We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Faith Abraham. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Faith below.
Hi Faith , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose as a young kid. I was always a storyteller. I lived to make people laugh and find connection amongst the masses. As I got older, I transitioned that into playwriting and choreography. Evoking emotions in people through the arts was a safe space and allowed me to continue my story telling in different ways. By the time I got to university, I fell in love with film which coincidentally tied all of my different forms of story telling together. I was able to choreograph the camera as I did my dancers and use both the lens and script as a way to connect with my audience. Stories, well good stories, make us feel united and gently remind us that we all have to survive this little thing called the human condition. Bringing people together is the greatest thing I could ever do. If I can make the audience feel seen, validated and heard I truly will have fulfilled my purpose.
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 am a director, writer and casting director. I have spent the better part of the last decade casting for different forms of content across the studio, streaming and commercial channels of LA. I have enjoyed casting but am now moving into my greater passion, directing. Initially I intended to begin directing but found myself casting more and more, it allowed me great insight into the industry and trained me how best to navigate the pre-production portion of filmmaking.
In time, I hope my projects will be accessible to the world at large and that I, as a woman, can slowly begin to change how we ingest different types of content. For the most part, film has creatively driven by men and now is the time for a feminine approach. The commercial success of projects like Barbie has shown the larger conglomerates that women are more than prepared to take on the helm of a studio feature. I know this the beginning of a paradigm shift long overdue and it is exciting to see the change as it happens. The indie world has always known success from its female directors, writers and producers but commercially (ie. the studios), women haven’t been as represented. I know there is a long road ahead and I am not naive to think it will be something attainable overnight, I just hope it happens sooner rather than later and that women are given the opportunity to hold space with their male contemporaries.
Last December I began a women’s networking circle that encourages other women to create their own content. Each month we gather together to pitch ideas, review scripts and connect over upcoming projects. The past six months was a challenging time with the dual strikes but having a community to lean on helped to continue creative ideas and allowed support with the lack of work. I am excited to see what the future holds and hope that project will continue to stem from the group. The group is called Women Create and has an Instagram page for anyone interested in following. @womencreatewc
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the most important things to maintain on the journey are resilience, hard work and empathy. Hard work can open the door, resilience gets you there and empathy allows you to remain in it. There is a tremendous lack of empathy in today’s world, people need to recognize everyone is going through something. I think the more empathetic you can remain and open to other people’s problems, the more grounded you are. Hard work and resilience walk hand in hand but empathy, is normally the stand out.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for fellow collaborators, I really love the creative space and meeting new people. I know it can take time to meet the right people but once you do, they are invaluable. I’m fairly open in terms of what I like and appreciate all genres of film. For me, it’s just as important to connect on a personal level as it is creatively and I am a big on communicating that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womencreatewc/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/faith-abraham-432aa668
Image Credits
WC Photo credit: Madison Freeland
