We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tessa Morell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?

In any industry today, creative or not, inclusivity and diversity should be one of the top priorities. When I’m working in an above-the-line position on projects I make sure to keep this in mind when building my team because I believe it’s important for every member of the team to feel equal but also because the more we implement these changes the more it becomes the standard; it becomes something for others to see and go off of. I’ve worked under male authorities previously as the only woman on the team and it feels isolating and uncomfortable. I believe that when hiring new people or building a new team you should consider options that may not have been at the forefront to encourage diversity and inclusion in your workplace.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Tessa Morell and I am a self-taught photographer, videographer, and filmmaker based in Savannah, GA. My passion for filmmaking has been present for as long as I can remember but it was in 2016 that I started creating silly short films with my friends and in 2021 created my business and began submitting my self-produced short films to competitions and festivals around the world. Due to my ongoing success at film festivals and never-ending photography portfolio, I was accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2022.

Filmmaking is something that has always been a certainty for me. It was when I first watched the movie Frozen (2013) that I decided I wanted to direct movies. I felt so inspired by the world-building, unique story, and successful female director that it was the only option that felt right for me. It was in high school that my filmmaking journey began to take off. I wrote, directed, shot, and edited several short films with my friends that can still be found online today. I would submit these films to festivals and have screenings of them at my local movie theater. Additionally, my short film “After Dark”, a project about violence against women, participated in many festivals and won monetary rewards from organizations such as ConnectHer.

It was around this time I began working as a freelance artist, photographing and videoing senior portraits, weddings, sports, and more. I’ve learned so much about creative projects outside of narrative filmmaking and continue this work today in Savannah, Georgia. Getting my bachelor’s in Film & Television at SCAD, I am learning from industry professionals where I’m able to build my skill set and perfect my craft.

Today, I work as a freelance videographer for Public Tennis Inc., a non-profit organization that helps provide disabled athletes access to tennis instructions, practices, and gameplay. Additionally, I am preparing for the production of my senior thesis film, “Mourning Dove”, a family drama about a young girl named Hound and her relationship with her alcoholic father through the activity of hunting and butchering deer. This is my largest and most passionate project to date and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a filmmaker is being able to see dreams come to life. There is an endless number of talented people that have these amazing ideas brewing in their heads and it’s such a wonderful thing to be able to help it come to life. I truly believe that movies have been and will continue to be one of the most influential mediums of art in an emotional, psychological, and political sense. It’s so important we continue to utilize the power movies hold and keep telling stories because there are so many more to be told.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Less of a lesson and more of a mindset but it has taken a long time for me to realize I don’t need to know everything about my craft right now because I shouldn’t. As a creative, it’s easy to compare your progress to others and feel inadequate when you don’t know how to do something but I’ve recently come to understand that it’s ok to not know because I’m learning. I’m at school getting a degree because I want to learn, if I knew how to do it all then I wouldn’t be here. It has taken me a long time to get to this point but with this new mindset, a world of knowledge has opened up to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tessamphotos.wixsite.com/videography/bio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessamorellproductions?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tessa.morell.9/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-morell-b79550260
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tessamorell1282
• Other: Mourning Dove Film Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mourningdovefilm/