Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Elizabeth Harris
Hi Lauren Elizabeth , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the Philadelphia area and fell in love with acting at a young age- 5 to be exact. I had a really wonderful drama teacher when I was in high school who pushed me and believed in me, Terry Guerin. This gave me the initiative to pursue acting professionally. I studied acting at USC, and began doing it professionally after graduating. While acting in LA, I decided I wanted to have more control over my career, and wanted to start my own production company. This led me to Columbia University to pursue my MFA in Creative Producing. I then started my company, Pathway Pictures, and we now have five feature films and two series in development. I love that I get to pursue my lifelong passion while having a hand in seeing these projects come to life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If the road is smooth, it’s not worth taking. It’s been very difficult, and I heard a lot of no’s before I heard yes’s. There’s no obvious path to success in the entertainment industry, and you have to forge your own path to see what works. I like to think that perfection impedes progress, and that if it came easily, those wins wouldn’t be quite so sweet. It’s so easy to compare your path in this industry to others, but you really have to just trust the process and stay the course.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My company takes on projects that are led by gender marginalized creatives, and focuses on uplifting stories that may not otherwise be told. I’m extremely passionate about the projects I take on, and will really fight to make sure they get told. I’m most proud of the directors whose visions I get to help come to life. As an actor and producer, my job is really to serve the directors vision. By taking on stories that I believe will positively impact society, I am constantly fulfilled by the work that I’m doing. It’s amazing to look at your calendar and get to see that everything you’re working on is around having important stories be told, I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think if you’re not taking risks, you’re not growing. Risk taking can be terrifying, but to me, not achieving your dreams is more terrifying. If you look back at yourself and you’re the same person you were 5 years ago, then you’re not growing. Maintaining a growth mindset is something that I value, and taking risks allows us to get there. In this industry, the worst thing you can hear is no, and (spoiler alert) you’re going to hear that a lot anyway, so why not try the thing that scares you?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laurenelizabethharris.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurenelizabetharris
