Today we’d like to introduce you to Milani Cruz.
Hi Milani, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
For sure. I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember, and that’s always been the thing informing every other part of my journey. I went to school for Screenwriting and graduated straight into the industry in 2021, right out of COVID. I moved to LA, and for a couple of years, I worked as an Editor, but I knew that what I was doing wasn’t the thing that I ultimately wanted most. During the strikes in 2023 (WGA and SAG-AFTRA), I was laid off from my job, and for a long time, I wasn’t really sure what to do. Because of the strikes, the job market was horrible, the industry was practically at a standstill, and I was living on an incredibly fixed income in one of the most expensive cities in the country. After about 7 months, I ended up having to call it, which is how I ended up back in Austin. From there, I immediately began getting involved in my community, and once I started meeting and speaking to more people, I noticed that there were a lot of people struggling with some of the same things I was. It seemed like everyone had been through layoffs or had just left a job. Some people were deciding to pursue their passions and freelancing in the meantime, and others were living back home. I looked around one day and realized that we were pretty much all in the same boat, and that no one really “had it together” or “had it all figured out”. From there, I began to think about how I could connect with more people. There was of course, the internet, but I wasn’t sure that I was ready to try and navigate the waters of becoming a voice online just yet. For a long time I brainstormed, and during that time I was doing a lot of writing and a lot of listening to podcasts, because those were the two things that didn’t feel like reminders of how quickly the world was moving without me in it. Eventually, I was like “…wait, I actually have everything I need to make a podcast out of this,” and it sort of spiraled from there. It felt like the most accessible way that I could reach people, and I felt like sharing how my life was going as an unemployed 26-year-old who was living at home was the sort of honesty that I wish I saw more of online. I felt like maybe if I was just honest and vulnerable, not just with other people but mostly with myself, it would help me get through the rough patch. So, to make an incredibly long story long, that was what brought me to the medium of podcasting, and I’ve been completely obsessed with it ever since.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I mean, I think that when starting any new endeavor from scratch, there’s going to be a huge learning curve, which there certainly was. I knew nothing about audio production going in, so trying to figure out how to mix and edit sound was the first thing I had to figure out (and honestly? still working on what I think favors my voice). I also had so many different ideas, but I wasn’t sure which one really resonated. The first iteration of the pod was called “The Unemployment Diaries”, of which I recorded about 10 episodes in a coat closet that never saw the light of day. After that, I spent a few months listening to those first episodes and trying to figure out what wasn’t working. I was also bouncing between freelance work, volunteering, and a part-time job at a fitness studio, so it was more of a hobby than something I was taking seriously. I think I realized that while it was fine, it didn’t really resonate with who I wanted to be. If anything, “The Unemployment Diaries” felt like a continued manifestation of my unemployment, lol. So I think ultimately I decided to switch up the title and change the messaging to see how it felt. That brought me to “Getting it Together (Together)” which felt a little closer, but didn’t make me happy. It was more of the same primary messaging, which was just a confused girl trying to make sense of being confused, unemployed, and sad at home. I think ultimately, what I really wanted was to make something that I was proud of, but it required me failing publicly a couple of times before I got there. Getting it Together (Together) was thrown together with no budget, cover art that I made myself in Canva, an old camera that I got before I went to film school, and some music that I was paying $6.99 a month for from a stock music website. It was a step closer, but it still didn’t feel right. I was getting more experience releasing episodes weekly, and maintaining a schedule and a cadence, which I think taught me so much, but I still didn’t feel totally proud of what I was releasing. I had the consistency, and I had the passion, but I think being in the place that I was, was preventing me from accessing something deeper, and more creative. I was unemployed but somehow still burnt out, and the financial strain that I was under was making it nearly impossible to feel like I was moving in any direction. I would say the greatest challenge for a lot of that time was getting out of that headspace. Anyone who’s been on a long term job hunt knows just how draining it can get – applying every day, automated rejections, financial insecurity. Those things steal your spark. The podcast was a way for me to bring some form of creativity back into my life, and while I think it helped me turn things around, I still felt like there was something missing. I was pouring into it out of desperation, not out of love. I think when we get to a place like that, it’s pretty hard to recognize what you’re doing. So it was hard getting out of that cycle. I think ultimately it took being intentional about slowing down and looking at my situation for me to realize that it was in my hands to change it, and once you sit with that for the first time and start looking inward, things begin to change pretty quickly.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Screenwriter and Podcast Producer! I would say that my specialty is Screenwriting, but the work that I have done the most of is content production. I am primarily known in my community as a writer and community engagement leader. I’m honestly most proud of my journey. I’ve had a wealth of amazing personal and professional experiences that have gotten me to where I am now, which is writing and producing a podcast that I’m really proud of. I think the thing that sets me apart is my willingness to fail publicly. There are so many talented and creative people, but perfectionism and fear are often huge driving forces behind keeping an artist in the closet. Since getting back to Austin, I’ve really made an intentional effort to get out and be active in my community, as well as just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I’ve had great opportunities to build in different spaces with different amazing creative people, and have gotten so much better at speaking and connecting with others in the process, which ultimately serves what it is that I’m doing. I believe that the marriage of my film and television background with my podcasting and public speaking background serves my current work best because I’m able to take years of expertise in scripted and planned content development and put it toward crafting a strong show and series voice while also leaning into a looser, more community-informed approach.
What’s next?
I’m currently preparing for the launch of a new podcast that I’ve been developing, called “GOOD SHOW!” which is set to release on 9/28. It’s been really awesome working on it because it feels like a culmination of all of my experiences thus far, and ultimately it’s a show that I feel really passionately about. I love what it’s become, and I believe that it will go the distance, so I’m really just excited to see it exist out in the world after months of amazing work put in by myself and some other really awesome creatives. As a writer, I’m also currently developing a comedy series with a finished pilot that I’m hoping to get into production next year. In the meantime, I’m just focused on being where my feet are and staying open to where the journey takes me. I think for so long I was focused on what other people were doing and how fast the world was moving that I felt like I had to run at a full sprint to keep up. I have a vision, and I think as long as I continue taking the time to be mindful and meaningful with my work, my relationships, and my community, I’ll get there. The future is the result of showing up every day, so I try to tell myself that when I think about what’s next (and when you see my name in the credits of your favorite show, just know it was all a part of the plan).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_milaniisabelle
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milanicruz/
- Other: https://substack.com/@notmilani
