Vermont should be beautiful this time of year, and it just so happens we know someone who might be able to help us confirm or deny those claims.
Director/writer/actress of ‘A Therapist’ and Vermont native, Maegan Lynn has spent the last decade plus in her new home of North Carolina, but I bet if you see her at the Mightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival, you can ask her about Vermont yourself. I know for certain that my wife and I will, with ‘White Christmas’ viewings fresh on our minds at that point.
However it won’t be our first question, no. That question would be something much more intriguing and pertaining to her film-making journey, like how it felt to star as the lead of upcoming horror film ‘The Sins Beneath’ or leading the teen drama, ‘Waiting on the Brooklyn Bridge’ with Academy-nominated actor Eric Roberts.
An impressive career thus far, Lynn’s long time acting and first time film-maker career began doing musicals and local theatre back in Vermont, then enrolling at Elon University where she studied broadcast journalism, “and since then have been acting, hosting and singing professionally” Lynn says.
When asked about when she knew she would turn ‘A Therapist’ into an actual film, Lynn stated, “I’ve had a running list of shorts, features and series ideas on my phone for years. It wasn’t until my acting teacher, Lee Spencer, gave us an assignment in class at in-STUDIO to write a scene for another actor and direct them in it that I actually took the leap to become a screenwriter. After seeing Dianne (Paukstelis) bring the scene to life as the therapist in our class performance, I knew I wanted to make this into a short with her and myself.”
Diving deeper into the meaning behind ‘A Therapist’ Meagan reveals, “I’ve had multiple first-time appointments at new therapists so I know how awkward they can be. I wanted to take a silly approach with that in ‘A Therapist’ – and hopefully give people an example of what they should NOT look for in a therapist!”
Lynn believes ‘A Therapist’ would have never seen the light of day if it wasn’t for “Dianne Paukstelis – I am convinced there’s no genre and no script she can’t take on and absolutely crush it. She’s one of the most talented actresses I know and my title character wouldn’t be who she is without all the flourishes and quirks Dianne brought to her.”
Passionate praise from Lynn, someone who seems to have a keen awareness on all things film, by citing “Some of my favorite directors, Mike Flanagan and Steven Spielberg (ET is forever my favorite film), some of my favorite writers are Robert and Michelle King (Evil on Paramount+ is a work of art), and some of my favorite show runners are Jeff Rake of Manifest (one of the best shows I’ve ever seen) and Marlene King of Pretty Little Liars (one of my first ever favorite shows a dream genre to act in!). These are truly just to name a few as I’m never watching less than 12 tv shows at a time and always seeing new films!”
As we approached the question I have asked all of our spotlight film-makers; quality vs. quantity? Lynn really comes through with some wisdom, as most have thus far;
“Quality is most important to me, because that’s what I’m looking for as a viewer. As an avid film and TV consumer, I don’t care if a director, writer, or actor has dozens of projects under their belt – that’s not why I watch. I tune into a new show or movie based on the allure of its premise and I become a fan because of the quality of the storytelling: the writing, the cinematography, the chemistry between the actors. These are the things that matter most to me as a viewer, so it’s what matters most to me as a filmmaker.”
So for me, personally, the seesaw of quality vs. quantity conintues. I was very set in my ways with one, until interviewing these film-makers, they have been making very solid points for both, see our piece on Aaron K. Crocker for the last point of view. Proving how beautifully diverse and necessary a wide range of artistic opinions is in the film-making community to have that yin and yang.
‘A Therapist’ is an official selection in our second annualMightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival, January 8-11, 2025 at the historic Sunset Theatre in the downtown district of Asheboro, North Carolina and is scheduled to show during one of our North Carolina focused screening blocks, Thursday January 9th, 2025 from 6-8pm.
Maegan concludes our interview by showing her excitement on our festival, “(I am) Ecstatic! I believe in the NC film community so strongly and all I want is to see it grow and flourish.” With that being said, Lynn is planning on attending, so you may have a chance to meet, network and talk with her.
Follow/like and learn more about Maegan Lynn at these places
YOUTUBE
X (formerly Twitter)
INSTAGRAM
IMDb
written by:TY BRUEILLY
TY BRUEILLY is an award winning visual/audio artist and Asheboro, N.C. native
2005 Gradutate of Applachian State University
BSBA in MARKETING, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
BS in JOURNALISM & COMMUNICATION
MINOR in MANDARIN & ASIAN STUDIES
He is also the film festival director and event programmer forMIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD AWARDS at SUNSET FILM FESTIVAL
learn more about him atfilmandfashionbybrueilly.com
Published by Ty Bru
AppState Grad. MTTS founder. Journalist. Ocean Hopper. Rustract Photographer. Fashion Designer. Filmmaker. Hip Hop Artist. International Advisor. Teacher. Former ex-patriate. Loyal Husband. Loving Father.View all posts by Ty Bru
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