What if the most useful thing you create isn’t built for gatekeepers, but for the people who need it most? We sit down with filmmaker and advocate Miles to trace how a DIY obsession with iMovie grew into Under the Lights, a short that sparked a community and a feature with a powerhouse cast. Along the way, we pull apart the myths around epilepsy, talk about the loneliness of invisible disability, and explore why the toughest part isn’t the seizures but the stigma. Miles’s message is simple and strong: stop putting your goals in someone else’s hands and make work that serves.
We dig into the messy, unglamorous craft of indie filmmaking—fundraising, pitching, finishing when burnout bites—and the mindset shift that makes it possible. Shorts don’t prepare you for features, so you have to let the story evolve, release your attachment to the original, and build a team that can pivot when chaos hits. Miles shares how a teacher’s offhand comment lit a years-long fire, why honest pages from your private journal create the best roles for actors, and how a film becomes a verb when it’s made for a community rather than a laurels list.
There’s humor, too, and a clear-eyed take on identity. We talk about dating, labels, and the choice to be “passing” versus visible. A TED Talk with the eyebrow-raising title Why You Should Give Up on Your Dreams turns out to be a blueprint for redefining success: be useful, be brave, and measure outcomes in impact, not press. If you’re a creator, advocate, or curious listener, you’ll walk away with practical insights on turning lived experience into art, navigating festivals without losing your soul, and treating your film as a service that keeps giving long after the credits roll.
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