Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Elizabeth Harris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lauren Elizabeth, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
I think self-discipline cannot be taught. It comes from the examples in your life. My mom was incredibly persistent in her career and throughout her congressional run, and balanced her work ethic while being a mom. She put herself through college and her PhD while working multiple jobs. Through watching her, I developed the same persistent work ethic. I think this is why the phrase “leading by example” is so vital.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Lauren Elizabeth Harris, a Philadelphia native, graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a double major in Dramatic Arts (emphasis on Acting) and Spanish, and is pursuing her MFA in Creative Producing in Film from Columbia University. She has studied at The British American Dramatic Academy in London, England, The Berridge Conservatory in Normandy, France, and The Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA. In Los Angeles, she has studied with Margie Haber, Judy Kain, Annie Grindlay, Ivana Chubbuck Studios, Lesly Kahn and is currently in the Writer’s Lab of Groundlings.
Lauren has portrayed numerous roles both on the stage and in film and television, and also wrote, produced, and co-starred in a feminist web-series titled It’s A Girl Thing, that was highly regarded in over 14 international film festivals. Her film Defining Dodo won the LGBTQ Voices Award at the HBO Sponsored Latino Film Festival. Most recently, she directed a coming of age story set in Quaker School that she also wrote, acted, and produced, starring Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid). She is honored to be a board member of SheNYC, a member of Women in Film, associate member of WIP, and is proud to lead the New York Events team of Film Fatales. Additionally, she co-hosts the podcast, Damsels in the DMs, focusing on come up stories from creatives.
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?
Persistence, Empathy, and Resilience. I think in this career those qualities are necessary to have because rejection is part of what comes with the career, it’s something you become very accustomed to. The rejection can often feel overwhelming and exhausting, and it’s hard to know how to go on. That’s why developing persistence and resilience early on will allow you to establish longevity in your career. Empathy is important because there will often be important negotiations in this career path, and as you continue on you will be the one saying no. I think it is incredibly important to remember all the times that you were told no in these instances and have empathy for those on the other end.
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 partners to collaborate with! Whether it be acting opportunities, people with ideas for projects looking for producers or writers, my doors are always open!
Contact Info:
- Website: laurenelizabethharris.com
- Instagram: @laurenelizabetharris
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-elizabeth-harris-699217b8/
