Her Story
About Anthea
Anthea Piscarik is a screenwriter, author, producer, and filmmaker based in Newark, Delaware. She began her career in 1999 after studying screenwriting through Act 1OneWriting for Hollywood in Los Angeles, following her education as an English major with a concentration in film theory at the University of Delaware, training at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and advanced screenwriting studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Through her production company, St. Martin Productions, she develops projects including a biopic on Ella Fitzgerald, for which her short film won a proof of concept award with $50,000 in funding from Netflix and an NAACP Image Award after being chosen from over 1,200 submissions. She is also an author whose first novel, Unearthing Christmas, became an Amazon bestseller and is being republished, and she produces short films such as Unseen American Dream. Piscarik belongs to the Authors Guild and a women filmmakers group on Facebook. She attributes her success to believing she has something to offer and a deep love of storytelling, and she creates work with a redemptive quality and commitment to truth, shaped by her Catholic Christian faith.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Anthea
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to believing that I had something to offer and loving to tell stories. I am not happy unless I am telling a story, whether as an actress on a stage, a novel, or in any way. It is what we are meant to do, and we all have a story to tell.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to stay in the game and don't give up, no matter how many rejections. Believe in yourself and don't sell yourself short. Don't be the naysayer in your own life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I advise young women to band together, promote each other, and not tear each other down. We need to love each other, sing each other's praises, and build sisterhood. Be true to yourself, don't try to be anyone but yourself, and you will shine. Promote other women and help each other.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity right now is making the Ella script into a movie and getting my first book republished. Challenges include the impact of AI in publishing, where many authors are using it to generate content quickly, which concerns me as I prefer human-created work and hold out from using generative AI myself.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
As a Catholic Christian, I believe everything in my life is ordained by God. I trust the path through prayer, perseverance, and patience. I tell stories with a redemptive quality and truth, because when it holds truth, everyone understands it. Redemption is possible at any point, and there is no judging in that.
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