We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Hilario. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.
Hi Angela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I would have to go back to the beginning and say my most meaningful project was my debut novel KALEIDOSCOPE’S LIGHT. I first had the kernel of an idea back when I was 13. At the time I was publishing fan fiction (I wrote Star Wars and Avalon High fan fic if you were wondering!), so I decided to upload my first working draft to their sister site FictionPress. Back then it was called Dreams, Dreams and was about a girl having the same dreams as her celebrity crush. Ten years later, I rewrote the story numerous times, and bits and pieces of my life as I was growing up within those ten years can be spotted throughout the novel. Inevitably, it reflects a lot of my formative years, and that was why I just had to make the novel my debut.
Behind the scenes, KALEIDOSCOPE’S LIGHT was my most meaningful project because if it weren’t for the rejection from literary agents, I wouldn’t have had decided to self-publish it, and I wouldn’t have later founded my media company Hollis House. So not only is the novel creatively important to me, it has changed the course of my career, and the goals I later set out for myself.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I often tell people that I’m a writer first. Before I could properly spell, before I decided to try out different avenues and career paths, I always reverted back to writing. I’ve been writing short stories and novels (if we could call it that!) since I was seven years old, and I haven’t stopped since. I published my debut novel in 2017, wrote my first feature film QUARANTINE, ACTUALLY in 2020, and I am currently working on my sophomore novel which I hope to release in 2025, so please stay tuned for that!
But overall, I love trying out new things, and exploring my interests. I was a special education teacher for 2 years before getting my behavior analyst license, which I currently work as now. I am also the founder of media company Hollis House where we produce books, films, and podcasts. Our original podcast, KWENTO-KWENTO PODCAST, has been doing really well and focuses on Filipino-Americans from all walks of life.
I’ve also delved into pageantry during my twenties. I was a state finalist at Miss New York USA 2017, Continental Miss Philippines Community Ambassador 2019, and Miss World Hawaii 2020. Through pageants, I learned so much about myself, how my courage can take me places all over the country, and how many interesting and lovely people you’ll meet through pageants alone. I’m also a film/theatre actor, with credits in TV, short films, a feature, and an Off-Broadway play.
Currently I am working within the film industry as a writer/director/producer. I love movies and would love to spend my entire life making them! Right now we are working on a short film that I wrote called SOFTLY, WITH FEELING. It’s a domestic thriller film that I hope will be a good intro to how I want my filmmaking career to be.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I wouldn’t call it a goal or mission per se, but I believe in order to be an effective artist, you must reflect the times and truth. We might all have our different opinions on this, but I really can not understand artists/creatives who are not moved or don’t seem to care about the people around them, and ironically they claim ignorance and indifference just to protect their careers. How can you call yourself an artist if you don’t reflect the spectrum of emotions, suffering, and compassion that is so prevalent in the world?
Whether I’m working as a writer, director, actor, producer, or whatever it is, I want to make stories that come from a genuine place. Even if it’s fiction, everything must stem from truth. In order to find that truth, we can not turn a blind eye to world events because while they may seem to involve people on the other side of the globe, essentially our struggles and suffering come from the same place.
It’s hard to fully articulate, but I hope to reflect this in the body of work that I’ve already created and have yet to create until the end of my life.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I try not to focus so much on what happens after the project is finished, but rather, as corny as it sounds, the process of actually creating it. As an actor and filmmaker, I love being on set and collaborating with other artists. Even if we’re making a really dramatic scene, nothing beats the laughter shared between cut and action. Having said this, I can’t say that I don’t love it when people who read my work say that it moved them in some way, or made them feel seen. At the end of the day, I just want to create something that will make people feel less alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://angelahilario.com
- Instagram: @angelashilario
- Other: www.hollis.house
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