Meet Emilly Schooley

We were lucky to catch up with Emilly Schooley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emilly, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

The core of my personal brand of optimism is that I’ve learned how to hold the ‘both/and’ infinite shades of grey that life continually throws at us. Everything grows and blooms and changes and dies and decomposes, and is eventually reborn as something new – and all of those steps of the process are both necessary and beautiful in their own way.

I’ve always said that my version of Hope is the kind that gets back up after a hit and comes up swinging. It’s part flippant joke, and part accurate emotional representation of how some moments in my life and career have felt like when I was going through them. Optimism doesn’t always mean easy or joyful. But conversely, I’ve been lucky to experience so many delightful synchronicities, joys, friendships, deeply impactful acting roles and other meaningful creative projects, while walking that same path. I have a wonderfully supportive inner circle of long-time friends and partners. I’m fortunate enough to be living in a major city and making a modest living as a full-time creative – which is something my younger self could not even fathom as a reality. That’s what I mean when I say both/and.

Also? I simply believe in the inevitable reality of a better, healthier, more equitable future: one where everyone has the resources they need to truly thrive and t0 achieve the opportunities and goals that they are passionate about. My desire for that better world to become a tangible reality in my lifetime is a lot of what drives me forward.

Something else that’s allowed me to feel more optimistic in general is learning astrology – specifically, working with my own chart and following the planetary transits. Knowing what’s going on in the world from an energetic perspective has really helped me feel calmer and more grounded, and has helped me ride out some of the more intense life changes – personally and globally – over the last few years.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Thanks so much for asking me to share my story with BoldJourney’s incredible audience!

I am a multi-dimensional artist: I originally started my professional career as an actor, after formally training in theatre for my undergrad degree. Over the last decade and a half since, my work has expanded across multiple mediums into a full time portfolio career: I am now a multi-award-winning performer, filmmaker, director, writer, voiceover artist, indie production company founder, advocate for equity and inclusion. industry consultant… and I’ve done almost every job on a film set at least once. Above all else, I am a dyed-in-the-wool creative – outside of my professional work, I also dabble in other hobbies including painting, photography, botanical art, and silkscreening.

Life as a full-time creator is always deeply exciting and full of freedom, while also feeling like perpetual freefall. In my day to day work, I often find myself leveraging a fluctuating balance of artistic, technical, and business-related skillsets. No two weeks or gigs are ever identical.

Overall, a lot of the projects and initiatives I choose to be involved in – as both actor and/or as a key creative – are ultimately about creating better, more robust, and more inclusive media representation for underrepresented women. I’m passionate about bringing to life the kind of resonant narratives that are told through OUR lens for a change, instead of through the male gaze. Stories where we (finally) get to be the main character of our lives instead of a playing a supporting role to someone else; where we can fully own all dimensions of our messy, complex, authentic selves.

My own lived experiences as a young woman working in the film industry – both the lessons and the blessings – are what led me to start my own independent studio: Laughing Cat Productions (LCP). For the last several years, I’ve been focused on developing original scripted IP and building up LCP as a company alongside building my entrepreneurial skills, which has meant that my seeking other acting and directing gigs has unfortunately taken a backseat for the time being. However, after hitting heavy burnout last year, I am currently working on finding a more ideal balance between creative and business workloads, after realizing how integral my creative work is to my overall wellbeing and sense of joy.

Thus far, as LCP continues to grow as an emerging company, we have been lucky enough to have our original short films connect with audiences at indie festivals across North and South America, the UK, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I’m also grateful for the generous industry recognition and support we’ve received from organizations including Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Creates, Banff Spark, CFC’s Media Lab, Workman Arts, and the Swedish institute ValueCine. It’s nice to have the need for our films affirmed by this level of industry support, especially as we grow from making shorter works with limited budgets towards making cinematic feature and series-length content.

I’ll also share that it feels like Laughing Cat Productions’ deeper work – beyond creating high-quality sapphic women-led media – is about supporting the evolution of a new, parallel media industry: one that is healthier, more inclusive for ALL, and more sustainable overall. Sometimes it feels a like a lonely, daunting mission to champion – for a variety of reasons – but I know that, by far, we are not the only ones working on this shared goal, and that the outcome will be worth the work.

Right now, I’ve got a few exciting things on the horizon, including:

1) We are working on creating an online shop for LCP, called the Laughing Cat Emporium, so that audiences can more easily access and support our work. (As of now, the launch date is still TBD.)

