Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Grace.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I went to NYU for drama, and shortly after graduation, I hustled my way into an audition for a feature film, where I booked the lead. Our film went to Sundance, where we won a Special Jury Prize for emotional truth. From there it won awards at festivals all over the world, so of course I thought “I’ve made it. Now the industry is going to come to me and I’m gonna be the next IT girl.”
And literally, nothing happened. I had booked that film on my own, I didn’t have an agent, I had no guidance on what I should be doing, and I didn’t understand how the business really works.
So that was the beginning of what inspired me to start a business because I knew there were things I was missing, and I didn’t want other actors to go through what I went through.
From there, I worked with an independent producer, where I got a front-row seat to the inner workings of the business, and that’s where I learned two big things – how important relationships are and how important it is to create your own opportunities, not wait for the industry to give you permission or pick you.
And one of the best ways you can create your own opportunities as an actor is to write a project for yourself to put you on the map for the kind of roles you should be playing.
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?
Before I could help people learn how to write their own projects, I had to learn how to do it myself.
It was not a smooth road!
Like so many of the clients I work with, I tried to figure it out all by myself. My acting background led me to believe that I knew more about screenwriting than I actually did. I spun around in procrastination and overwhelm for a long time.
When I was finally willing to accept that I didn’t know what I was doing, I found an amazing writing mentor who showed me how to go from idea-in-my-head to finish the script.
Having a step-by-step process was a game-changer! Now that I have confidence in my abilities, I LOVE helping other people clarify and develop their scripts, one step at a time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pickford West Society?
Pickford West was inspired by the pioneering women of the Golden Age of Hollywood: Mary Pickford and Mae West. They took their success into their own hands and created things on their own terms. I love to help my clients do the same thing.
As an actor, so much of your career is spent waiting…for the phone to ring, for an opportunity to come along, for someone to pick you. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
When you know how to create a powerful script with an amazing role for you to play, you get to show the industry what to do with you. You get to create a project that matters to you. It changes the way you approach your career. There’s a new level of confidence, an inner strength, and as someone who wears many hats, you become an asset to any production you work on because you have such a better understanding of the process and how you can contribute to it.
When you have the tools to tell your own story, especially if you are someone who Hollywood tends to marginalize, means you can be a pioneer in on-screen representation. Change is slowly happening in the industry, but you don’t have to wait for it. Greenlight your own projects and get them out into the world where they can have an impact.
I love to help actors (or anyone who wants to write a screenplay) develop their idea through the Short Film Lab. It’s the best way to learn all the writing tools you need, get support and feedback, and start small. Sometimes clients come to me who want to write a feature film or a tv pilot as their very first project. I suggest we begin with a short. It’s tangible, it’s doable, and it will give you a win. Then we can grow from there.
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?
The biggest takeaway is how important it is to make time to connect with people. I can be introverted, I work from home, and I’m a homebody. I have to push myself to be social at times, and Covid really clarified how important and worth it that effort is for my mental health.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://pickfordwest.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theonlyemilygrace/
- Other: http://writeyourdreamrole.com/
