We were lucky to catch up with Chelsea Spirito recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time, (knowing what I know now), I would urge my younger self to rush head long into jumping into a creative career asap. I was super creative and off-beat in high school, but when it came to college, the quetion of “can you make a living with your art?” was constantly asked of me. I only applied to one school for theater (and got in, which should have been a sign), but chose another path, and wound up longing to be one of the theater arts students I’d see on campus. Having the courage to start sooner and giving myself permission to pursue that love would have changed a lot– from the trajectory of my employment and the nature of my relationships, but also I think in an overall fulfillment of my life. If my focus weren’t so much on “can I survive doing this?” I feel like I may have had more overall fun and joy in my day to day instead of being bogged down by what I though were “practical” concerns.

I wouldn’t say I’m regretful necessarily, I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences and opportunities, I just wish I’d found myself and the clarity to shift gears towards writing and comedy a lot sooner. It’s gluttonous, because I just want more of that. ;)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Chelsea! I’m a Scorpio, Los Angeles native, writer & black cat owner.

I’ve always been a writer– In second grade I won the first prize in my school district’s creative writing contest with a short story about a cat and a weiner dog who become friends (I still have the trophy at my mother’s house); I’ve kept a journal since 6th grade (I think the first few entries are about my NeoPets, if memory serves); and I’ve written several shorts for self producing actors looking to work their way into the union (go actors go!)

I think what sets me apart from some other writers (and or multihyphanate creators) out there, is I have a vast experience working in the entertainment industry. I have worked in casting (The Rookie, Arlo the Alligator Boy, Sponge Bob Squarepants 3…), VFX (Ugly Betty), behind the mic (Fauda, Ingobernable) and in front of it (Angel Soft, Robot Chicken, Carnation, Google, Staples…), as a PA for a million different things, production coordinator on game shows and every position in between. In that time, I’ve been really priveledged to garner all sorts of experiences and meet a myriad of different people, which has not only shaped the way I personally work, but how I want to treat and support those alongside me. I think that there are people out there that tend to lose sight of the difficult steps they’ve taken to achieve their success and often pull up the ladder behind them. With the endeavors I pursue, I do my best to reflect that effort I want to see in this industry and line of work, and pull people up with me.

In both my position as a creative, but also in the grand scheme of things, I’m really proud of my perserverance. That I keep pushing ahead. It can be easy to give up and let failure rock you, but I’m encouraged by my own thick skin and ability to keep getting back up thats developed over time. I think my younger self would be really excited to know that we live in Los Feliz and are able to support ourself as a working creative artist.

Right now I’m most excted for my next short, “Brain Spotting”, which we’re crowdfunding for until March 6th! This is my first crowdfunding project, so I’m jazzed by putting such a campaign together and also by the incredible support and encouragment we’ve received so far!
Brain Spotting is about failing writer Julie Winters, whose suddenly struck with inspiration when her fantasy creations leap off the page and into her life. The price of her creativity comes at a high cost however when she discovers her visions are the result of a brain tumor.
With this story, we strive to explore the all too familiar pain and joy of chasing a dream no matter the cost, crafting a narrative that asks the viewer to consider the price they themselves would pay to achieve their own. It’s dark, funny, and not a little weird, which very much speaks to my style, really heralding the adage, “If you’re not laughing, you’re crying” (especially today in 2025).
I encourage you to check out our pitch video and learn more about our world at: seedandspark.com/fund/brain-spotting

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There is! There are a few even–

My goal on the practical side of things, is first for everyone to be safe (a thank you to Troma’s founder Lloyd Kauffman for that), then paid, then happy. I want the things I create and produce that require the contribution of others to be enjoyable overall. We’re creating film as art, and that should be an exciting and good psirited thing!

On the creative side, I want to make art that’s both weird and off-beat and strange, while still managing to be thought provoking and moving. I love the spaces inbetween things, espcially comedy and drama, or comedy and horror. We’re such complicated human beings that juxtaposing such contrasting mediums or situations can create all sorts of new feelings within us. I want you to feel things– but I also want you to laugh. Maybe an uncomfortable laugh, but a laugh no less. Two of my favorite filmmakers are David Lynch & Lars VonTrier, and love them or hate them, they make you feel things. They reach into your body and pull something out, so that by the time you’ve finished watching one of their films, you have something to say in response. You’re just a little bit different.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Up untl my early-ish twenties, I’d been working in entertainment in a variety of positions, still uncertain which path I was supposed to be following down. I fell in love with someone, and, being dissastisfied with my then job, I took a leap of faith and moved to San Diego to see if I was maybe supposed to “do something else” with my life. I returned to fashion retail (fun, but that wasn’t it), tried my hand at coding for a website farm (also very much not the thing), and then explored voice over in earnest (which until then had been more of a hobby or addendum to acting). A pivot to a pivot to a pivot to an ultimate pivot back to Los Angeles. I had to move away from what I loved and enjoyed overall, to realize that that’s truly where my heart was.
(Also I pivoted the fuck out of that relationship not long after I went back to LA when I relized they weren’t willing to equally pivot their life for me the way I had for them. Pivot!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chelseaspirito.com
• Instagram: @chelsisneato
• Twitter: @CKspirito
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CkSpirito
• Other: Our Seed & Spark Campaign! – seedandspark.com/fund/brain-spotting