FADE IN:

Carissa is a filmmaker born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. After graduating top of her class from Columbia College Chicago’s film program, she moved to LA and got a job in the Tour Department at Warner Brothers. She spent nearly 10 years at the company climbing the corporate ladder eventually finding herself in the senior ranks of Studio Operations. She has managed production for projects such as “The Rookie”, “You”, & "Friends: The Reunion". On top of working a demanding day job, she has always made time for her own work. Most recently, she produced and directed a music video titled “These Are My Friends” for indie Chicago-based artist a.k.a. Ryan. Her short thriller which she wrote, directed and edited titled “In Flames'' successfully ran in a series of festivals including Etheria Film Night at the world's largest horror convention, Midsummer Scream. Her undergrad thesis film “Our Little Secret” won Best Drama at The International Student Film Festival Hollywood and amidst the pandemic, she completed and released a five episode comedic web series titled “(un)sociable” which she wrote, produced, edited and starred in. She is drawn to slice of life moments and character driven stories that bend minds and genre.