Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Muir
Hi Lydia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From a young age, I was always fascinated by stories. As a child, I read a lot of books, and when I got older, that obsession turned to TV shows and films. I have always found them to be very powerful and inspirational—the way you can experience various emotions through someone else’s story. I have also always been drawn to creative individuals and helping them bring their creativity to life.
My path to producing started when I worked as an assistant stage manager for a student musical production of RENT. That experience made me realize that my organization and planning skills could be useful in a creative environment. I started to research what roles existed in the theater and film world and discovered the role of a producer.
After gaining some practical experience in London and Taipei, I decided to move to New York to gain training at NYFA. I learned so much and began to dabble in writing and directing. This is when I created my web series ‘The Roommate Contract’, as well as various other short films.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think I have ever met anyone in this industry who would say they have had a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges of working in a creative world is that it is extremely turbulent. You could be getting nominated for an award, meeting with a prospective actor, and losing your funding for your next project all in one day. Nothing is guaranteed, and anyone who has ever tried to make something will tell you that getting anything made can feel like a miracle. The biggest struggle that I personally found was that there are a lot of factors that can make or break a project that are out of your control, and you have to accept that. Even if you do your job well, talk to all the right people, and take on the right opportunities, things can happen that completely derail your progress—for example, a writer’s strike, a pandemic, an actor dropping out, or a change in personnel at a studio. Despite all this, you still have to try your hardest to make things work while always preparing for the worst.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Over the past few years, I have noticed that I am most drawn to stories about relationships. These can be romantic, platonic, familial, or even between strangers. Understanding how two different individuals interact and how they affect each other is something I find fascinating. Everyone comes from a different background and upbringing and has individual desires and challenges, but we live in a world where we all crave connection and are constantly interacting with others. This leads to an endless number of possibilities and stories. I am proud of all the projects I have been involved in, but my web series is definitely the one closest to my heart because, as the showrunner, I was most creatively involved with this one. I love rom-coms, and although they are fun and entertaining, I feel like they also have a way of teaching us about relationships and shaping our expectations. I am currently writing more romantically themed stories, and my goal is to create entertaining stories that also help us have more realistic expectations and be able to identify healthy relationships.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
A random fun fact about me is that I am a huge Formula 1 fan. I grew up watching it with my Dad and got back into it a few years ago. I find it fascinating to understand everything a F1 driver and their engineers have to go through to complete a race. There are so many factors involved and despite what many people assume, it is pretty complicated. One day, I would love to work on a project that somehow incorporates F1 into the story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lydiamuir.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lydiamuir_film
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-muir-99b9b373/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCBRT-z-9s9QlvCpxb8e6m_Q
- Other: Web series – The Roommate Contract: https://tinyurl.com/WatchTRC
Image Credits
Regan Hicks
Dev Hardikar