2) My latest short film The Sweetest Goodbye is in its second year of screening at film festivals, thanks to a new partnership with Demo 1/4 Filmes. They are now overseeing our international festival distribution.

3) As a writer, I have a short, fictional queer horror story being published in the upcoming Up:Rising anthology from Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness Press and Workman Arts. Paperback copies will be available for sale in North America on November 15th, with an official launch party in Toronto on November 30th.

4) I’ve also got a few other projects in various stages of development – which I discuss in more detail with my community over on Patreon.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three core factors stand out as the foundation of my path as a working actor/filmmaker.

Most importantly: I am learning to better-value the magic that comes with my unique, non-linear, multi-dimensional creative perspective. For a long time, I felt a lot of shame around why I often struggled to see and do things the ‘normal’ way, when everyone else seemed to have no problems succeeding. Then, a few years ago, I was late diagnosed with ADHD – and a lot of things in my life finally made sense. From there, getting comfortable with owning my ability to successfully wear multiple hats professionally – acting, directing, writing, producing, etc; sometimes all at once! – has allowed me to dynamically grow as a creative.

I firmly believe we are going to see the rise of more polymath professional artists being recognized and celebrated over the next decade plus, especially as we shift from a standard, linear life and career path for the majority of the population to more niche specializations and more global self-individualization. For those just starting to build their professional career now, I recommend beginning to experiment with learning more and different skills once you have a good handle on a couple of initial core talents and passions. Treat your work with a “yes, and” approach – like successful improv.

Curiosity has been another constant in my journey. It is what fuels my desire to collaboratively explore every aspect of storytelling for page, stage, and screen: whether through acting, filmmaking, writing, or leveraging other creative skills. It is part of what draws me to certain projects and roles. Having this deep sense of curiosity, passion, and empathy for the broad spectrum of human experience is what motivates me to regularly seek out new perspectives beyond my own – both artistically and in the wider world – and to embrace a practice of lifelong learning.

Staying open to gaining something new from every experience – positive or negative – is absolutely integral to one’s ongoing growth. I’m also a fan of embracing the mindset of the amateur: one who pursues their work from an egoless place; the pure love of the craft. Balancing a beginner mindset with interest in a variety of artistic disciplines and ideologies is what leads to a well-rounded skillset and knowledge base over time.

Lastly, resilience has been essential in navigating the inevitable setbacks and uncertainties that come with pursuing a professional career in this volatile industry. So-called ‘failure’ is always going to be a part of the creative process; what matters is how you move forward after experiencing setbacks – even if it might take you awhile to re-build your confidence and creative impulses after a particularly nasty blow.

Personally. I’m a big believer in allowing yourself to embrace crying and intense emotions as a natural part of the creative process. Part of building resilience is learning to hold non-judgmental, neutral space for any deep anger, grief, etc that might come up in the moments when you and your work face rejection and exclusion. What also helps to build resilience is learning to celebrate even the smallest of wins as you move along your path. Having a lot of resilience doesn’t always make things easier to accomplish, but it does expand your tolerance for living with discomfort and uncertainty – which is essential to maintaining a healthy creative practice and your overall mental health.

Trust that every experience, good or bad, is shaping your voice as an artist.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Absolutely! I’m always excited to connect with passionate audiences and fellow industry folk who share my love for authentic, transformational women-led stories.

To help grow Laughing Cat Productions, we are looking to add an experienced business affairs producer(s), and potentially some development support. We hope to find the ideal partner(s) whose passion and zone of genius is navigating the business, legal, and financial landscapes of filmmaking. We are also seeking fundraising support – people with past philanthropic experience who believe in the power of storytelling to inspire systemic change, and who want to help bring innovative women-led projects to life through generous backing or strategic partnerships.

I’d also love to connect with talent agents seeking to add to their roster, who recognize the value and capabilities of performer-creators like myself, Ideally – though not a must – you would also potentially be interested in helping advance original scripted IP.

Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, I am also open to considering new acting and directing opportunities again. If you’re looking for a emotive, grounded, versatile performer or an empathetic, detail-oriented creative leader to join your project, be sure to reach out!

I can be reached via DMs on any of the linked platforms below, or the contact form on the website. If you want to learn more and help support what I do, I welcome tips at Ko-fi or you can join my inner circle at Patreon.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ontario Creates

Andy Wright

The Hard Drive Project

DGC Canada / Canadian Film Festival

Dan Bryan Rosen

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