Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Bradford.
Hi Annie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
There was something that always attracted me to living a creative life. I was raised around it; both sides of my family are very musical and artistic, so I was exposed early on to the power of creativity. It first started when I wrote skits and performed them at family gatherings. Then I’d write plays for friends and have my dad record them on his massive camcorder. I knew it was different for me when I took it much more seriously than my friends. Poetry, short stories, painting, and learning to play different instruments were all hallmarks of my childhood. I grew up on a beautiful lake in western Michigan, where everything felt magical, and nothing was impossible. It gave birth to a very fruitful imagination. I dabbled in drawing, painting, designing clothes, writing, making little films, and playing music. I loved being creative and building worlds because of the wonderful freedom it offered.
Even then, I knew I wanted to be a storyteller, and when I was old enough, I left home at seventeen to study writing at Interlochen Arts Academy. For those who don’t know, Interlochen is a magical arts boarding school in northern Michigan, where you are surrounded by the most exciting, talented young people who all have the same dream. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. After graduating
high school, I studied theatre at The Hartt School. Before graduation, I got accepted into NYU Tisch’s MFA Playwriting Program in Singapore but opted to live in New York City instead. While I lived in the city and got my first play produced at a small theatre company (which I also got to direct), I realized how much I wanted to be writing and directing for film. There was early success with my first scripts, which allowed me to become a finalist for the 2012/2013 Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, the Sundance/ Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the 2016 Sundance / Youtube New Voices Lab. In 2013, I got a Gold Level Screenwriting Award from the California Film Awards for my first script. The first film I made in 2015, The White Slippers, premiered at the Sedona International Film Festival, and started me off on my filmmaking journey.
Returning to my art background and love for design has made this a great learning experience. When I arrived in Austin, I primarily focused on production design and created exciting ideas and designs for brands such as Meta, Instagram, ASICS, Subway, Indeed, Dell, and Mighty Swell. Over the last few years, I’ve made a few short films, which have premiered at small festivals, while continuing my design work. In 2023, I’m harnessing my focus and energy back into directing and writing, bringing my signature style I’ve developed through years of doing production design. I’m taking some exciting plunges into new areas like stop
motion, which, while I can’t announce what I’m working on, I’m very excited about what the year has in store.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The creative life places you in a constant state of recalibration. It’s just the nature of the beast. Something is always in flux, whether it be your thoughts, ideas, or work. I have this wonderful mug that sums it all up for me. It says, “I have no ideas, and I hate everything.” all over the mug, and then there’s one line in green that says, “Turns out I’m a genius!” That sums up the creative life. It’s all about persistence and knowing that there is something inside you worthy to share. The hardest part is showing up daily and waiting for the muse to strike. I’ve been rejected and said no more times than I can remember, but I’ve kept going. I’ve had dozens of survival jobs that were all stepping stones to getting me where I am today, some I loved, some I hated. But they were stepping stones nonetheless. I never felt hopeless because I knew this was my story. The creative life is complicated. It’s the reason why so many people opt out after a while. But what it reaps in return after all those years of sowing is worth the sacrifice. No other job in the world gives me the same freedom I felt as a child.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work focuses on production design, but I’m transitioning into more directing and writing work this year. I’m also diving into stop motion work, which allows me to pull from my design background and marry it with my writing and directing skills. As I transition into more directing, what sets me apart is my background and experience. I studied writing and theatre, so I understand scripts and how to direct an actor—because I was trained as one and did it for many years. I get to pull from my music knowledge from growing up and my art background, which all help as a director. The art department is one of the least understood departments by directors, so getting to be on that side of things for so long has given me a deeper understanding of the ecosystem on set. Working on a crew for 5+ years has given me insight on the best way to lead one. Being on set reminds me of theatre and the collaboration that can take place, which I want to bring with me as I continue to do more directing.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts. Risk-taking is inherent to being creative. Creativity is about being open-minded and thinking outside the box, which is already a risk. There’s the chance someone might not like your idea or think you’re bonkers. And this will happen because new ideas can be scary and often misunderstood. To be creative is to be a risk-taker. I decided to leave NYC when I was 24 years old to live in Princeton, NJ, with some
dear friends after our close friend had passed. Leaving NYC, where the film scene is thriving was a risk, but it allowed me space to write and create my first film. All those years ago, I took on survival jobs like tutoring, making gelato, becoming a sous chef, babysitting, and everything in between—never choosing a desk job, which was a risk. Because what if it didn’t work out? Where would I be? I’ve never taken an office job, not once, and I know that makes me lucky. And I am also incredibly grateful. Grateful I trusted God’s plan for my life, that I chose to take a risk on myself, to bet everything I’ve got on my dream, knowing that if I pushed long enough, I could make a go of it. I sacrificed a lot growing up to write and act and do all the creative things I loved. I missed seeing friends and spending time with family, even new experiences. That was all risk, because there was always the chance it wouldn’t pay off. But then again, you don’t get anywhere worthwhile or exciting in life if you don’t take a risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: anniebradford.com
- Instagram: @missanniebananie
