Meet Rachael Quinn & Abigail Reed: Founders of Moonwake

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachael Quinn & Abigail Reed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachael & Abigail, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?

We both grew up on the east coast, but we didn’t meet until college. We already had a passion for writing and acting, but once we got to Franklin & Marshall, we really began to focus on film. F&M offered a wide range of performance, directing, and leadership opportunities, which allowed us to work together in a variety of capacities, both personally and professionally. It’s always difficult to work with your friends, and even harder to work with a roommate, but looking back, it really prepared us for an industry that is so closely tied to personal relationships.

After graduation, Rachael went to work at a local production house while Abigail studied abroad at the London Dramatic Academy. Looking back, that was an incredibly formative year for us individually as we delved deeper into the industry and solidified our true career goals. After Abigail returned to the States, we decided to pack up our things move to LA.

We were both raised with an emphasis on creativity, perseverance, and family, which definitely carries through in our scripts, our company, and our daily lives. LA is a city full of dreamers, and we’ve always felt that it’s important to remember you’re not dreaming alone. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the help and support of those around us, and we have always worked to pay it forward every step of the way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Moonwake is a production company dedicated to telling unique stories, providing fresh perspectives, and giving platforms to underrepresented people, topics, and communities. We truly believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, and we would not be where we are today without the incredible team surrounding us.

It hasn’t been easy, but everything we’ve done, we’ve done together. It’s really our team’s support, belief, and hard work that’s gotten us through all the roadblocks and challenges we’ve faced. Nearly every time we hit a brick wall on our end, someone comes through with a helping hand or much needed words of encouragement. There’s just a certain energy that comes from all working towards the same goal.

The biggest thing we’ve learned is that the traditional way to do things is a great blueprint, but it’s not the only way. You’re never going to feel 100% ready, but the important thing is to put yourself out there, learn as you go, analyze what does and doesn’t work, and keep going back to the drawing board time and time again. It requires a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and brutal honesty, but once you start seeing progress, it’s incredibly rewarding.

We’ve been immensely proud of how far we’ve been able to come, even in the face of a global pandemic. Our team is spread out through multiple time zones and countries, and getting to watch projects come together on an international scale has been really inspiring during a time when we’ve all been so physically isolated.

We have a lot of exciting projects on our slate for the next few years, ranging from feature films to TV shows, that we can’t wait to share. One that we’re particularly excited about is The Fallen, a 1980s supernatural high school drama that has a lot of talented people involved, including James Marsters and Paul Johansson.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Besides the usual tourist attractions, we always take our friends to Malibu for some dog beach and hiking fun and drive back through Laurel Canyon for the views. A great stop in that area is Malibu Wine Safaris, where you can meet exotic animals while trying some delicious and locally made wines.

For breakfast, we can’t resist swinging by some of the local Armenian bakeries for ponchiks, and for dinners, we love showing people around Glendale Americana and trying some delicious tapas at Bacarí (and we never miss the cupcake ATM). We always catch our movies at Universal City Walk (and maybe even take a day to go to the theme park if we want some rollercoasters). And finally, no trip to visit us is complete without the best ramen in LA at our absolute favorite restaurant, Chibiscus.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

A big thank you to our families, our friends, The Moonwake Team, and everyone else who’s supported us along the way. We wouldn’t be where we are today without each and every one of you.

Website: www.moonwakepictures.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/createmoonwake

Twitter: www.twitter.com/createmoonwake

Facebook: www.facebook.com/createmoonwake

Other: www.instagram.com/thefallentvseries

Image Credits
James Korin Photography, Anna Wickström Photography, Ranee Vespi