Hey internet, it's been a while.
If you're anything like me, you must have recently found social media to be a homogeneously tribalistic pile of sh*t, curated by corporations feeding us soullessly antagonizing algorithms, taking on the unsolicited responsibility of regulating our emotions, annexing part of our values, then claiming them as the indisputable truth of something we've shared all along. And I am exhausted, which brings me here – a story-centric website that tries to make sense of the narratives that surround us. I have always been internet-savvy; name any 2000s and 2010s social media site, and I assure you I have joined most of them. But as this millennial ages, the nostalgia I have for my high school and early college days is calling me to go back to "basics" and create a place for my thoughts without the need for instant reactions, comments, and validation.
That is why Twitter, in its heyday, felt like the perfect public square – a platform for anyone with access to the internet. At its best, it democratized and encouraged public speech. At its worst, it became our very own echo chamber, doubling down on the beliefs we already share with our circle, failing to acknowledge another's point, making way for more polarization. You had 140 (now 280) characters to make a mark, and with that required brevity came no room for nuance or genuine engagement with another point of view. I have lots of opinions, be it entertainment, politics, or the world at large – and I usually keep most of them to myself. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because I never felt like I had the right space to say it.
This project came to me Fall of 2024, prior to going back to school for my Screenwriting Certificate. Originally planned as a podcast, I developed the show in two weeks, wrote the show bible, scripted the pilot episode, bought all the equipment necessary for production. Then the crash happened. Have you ever powered through willing something into existence, only for exhaustion, self-doubt, and anxiety to prevail? That's what happened to me. Despite all the hard work, somehow it felt like I was not being true to myself. Why would anyone listen to what I've got to say? Heck, at that time, I had been grinding in Los Angeles doing odd jobs for five years – I wasn't even sure I had anything worthy to say. I lost the battle in my mind and succumbed to the belief that the effort meant nothing, and that I was better off learning in school, gaining some experience and, honestly, confidence from people I have yet to know. Starting a podcast meant devoting the little time and the scarce resources I had to something decided on a whim. My life was hard, but it was comfortable. I had enough. I was getting by.
I chose to make the entertainment industry my personality, rather than living the life of someone who actually had experience in the industry and was trying to get back. I believed in the cliche, and even though I refused to admit it, I was afraid that once I went all in, took the risk, and failed, the safety net and comfort that a "dream" gives you would falter the moment you take the leap. It paralyzed me.
Almost two years later, here we are. I have yet to finish my Certificate, but I have come to realize that school could only get you so far. In my case, it forced me to write, which brought me confidence about my skills. But ultimately, it only proved something I had already known all along. No matter the industry you belong to, we know ourselves better than anybody. There are disappointments and missteps, but whatever passion you have is born out of something real – that insatiable feeling that keeps gnawing at you no matter how many obstacles and distractions show up at your door. And the longer you step away from it, the bigger that gaping hole gets. Because it has been haunting mine ever since my teenage years, and no amount of money, movies, or alcohol could fill an empty, misguided heart. We owe it to ourselves to not just build a life, or just get by, but to live in a world where we are fulfilled. This site is my attempt at that.
So what is Scripted Realities, exactly? It started as a film site. It will probably end up as something harder to categorize. Think of it as a personal blog in a filmmaker's clothing – a place where I'll take apart the stories we watch and try to find the ones we're living inside of. I'll go personal. I'll go political. Not to preach, but because everything is political. Every life-changing decision a character makes is a reflection of the world they operate in, and that world looks a lot like ours right now. I won't tell you what a filmmaker should have done differently. I'll try to understand what they were attempting, then follow that thread wherever it leads – into structure, into theme, into the news cycle, into my own life if that's where it goes. Less filtered, but not unfiltered. Because having a platform is not a license to be irresponsible. It's a responsibility to be precise about the mess.
I have dealt with polish and perfection long enough. As a TV producer, you learn quickly that chasing the perfect version of something is just fear wearing a professional mask. Outside of that setting, that same fear has no budget, no deadline, and no one to answer to. It just sits there and paralyzes you. So this is me refusing to let it. I am no expert, and I still consider myself a student of the craft. I see a lot of films, breaking down the beats to have a better grasp of structure, and this site is my release – especially when thoughts and impressions refuse to let go. This is not just another film criticism site. I'll sit with the themes, wrestle with what they mean, and trace the line between what unfolds on screen and what's unraveling in the world outside it. I'll share my own writing along the way and invite you into that process – the mess, the drafts, the moments where a film says something about the world so precisely it feels personal. Because most of the time, it is.
Join me as I explore the stories we live, and the reality we tell.
Welcome to Scripted Realities.
