Meet Bridget Ann

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bridget Ann. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bridget below.

Hi Bridget, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Growing up, I always envisioned my life following a hyper-organized path—I had everything mapped out, from my four-year college degree to my retirement. The funny thing about having such a rigid plan is how quickly it can fall apart. I wanted to be an aerospace engineer and built my entire high school experience around that goal. I immersed myself in robotics (Valor – pit captain, manufacturing, assembly), took PLTW engineering classes, and sought out every opportunity that would strengthen my resume. I knew good grades weren’t enough, so I filled my time with activities that would make me stand out—National Charity League, swim coaching, theatre, anything and everything that would push me closer to my dream college.

Along the way, I discovered film. At first, I saw it as just a fun side passion. I worked on the Jumbotron on-field camera for football, took AV classes at Vandegrift (Vandegrift Television), and loved every second of it—but I never saw it as a serious career. I was laser-focused on engineering.

I got into my dream college, and everything seemed to be going according to plan—until my senior year of high school, when my life fell apart. My parents’ divorce turned into a three-year legal battle, and college became my escape. I told myself that as soon as I graduated, I’d leave Texas behind and never look back.

At first, it worked. I started my first semester at Embry-Riddle and thrived. I was on the swim team, practiced muay thai, joined the film club, and still made the Honor Roll. But that’s when everything collapsed again. I had built my entire college plan around a portion of college fund money I was told I had—down to the last cent, budgeting grants, scholarships, and loans. Looking back, I should have known better. I had faith in the wrong person, assuming they were being honest. That money never came.

Suddenly, I couldn’t afford to stay. My plan hadn’t accounted for taking out loans for all four years, and I wasn’t willing to drown in debt. So, I had to drop out. Moving back to Austin was brutal—not just because I had to leave behind the future I had worked for, but because I was thrown right back into the chaos of my family’s divorce.

But in the midst of that, I found film again. I knew how much it had meant to me in high school and how it had been a creative escape when I needed it most. I didn’t just want to get back into it—I needed to. So, I started networking, taking on any projects I could. That led me to my first TV show, Resurgence. Through that, I met people who shared my passion, and together we built RagTag Productions. We chose that name because each of us came from completely different paths, but we were all willing to fight tooth and nail to bring stories we cared about to life.

So, where did I get my resilience? From my experiences. If you had told freshman-year Bridget that she wouldn’t end up as an engineer, she wouldn’t have believed you. But standing here today, I wouldn’t trade where I am for anything. The friendships, the experiences, and the stories I’ve been able to be a part of are something I’ll always be grateful for. My life didn’t go as planned—but maybe that’s the best thing that could have happened.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I grew up in Austin for most of my life and attended Vandegrift High School. Throughout my years in high school, I was involved in robotics (FRC), military club (founder), National Charity League, Steiner Stars (Red) Swim, Vandegrift Television, track, muay thai, water polo, and so much more. I loved being involved and having such a wide variety of experiences.

I’ve always been interested in film, from making small movies with my neighbors using a cellphone to later diving into the technical side of filmmaking. Christopher Nolan was a huge inspiration for me; I watched every one of his movies, studied them, and hoped that one day I could create films like him. However, I didn’t realize I wanted to pursue film as a career until more recently. I always had a passion for acting and filmmaking, but it never seemed like a realistic path. High school was filled with so many different interests—robotics, theater, film—that by my senior year, I felt the pressure to choose one direction. Out of everything I was involved in, AV (audio-visual production) was one of my favorite organizations. I worked on-field camera at football games, which was not only fun but also taught me a lot about camera work, teamwork, and communication across a production crew. I was also part of several projects with Vandegrift Television, which gave me hands-on experience in different production roles and helped refine my skills.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned that shaped my film career is that everyone is at different stages in life, and the best way to lead is with kindness. Collaboration is everything in filmmaking. My experiences in robotics taught me problem-solving, determination, and teamwork. Military club gave me discipline, accountability, and leadership. Swimming taught me how to motivate others, support friends, and embrace healthy competition. All of these experiences have shaped how I work with people on set and how I approach creative problem-solving in filmmaking.

My senior year of high school, my life ‘exploded,’ and honestly, I’m glad it did. Granted, what my family went through over the past three years, I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but where I am now, I wouldn’t trade for the world. Being almost 18 when my parents’ divorce started meant that I was ‘out of the situation’ in the sense that the court treated me as an adult, which I’m thankful for. But it was horrific watching my siblings go through what they did. They were forced into Reunification Therapy with our dad, and I think my sister said it best on her Change.org petition: “Through this program, we were subject to coercive, emotionally detrimental conditions in which my brother and I quickly learned to keep our mouths closed and do everything that was asked of us if we wanted to see our mom again.” – “The luck of living in Austin and not being forcibly taken to a different state (like many other kids). I also think every day about the kids who didn’t get lucky. The kids who haven’t seen their “favored (safe) parent” in years. The kids placed back with an abusive parent and no way to get out because of a lack of oversight from the legal system.”
When did we stop believing survivors of abuse?

