In high school I spent a couple weeks volunteering at a community center in North Philadelphia and someone put a video camera in my hands and asked me to document the experience.  After reviewing the footage, this person told me that I had “an eye” and over the next couple of years encouraged me to go to film school.   I became interested in documentary film making and decided to go to Temple University for their Film and Media Arts program.  I made many short films while at school and worked as an intern at a few Philadelphia production companies, including Banyan Productions and SBK Pictures.  I was excited about the many career paths available.

After graduation in 2005, Jeff and I packed up our belongings and drove 2,700 miles to Los Angeles to be a part of Temple University’s Los Angeles Intern Program.  Approximately 30 students were placed in various internships in the film industry around the city.  We lived in the famous Oakwood Toluca Hills in Burbank, worked 4 days a week and had the best summer of our lives.  After the program was finished in July, we decided to stay in L.A. to pursue job opportunities.  Jeff was offered a full time position with Fremantle Productions and as I finished my time at Face/Jennilind Productions, I found a position working on an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola.  We spent over 2 years exploring the area and our interests and after many discussions, we decided to move back to the East Coast.  I remember the morning we left our two bedroom apartment in West Los Angeles and closed the door for the last time on the space where our love grew, our relationship molded, where we laughed, cried, and argued late at night.  Our two year adventure in the City of Angels was good to us.  We not only survived a tough city but we were lucky enough to be successful in what we came to do.  While it might have seemed like we took a step backwards by moving away, we just realized that we wanted different things for our lives.  And as we were experiencing an overwhelming amount of “last times” the last few weeks there, I was incredibly excited and hopeful about all the first times we were about to encounter.

We now live in South Philadelphia and absolutely love the community and lifestyle the city provides. We are very much involved in the local food movement; we are going into the 4th year as CSA site hosts for Wimer’s Organics and are member-owners of the South Philly Food Co-op.