My name is Riley Thomas Stewart (they/them). Filmmaking, creating and collaborating have always been a part of who I am. I grew up in front of the camera, working in film and television with award winning actors and directors. I was on my first film set at a year old, and joined SAG at six. When I wasn’t on set or driving to LA for auditions, I was playing pretend in my treehouse, building in the garage with my dad, creating with legos and making short films with friends. In high school I found a larger platform for creating and collaborating. I helped found an improv troupe, choreographed fights and designed lights for the theater department, performed, danced on a dance team, and did valuable community service with Leo Club. It was here that I found my passion for creativity through collaboration. That’s why I decided to move behind the camera and go to film school. In college, I discovered my queer identity and my passion for social justice and helping. I took what I learned in the garage with my dad and went to work in the school’s scene shop. There, I developed advanced set construction skills and helped countless productions build their sets and taught a whole lot of people to use a staple gun. I also found a new passion for writing my own stories, creating characters that tell the stories I think need to be heard. Moving forward, as a queer writer and director, I want to use these creative and collaborative skills to help people, and inspire change on an individual level.. I’m committed to giving voice to diverse stories that are a departure from the remakes, reboots and sequels that overwhelm the media landscape. I want to show that these stories can resonate with a variety of people by wrapping a universal kernel of relatable truth in a specific shell, whether that shell is a quirky dark comedy or a surrealist sci-fi world, the goal is to hold a meaningful message for a wide audience and inspire change. That’s my ultimate goal as a filmmaker and as an artist. more...