After school, basically from the time I started kindergarten til I graduated high school, my grandma regularly picked me up from school and I’d be with her until my mom got off work. Sometimes I’d have play rehearsal or Girl Scouts, or she’d play the piano for me to practice for an upcoming audition, but she’d always shuttle me around wherever. I always looked forward to Friday afternoons the most though because they were ours. I have always LOVED to read, so we’d go to the public library, and peruse for as long as we wanted. I’d check out as many books as I was allowed, and she would always find something too. And then, we’d go to whatever spot we fancied at the moment, whether it was a sandwich shop or cafe. She would get hot tea, I’d get a Diet Coke (because it was the 90s/early 00’s okay?!) and I’d get a huge slice of cake, and then…..we’d just sit there and read our books. She was a chatty lady for sure, but she was also very easy to be quiet with, and looking back I think I loved that we could just *be* there, quiet together, with our stories. And I’m sure the chocolate cake didn’t hurt either….she always loved to steal a bite.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.taylorcoriell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frecklysoprano1/
- Twitter: https://x.com/frecklysoprano1
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@frecklysoprano1
Image Credits
Madi Ruff, Lauren Sowa, Stephen Beehler, Alex Rivero, Chase Anderson, Eric Vitale, Matthew Fischer, Kristen Carbone
