Hi, I’m Michaela! I’m a director, writer, and editor who recently graduated from Chapman University with a B.F.A. in Film and Television Production (emphasis in Directing) and a minor in Creative and Cultural Industries.

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My passion for storytelling goes back further than I can remember. As a shy only child, I found my sanctuary in world-building, losing myself in the fantasy and adventure of everything from The Chronicles of Narnia to The Egypt Game to A Midsummer Night's Dream. I even "wrote" my first short story at three years old, spending my preschool years spinning it into a riveting, multi-part series (which is honestly still waiting to dominate the awards circuit).

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As I grew, my love for writing naturally evolved into a passion for directing. While deep in a brainstorming session for a novel, I caught myself daydreaming about its future film adaptation, thinking, “They better let me on set so I can make sure they don’t mess anything up.” Suddenly, it all clicked. The years of writing, daydreaming, and forcing my friends into overdramatic improv games on the elementary school playground had all been directing prep.

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That drive brought me all the way from Pittsburgh, PA to Orange, CA. Along the way, I grew from that quiet kid into a bubbly, highly collaborative filmmaker. While my skills have sharpened, my core mission remains exactly the same: to craft immersive, transportive stories that allow audiences to escape into another world, another time, and another life.

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When I’m not on set, you can usually find me leaning into my love for global perspectives—inspired by a transformative semester in Florence, Italy, which led to my work as a Peer Advisor for Chapman’s Center for Global Education and a Global Engagement & Marketing Intern for AIFS Abroad. At Chapman, I was also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Order of Omega, and the Women in Film Club.