That experience changed everything for me. I realized how horrific this system is and how insane it is that Texas still allows programs like this—programs where kids are forced to be with an abusive parent and told their memories of abuse aren’t real. When I got into the world of film, I realized I had a unique opportunity to tell stories that could bring attention to these issues. That became my goal: to go as far as I can in the film industry, not just to do what I love—acting, writing, and directing—but to use that platform to create change.

Paris Hilton’s advocacy for survivors of the troubled teen industry inspired me. If I ever have a platform like hers, the first thing I would do is give children the chance to speak their truth. So many children’s stories are silenced in the court system, and I want to create a space where kids who have experienced abuse or been through these programs can share their stories. Beyond advocacy, I believe in the power of storytelling itself. That’s why I’m passionate about writing and directing—because film has the ability to spark conversations that lead to real change.

In Resurgence, we talk heavily about psychological manipulation—a type of social influence that aims to change the behavior or perception of others through abusive, deceptive, or underhanded tactics (National Center for School Mental Health). Through my projects, I’ve been able to weave in subtle themes that reflect real-world issues and push audiences to think deeper. I want to continue doing that in all my work.

Aside from high school, my first major step into filmmaking was joining Anna Knobloch and Todd “TJ” Stephens to start RagTag Productions and work on our first feature horror film. It was a huge learning curve, but I truly enjoyed it. I’ve always had this thought in the back of my mind—what if I pursued film?—but it never seemed realistic. After everything I’ve been through in the past few years, I sat down and evaluated where I wanted to be in life, and I knew I could never give up acting or filmmaking. It’s such an important part of who I am.

In five to ten years, I’d love to see myself acting in major projects. One of my dream roles is playing Miss Martian in the DC universe. On the directing side, I’d love to have some of my own projects in theaters.

I know that getting to where I want to be will take time, but I’m willing to put in the work. More than anything, I want to make an impact—whether that’s through the characters I play, the films I direct, or the advocacy work I pursue along the way.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Hard Work

You always hear, “Don’t put ‘hardworking’ on your resume,” but in reality, this skill has done wonders for me—not just in getting opportunities, but in building confidence. Especially in the film industry, where rejection is constant, hard work is what keeps you going. As an actor, you have to develop thick skin. My friends and I joke about how desensitized we are to rejection. Didn’t get the role? That’s okay—whoever did deserved it, and the audition was still valuable experience.

I learned hard work from a young age. My mom always emphasized working for what you want and striving for excellence—something I’ll always be grateful for. To this day, I still joke with her that the only reason I have decent handwriting is because she used to make me erase and redo anything that wasn’t neat enough! But that lesson stuck: if you’re not passionate and willing to put in the effort, you won’t get anywhere.

Advocacy

Advocacy takes many forms, but for me, it’s meant two things. First, as a woman in film, I’ve had to learn to stand up for myself. It’s easier said than done, but if you’re capable of doing something, advocate for yourself. Don’t let people underestimate you. I’m still growing in this area, but I’ve learned that having the “scary” conversations is necessary.

Advocacy is about standing up for what you believe in—including setting boundaries. If something doesn’t sit right with you, speak up. Not every situation will work out in your favor, but standing by your values and knowing you’re better off for it is incredibly important.

Resilience

Resilience ties everything together. Rejection happens. Learn to be resilient through it. Things won’t always go as planned, and that’s okay—what matters is how you adapt. Some days, you won’t feel good enough. Remind yourself that you are. Everyone has setbacks, but if you care about something, don’t give up. The people who succeed aren’t always the most connected—they’re the ones who keep going.

To anyone early in their journey: work hard, advocate for yourself, and be resilient. Those three qualities will take you further than any perfect plan ever could.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

For me, the goal has always been to be well-rounded. Perhaps that’s because I’ve had a lot of diverse interests growing up, but I’ve found that being well-rounded has benefited me more than just doubling down on what I’m already good at.

In high school, I loved editing—it was calming for me, and I could lose myself in it for hours. What I appreciated about my AV department was that each of us had a different strength, and I thrived in that environment. I loved watching my classmates work their magic with sound, asking questions, and learning from their skills.

This mindset carried over into a recent film competition, where I was acting. In my downtime, I focused on meeting people, hearing their stories, and learning everything I could from them. When we were recording ADR, instead of just waiting between scenes, I observed the editing process and asked questions. I wanted to learn because I knew that the people around me had more experience, and I wanted to “soak up” as much knowledge as I could.

In the film world, being well-rounded opens up more opportunities. But beyond that, it’s also been essential in developing who I am. As a director, my acting experience helps me understand what actors need and the right questions to ask. It allows me to communicate better with them. As a writer, my editing experience helps me view the story from a broader perspective, making me more mindful of how the story flows and what information will benefit the director or editors.

Being well-rounded doesn’t just make you versatile—it helps you improve as a creator and as a person.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @bridgeann_