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

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

I grew up immersed in the world of arts. My mother was a dancer and painter, my sister is a poet, my brother a musician, and my dad a screenwriter and producer. I grew up in a very LA way – running around tv sets and dreaming of the day I could stand up there just like those I admired. My dad didn’t want to encourage a life of being an actor, knowing the difficulties of success and the consistency of rejection. Much to his dismay I wasn’t deterred so he told me I would have to work hard to prove that this was what I really wanted to do – no hand outs (despite my desperate plea for him to write me into a script of his). I never wavered from my dreams of being an actor. In fact it felt like something that was uniquely mine in a family of artists. It also felt like an escape at times, like when my father’s health started to dwindle. He started getting sick pretty early in my youth – knee surgery, open heart surgery when I was 10, and then fast forward to when I had finally flown the coop and moved to New York he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. My dad and I were tied at the hip from the time i was a child. He talked to me like an adult and made me feel seen even when I thought I was hiding. The notion of this person who was the epitome of strength and resilience had been cursed with the daunted C word broke my heart. It didn’t stop him though. I would visit home and I’d hear him pitching script ideas back and forth with his writing partner. We’d talk on the phone about auditions – he’d give me his realistic take and then his encouraging protective father take. I don’t think I was quite realistic myself about my dad’s diagnosis. In March 2021, my dad passed away of lung cancer. I’ve worked the last 2 years since then trying to work through my grief rather unsuccessfully. And then a few months ago I was shooting a movie in Nashville with a group of incredible female artists and this script my dad had written right before he passed popped into my head. It was a script I’d heard him pitch back and forth for years and then of course when COVID hit it sat dusty on his shelves. The plot was particularly exciting as the protagonists were two teenage girls – in reflection, two teenage girls with very similar personality traits to me and my sister in our youth. After putting some feelers into the universe about potential collaborations a number of people from my past showed up excited about the prospect of honoring him with this movie. So 9 months later, we are in the full swing of pre-production, we’ve surpassed our initial fundraising goal, and in a month we will start shooting Runaways. This project is in every way a dedication to who my dad was as an artist, but most importantly a father.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up surrounded by artists it felt like a natural progression for me to fall into the path. I grew up born and raised in Los Angeles on television sets. I was put into musical theatre very young and was absolutely obsessed with my youth theatre, even though their musicals were often rewritten or renamed. I was in dance classes at least 4-5 hours most days, followed by theatre rehearsals, voice lessons on the weekends, and rounds of tennis late in the evening with people twice my age. I was very much a busy body from the time I popped out of the woom and that certainly didn’t stop as I went to college. I wanted to do as much as possible in the arts – I went to Muhlenberg College as a theatre major concentrating in acting, directing, and performance studies with a minor in dance education. I started developing immersive theatre in abandoned frat houses, TA-ed for classical verse classes, and then found my love for arts education when I began volunteering at The 52nd Street Project. I moved to New York the day I graduated college and started working 5 jobs, until I realized that in no world was that sustainable. When I wasn’t auditioning or performing I ended up developing a career in hospitality. I currently serve as the Director of Guest Relations and Private Events for a Michelin star fine dining restaurant and their wine bar which was just awarded Best Restaurant of 2022 by NY Mag. Connecting with people and transporting them out of whatever day they’ve had to a new world where they can feel taken care of is important to me. It happens to very much align with who I am as an artist. As an actor/producer/writer my main focus is creating art that make people feel seen. It’s important to me that I am showing up fully myself to gain the trust of my audience (whether that’s restaurant guests or in the theatre, although sometime the two get confused). As a little kid who often felt like the black sheep, I hope that the artistic world I build allows people to see a version of themselves, future or past, and lets them know I am here with them. I got you.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was a really big liar as a child. Dont worry, I break it down almost weekly in therapy. There was something in me that felt like I had to lie to create another life for myself because I wasn’t good enough. When these lies seemed to benefit me I felt like I had to play the role I had built for myself but frequently these came around to bite me. I lost a true sense of self because I was too busy trying to shape myself into who I thought others wanted me to be. It wasn’t until I found my community of artists who saw me at my most raw and truthful that I felt comfortable embracing the person I had only privately. I would rather have people see me at my worst now if it means that’s the honest version than play pretend to appease someone else. Be yourself – it’s much more fulfilling.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I have been particularly motivated by female writers who focus on the practice of vulnerability. Glennon Doyle, Brene Brown, Pema Chodron all have taught me the power of vulnerability and emotionality. It’s how I lead in my careers whether that is hospitality or being an artist. Too many times have I tried to power through or pretend like things were fine when they weren’t. I encourage my restaurant staff to be honest with me if they’re having a hard day or if a guest is rude to them. I want to give them space and want them to respect their own boundaries. It’s not worth pushing ourselves to a breaking point. I often find in carrying other peoples weight that I’m not respecting my boundaries. Because of this, I’ve chosen to be a leader that checks in with my employees and collaborators on a personal level, but most importantly myself to make sure that I’m not dismissing my needs or my grief just to fulfill the people pleasing qualities I developed from an early age.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.EmmaSteiger.com
• Instagram: @emma.steiger
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/emma-steiger

Image Credits
Michael Kushner Photography Heather LeRoy Photography Glamour Mag Grub Street – NY Mag