We recently connected with Faith McQuinn and have shared our conversation below.

Faith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first story when I was five. It was called “The Purple Princess of Purpleville,” and I wrote it on a legal pad at my aunt’s house. But for most of my life, it was just something I really enjoyed doing. Not until I was in high school did I realize that I could truly make a career writing and directing film. My drama teacher Gus Gillette was a big part of helping me realize this was something I could pursue. So, I’d say my sophomore year of high school was when I made the decision to be serious about screenwriting and filmmaking. I never looked back after that.

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?

I have spent more than half my life writing and shooting films. I spent a lot of time wanting to be a novelist. In high school, though, I got really into films and plays and realized writing for the performing arts was so much more fun. I wrote a short that was recognized by the Director’s Guild of America, directed a one-act stage play, and could always be found behind a camera catching moments with my friends.

That didn’t stop in college, I did a lot of short films and music videos and working on indie films around Kentucky and Tennessee.
After receiving my bachelor’s in Creative Writing and an MFA in Film Production, I worked on a couple of indie films and in post-production at various production houses in LA and Orange County. Feeling the need to return to my Southern roots, I moved back to Tennessee where I’ve worked for years as a video editor, writer, and film instructor.

In 2015, I started Observer Pictures, a production company with the sole purpose of creating original entertaining content every year. I spent so long helping my clients and my students make their projects, I knew it was time for me to make my own work again. I missed creating characters and telling their stories.

In 2017, I decided to adapt one of my screenplays into an audio drama series called “Boom.” It ended up being one of the hardest and most satisfying projects I’ve ever done. I had no idea what I was doing when I started, but I loved making it. Cinematography and directing for the camera was always the hardest part of film for me, so the idea of being able to focus on writing and working with actors without worrying about visuals was…intoxicating! Even though I still enjoy filmmaking, the fiction podcast bug has bitten me hard. I’ve now made three fiction podcast series: Boom, Margaritas & Donuts, and Apollyon.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are far too many people in the world who think visual and performing arts are a bad career choice, yet those same people watch TV, go to the movies, listen to music, wear fashion-forward clothing, and are surrounded by so much art and creativity daily.

I think society needs to make a concerted effort to focus on music and theatre and art in schools as much as they focus on the sciences. Submerging young people in the arts will make them more well-rounded, and they will become adults who appreciate and support the arts.

On top of that, focusing on talent over likes and views and popularity is my biggest fantasy. YouTube and TikTok and other social media outlets have given artists a place to express themselves without huge costs, which is wonderful. I wish it was something I had as a kid. (I just made home videos and showed them to my family and friends.) But those same places that foster creativity have led to consumption that’s based on popularity instead of talent. I really feel like this is why people have such a hard time financially supporting indie artists. If you don’t have a following, people don’t think you’re worth anything. We’ve really got to change this mindset in people who consume art as well as people who make it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This is going to sound so shallow, but true appreciation from people who love what I do. I don’t mean people who tell me they like my writing or enjoyed watching that film (which is wonderful by the way!), but people who are truly moved by the characters and stories I’ve created.

A few years ago, I had a woman send me a private message on Instagram. She told me that her job was stressful, and she felt a little lost, but when she listened to Boom, it helped her find clarity. I literally cried. Something that I put my heart and soul into helped someone else feel better. I truly couldn’t ask for something more rewarding.

I’ve also spoken at Podcast Movement and the Austin Film Festival, I’m very passionate about writing and helping people tell the best stories they can (which is probably why I taught screenwriting for 9 years). After every one of my talks, I’ve had people come up to me and tell me they really appreciated what I had to say and some of them even implemented my tips and practices into their own writing. Again, being able to help people with their passions by talking about my own fills my heart with joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.observerpictures.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/observerpix and instagram.com/apollyonpod
• Facebook: facebook.com/observerpix
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/faithmcquinn/
• Twitter: twitter.com/observerpix and twitter.com/fbeemcee
• Youtube: youtube.com/@observerpix

Image Credits
Main photo by Novella Bex Fire silhouette photo by Amanda Lorraine Photo in recording studio by Tim McQuinn Photo in Apollyon shirt by Dani McQuinn Art and other photos by me