FADE IN:

Carissa is a writer/director drawn to character-driven stories about ambitious women shaped by identity, contradiction and sacrifice. 

Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles after graduating top of her class from Columbia College Chicago's film program. She began her career at Warner Bros., working her way up from the Tour Department into senior roles in Studio Operations, where she spent nearly a decade supporting large scale productions across the lot. She coordinated across multiple departments to bring large scale creative visions to life within the limits of a working studio. 

Alongside her studio work, Carissa has consistently developed her own creative projects as a writer, director, and producer. Her work spans narrative short films, web series, and music videos, including “These Are My Friends”, a music video for Chicago-based artist a.k.a. Ryan. Her short thriller “In Flames” has screened at festivals including Etheria Film Night at Midsummer Scream, and her college thesis film “Our Little Secret” won Best Drama at The International Student Film Festival Hollywood. During the pandemic, she also wrote, directed, and starred in the five-episode web series “(un)sociable”.

Carissa’s background across Studio Operations and independent filmmaking has shaped her into a practical storyteller. She believes strong creative vision works best when it can exist in real-world production conditions, and she brings that perspective to every project she writes, and directs.