Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christine Stoddard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Christine, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Art Bitch has absolutely been a meaningful project! This is a comedy character I’ve developed based upon my personal and professional experiences in New York City’s zany contemporary art world. I chronicle her misadventures as a Bushwick nepo baby and incessant party girl who’s totally unaware of her privilege. I’ve roped in comedian Aaron Gold to play the part of Uncle Cornelius, great patron of the one and only Art Bitch. “Art B*tch! Movies” is a web series now streaming on YouTube here: YouTube.com/@artbitchmovies. We’ve also performed live at illustrious and insane events like the Philadelphia Fringe Festival–just one of my faves.
It’s been empowering and SO FUN to satirize people and places I know all too well. I’ve also taken great joy from filming out of my studio in Ridgewood, Queens–an epicenter of hipster cool. Art Bitch has given me chances to write, perform, direct, and build an audience. Plus, who doesn’t love to laugh?
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an American-Salvadoran creator, artist, filmmaker, multimedia journalist, and one of Brooklyn Magazine’s Top 50 Most Fascinating People. I’m developing two comedy web series with Aaron Gold: “Art B*tch! Movies” and “Don’t Mind If I Don’t.” My short film “De Colores (Chorus of Melancholy)” won Best Experimental Project at the Latino Film Market, while my short narrative “Bottled” was nominated for Best ‘Short’ Short at the New York Long Island Film Festival. Recently, my short doc “Brick City Renaissance” was a semi-finalist screened for the Newark Reel Stories Challenge in New Jersey. I collaborated with director Tom Dunn on the artsy rom-com “5 Ways I Didn’t Marry You,” which premiered at the New York Shorts International Film Festival and won an editing award from the NYWIFT/iWomanTV Festival. My feature-length art film “Sirena’s Gallery” is distributed by Summer Hill Entertainment and streaming on Amazon, Tubi, and other platforms. I’m also known for authoring the critically acclaimed play “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares” and books such as Heaven Is a Photograph and Desert Fo by the Sea. I graduated from Columbia Journalism School, where I directed a documentary on the Village Halloween Parade, and The City College of New York-CUNY, where eI won the prestigious Sydney and Helen Jacoff Scholarship for video and photography.
I’ve been writing and drawing since I was a kid, and simply never stopped. Filmmaking and video creation give me a chance to put forth visual storytelling and unite various creative skills. Today I produce via my studio Quail Bell and have worked with some stellar clients. As a bicoastal creative, I split my time between New York and California. What I adore most is envisioning a story and having control of it from beginning to end.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Expressing myself and connecting with an audience is what motivates me. I love entertaining, informing, and moving people. There’s value in making up stories or, in non-fiction, telling under-told ones. People stay for stories that engage them. Sometimes those stories change their lives.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Many non-creatives don’t understand that the creative path is not a linear one. Our journeys are much more complex, but our persistence allows us to keep doing what we do. We also need programs that make it possible to keep going; sheer will power is not enough. Everyone benefits from arts and culture. Society needs artists and culture-makers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christinestoddard.com
- Instagram: @stoddardtv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoddardtv
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinestoddard
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoddardgold
Image Credits
© Quail Bell