We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Fess. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.

Amy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I wrote a short film screenplay called Sight back in 2021 during the pandemic. I’ve long been a fan of zombie apocalypse media and I’d been a Walking Dead fan since it was only a comic, not a show. So when I came up with this very poignant zombie apocalypse story, I knew I wanted nothing more than to film it. It was one of the best things I’d ever written to date. But due to circumstances, I was not able to actually work on producing and filming it until January of 2024. I was speaking to my friends Sadithi de Zilva and Madeline Coronato, who had just started a production company called Scrappack Productions, and they expressed interest in producing and directing the project. I spent the next few months fleshing it out even further, and then we spent the entire year putting blood, sweat, and tears into this project. I was so happy to finally get to bring my own writing to life as an actor and a producer, and it made the experience all the better that there were nothing but wildly talented women at the forefront of this project.

Sight is the story of Myles and Winter, two zombie apocalypse survivors who unexpectedly found love in the first days of the outbreak. Several years later, they are on the hunt for a new pair of glasses for Myles, whose prescription has gotten so out of date, he can no longer tell the living from the dead.

I got lasik a few years ago, but before then I had terrible vision. I couldn’t see something five inches in front of my face without it being blurry. I refused to wear glasses though, only contacts, so most people didn’t realize I had terrible natural eyesight. With my love of zombie media, I often found myself realizing that should the world end tomorrow, I wouldn’t be able to see a thing after my last pair of contacts dried out. At the same time, I realized that zombie media did two things: 1) Consistently gave “smart” characters glasses which mysteriously avoided breaking and were always in their prescription, and 2) focused on the big picture of humanity in a lawless world but never the small moments that actually make us human. Things we take for granted every day, like a pair of glasses. Those things were what drove me to create Sight.

I wrote Sight, I Produced it alongside Scrappack Productions, and I play the character Winter in the film.

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been drawn to acting since I was a child. My favorite thing to do with my sisters was to “play pretend” where we’d wear costumes and improvise stories together, and the second I realized that was something that could be a real job, I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life. I eventually started writing my own plays on the computer that my sisters and I would perform for our parents later that night. I started writing fiction at 12, writing every day for the joy of it, finding my writing improving as well. I studied acting at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City, thinking that I’d go into Musical Theatre, but I found myself drawn to film instead. I loved the way that film could tell a story, and how accessible it was to everyone. Not everyone can see a Broadway show, but the whole world can come together to watch a movie.

I am a naturally funny person, and many people who know me think of me as a kind of comedian. In fact, I’ve been asked to do stand up comedy more times than I can count (and I just might one day!) but I’m a comedian who absolutely loves drama. I love to act in dramatic works and find the humor and heart in a story, no matter how sad it may seem on the outside. Even my most dramatic screenplays have lightheartedness to them, because I do believe that there is always light to be found, even in the bleakest of moments. Maybe its the optimist in me. I am enthusiastic and go above and beyond for every thing I do. I can’t help but be big, bold, and extra. I’ve had many friends describe me to others by saying, “you ask her for an inch, and she gives you a mile”, and I believe that’s true. If I commit to something, I commit to it with my whole heart and do everything in my power to make it come to life in the best form it can be. I am a hard worker and the heart of a set, I try my best to get to know everyone on set and keep the energy up and the morale high, because hard work is done best with good company.

I’m also an incredible improviser, its one of my favorite things to do. I love to play and experiment and “yes, and” every moment. I love any moments where I’m allowed to improvise in a scene, and I love roles with heavy elements of Improvisation in them. I’m also a black belt in isshinryu karate and trained in the use of bo staff, sai, and nunchuck, which is always a shock to people who see my baby face and think I couldn’t hurt a fly!

I am an Actor, first and foremost, and that is the kind of work I’d love to be hired to do and be known for. But I also am interested in collaborating on scripts and ideas as a Writer as well.

I’m bubbly, pink, fun-loving, nerdy, and a whole silly goose. I want every social media space I’m in to be a fun and hilarious place. I want to attract a following of people who love silliness, randomness, and positive vibes! Above all, I want to make the world a better place, one laugh at a time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There is nothing better than watching your words come to life. There’s a deep itch in every artist of something they need to get out of their head. For me, its usually a story I have to tell. And the most rewarding thing is finally getting to be on set, watching the vision coming to life. Watching people saying my words, telling my story. And in my case, saying those words myself and getting to finally show the world this amazing character that has been in my head begging to come out. And having family, friends, and collaborators come to you to tell you how amazing the story is, how it affected them, how much they’ve cried because of how I performed a scene that has been in my head for nearly five years now. Getting to see the finished product and feel vindicated that it was a story worth fighting for, and now its finally here. There is nothing more rewarding than that.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

First of all, stop asking actors you’ve just met what you’ve seen them in before, haha!

But in all honesty, now more than ever, we need to support the creatives in our lives however we can. If you see a friend share a fundraiser for their project, throw as much as you can spare. If you can’t afford anything, then share it! If you can get yourself to see their shows or their screenings in person, do everything in your power to be there. Let people know that you believe in them and their art by supporting them in any way that you can, and getting as many others to support them too. Even if their art isn’t for you, it might be for a friend of yours! Helping your friends find their proper audience is the gift that keeps on giving. Everyone’s dreams deserve to be supported. Everyone deserves a shot at achieving their goals. And seeing that the people in their life are willing to help them however they can (especially in a world where everything is so expensive and feels like there is such a barrier to entry) is a gift that a creative will cherish for the rest of their lives. When the world looks grim and doubts creep in an artist’s head, there is no better gift than seeing all of the people who went out of their way to support you. It doesn’t matter how close you are to the person, either. Make a new friend, or help out a stranger! Every artist will be so grateful for your help, no matter how well you know them.

When I put up my fundraiser for Sight, I was so touched by how many friends and family helped to support me in unexpected ways. I still tear up thinking about it. And the ones that meant the most were the people who I hadn’t spoken to in a long while. To know that after all these years they were still willing to help me out warmed my heart in ways I won’t ever forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amyfess.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acting_amy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBf8_Vyyxf-TQpm1MqEo0bg
• Other: TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyfess
  IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7797584/
  ACTORS ACCESS RESUME: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/amyfess

Image Credits

Shani Hadjian (Headshot), Leigh P. Walls (Sight Poster)