We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emma Kuhlman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The further I expand across mediums, from acting, to docs, directing, or design- the more clearly I see the through line of my asking; what is it like to have a body? An unexpected exploration of this was shooting “The 48” across the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We captured ultra-marathon runners William Peterson and Xander Kiether summiting all forty eight, 4,000 foot mountains in under three days, fourteen hours, and fifty nine minutes- you have to watch the film to believe it. Witnessing this athletic achievement first hand was simply on another level… It’s so powerful to be around people who are soul-smiling, and beaming with having attempted or achieved the impossible. During the process, I caught myself  experiencing something I had heard repeatedly in acting school- to “serve the story”. I pushed my body to places I didn’t know I had in me, hiking with gear, running inclines at altitude to get the shot, sleeping in the back seat of my car because setting up camp would only take away from sleep… and feeling more alive than I ever had. Working in service of the greater good, something truly beyond yourself, is always meaningful and what draws me to work in docs.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I initially discovered I was a storyteller through acting. My first role was a talking, Cindi Lauper inspired chicken who laid an egg onstage… something in me just knew I had to make this my life.

I soon got human roles and devoured Shakespeare. I moved across the country for my dream BFA program and started getting work as an actor.

It wasn’t until I was working on “Things We Like” with Adi Jahic, that I realized I wanted to explore more roles in film than acting. Adi is a one of the most generous collaborators I know and opened the door for me to witness and contribute to his process- the Indie Feature we made is so close to my heart.

Growing up in California, I have always had a sensitivity and love of light. It now makes sense to me that I have finally arrived at film- a collaborative medium which is most fundamentally the practice of capturing light.

The visual component of filmmaking is what sends me over the edge. I am obsessed with composition, light, color, depth, pacing, and bodies in space come together to tell a story.

Working in multiple mediums at any given time has proven to be so informative for me. No part of the process gets stale or taken for granted, and what I am learning from any one of them begins to inform the next.

I used to feel a lot of pressure to find “my thing”, I’m grateful that my mentors guided me to find my voice instead.

I know that even if I start a business, my voice will be woven into the branding, the culture, and product. It’s been so freeing to let go of the limitation of one medium and let myself keep exploring.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had two reconstructive knee surgeries when I was 21 and discovered magic.

I was warming up for a rehearsal, I slipped and fell out of a turn, and couldn’t get up. I dragged myself to my phone and texted the class group chat. I didn’t even want to call an ambulance. My two best friends sourced a rolling chair from the halls, snuck me out of the building, and into an Uber to urgent care… so college.

I had surgery a week later, left the operating room, slept a day and went back to rehearsal… until my surgeon served me the harsh reality that things don’t heal without care and if I wanted to keep dancing, running, and creating all kinds of characters I needed to slow down.

I threw myself into physical therapy instead, overtrained, and somehow nine months later at a follow-up visit we discovered I had a torn ACL in the same knee.

I wracked my brain for an explanation. How do you tear an ACL and not know it… or forget… and especially over the early days of lockdown…?

I asked my trainers, my friends, my partner, my body, I asked the universe, I asked a shaman, I banished evil spirit from my knee and literally prayed.

And the magic part, is that there isn’t an explanation.
The magic part is not having logic, but still having a body.
The magic part is the care I received and the tidy little scars, portals, I will always carry with me.
The magic part is my young woman who checked the box when taking her driving test to be a tissue donor. The magic part is she is in my right knee and part of me, us, now.
The magic part was replacing “why” with thank you.

The magic part of any story is the transformation. The magic is the pivot.

Slowing down, allowed me to deepen my work in ways I never thought possible. I felt so much pressure to get on as many sets and connect with as many people as I could and always be making while I was in school. I am so grateful I did, but periods of hustle need to be met with time to process and deepen the work. So grateful my body didn’t let me move forward without truly transforming my instrument.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am driven by the kernels of change in the industry that have given women, people of color, and untold stories more voice. With so much expansion in the form- streaming & new media- I hope the breadth of the types of stories which are produced and bought continue to diversify. While I find documentary a really exciting space, I think narratives hold just as much power for social and cultural change- as long as we keep taking informed risks as makers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @2kuhl4skool
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmakuhlman/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RxxmyAziTo

Image Credits
Zian Meng