Meet Maggie McCollester | Actress & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maggie McCollester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Create your own magic! Don’t wait for someone else’s permission to do your own thing. As an actress, I began my career thinking I would stay in my lane and always work in other people’s projects. I didn’t dream of one day also being a producer and developing new works of my own – in part because I didn’t write, or know many writers, let alone screenwriters. Little did I know I would eventually marry one. And we would start our own independent content production company – Harbinger Moon Media. It’s been such a shift!

Creating our own projects is incredibly empowering and magical. The applied learning is so valuable and keeps us moving forward in honing our craft. And the super charge of energy we get from the experience really keeps our spirits up.

The artist’s lifestyle can be so unpredictable, it’s crucial to remember you are in charge of your own happiness. For me, it’s been a huge lesson to embrace, knowing I don’t have to wait for opportunities to feel fulfilled. I can make them myself. I’m incredibly grateful to those who instilled that idea in me, and to my husband Hamish for being my partner in it.

Everyone’s career path is different. Mine’s been made infinitely better by staying proactive, resourceful and determined.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Right now I’m most excited about our upcoming feature film project at Harbinger Moon Media. Hamish has written a fantastic thriller that we will produce, he will direct, and I will star in. We will be shooting it this summer. It’s a doozy!

We also just completed a fun year of film festivals. We got to celebrate our collaboration with two other couples on a horror sci-fi short film called “Killing Time.” We’re happy to report it won 9 “Best” awards – one of those for myself as best actress. Such lovely honors. Completing a film’s journey like that makes you psyched to start again.

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.
Oh, I adore playing tour guide! And LA is such a popular destination that I’ve gotten to do it a lot. I love tailoring friends’ visits to what they like because LA has something for absolutely everyone.

Friends and I have hunted down skateboard shops and obscure movie locations, found funky new restaurants and the best of the old ones. Been to concerts everywhere from the Palladium to the Henry Fonda, the Hollywood Bowl to Walt Disney Concert Hall. And plays from the Complex to the Ahmanson to the Pantages. Strolled through Descanso Gardens and Huntington Gardens. Hiked to the Bat Caves and of course the Hollywood Sign.

We’ve tromped all over Disneyland, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers. Shopped at the Grove and the Beverly Center. Enjoyed hot dogs at Pinks and burgers at In-N-Out. Loved comedy at the Improv and Laugh Factory and rock bands at Whisky A-Go-Go. And don’t get me started on Santa Monica and Venice Beach!

We usually stop by LACMA and Rodeo Drive – I look forward to exploring the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. And I love the Getty Museums, and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. And naturally, I have to take people for photo opps at Lake Hollywood (the Sign!), the Walk of Fame and the Oscar stairs at the Dolby Theatre. And so much more…

So, a week in LA could include any or all of these, but a fabulous day would start with a stroll through Fern Dell in Griffith Park followed by a breakfast stop at The Trails Cafe and a visit to Griffith Observatory – the views there are breathtaking – “The Big Picture” wall on the inside and all of LA on the outside. We’d spend the day at the La Brea Tar Pits and George C. Page Museum – I love LA’s natural history. For lunch, we’d have whatever suits our fancy at The Original Farmer’s Market at the Grove, but we’d save room for drinks and dinner at Yamashiro before sunset – I love watching the twinkling lights of the city come on from there. And we’d finish the day with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl – with fireworks!

I love sharing the magic of LA!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First of all, I love that you do this! Second, definitely – I’ve had excellent mentors every step of the way, and they all deserve credit!

As my Career Coach Gwyn Gilliss said, “Absolutely no successful person got there alone. Everyone needs encouragement and advice.” Sadly, Gwyn passed away recently, but the mark she left on me is indelible. Working with her set me up for success in so many ways. With her guidance, my career leapt from doing small-town theatre to appearing in national commercials. I will never forget all we did together and her contagious zest for life!

Gwyn also introduced me to another key person, my agent Craig Holzberg at Avalon Artists Group. I’m so fortunate to work with him! Craig’s belief in me has never wavered. Plus, he is the epitome of loyalty and hard work, and a true-blue friend.

I’d also love to shout out my acting teacher Tim Phillips! Studying with Tim keeps me sane. His detective’s approach to scripts has given me a concrete acting craft – a way to be totally human and more confident in auditions. Tim’s been a guide of mine for years and such a gift!

And Tim led me to Image Consultant Sam Christensen. Like Gwyn, Sam is now gone, but our work together was pivotal for me. It helped me identify my personal brand (via a fascinating process that lives on!) and develop more trust in my innate abilities. Time and again he insisted his students create their own content. He’d say, “We have it in our own hands today to create the stories the world wants to see. Don’t neglect that. Put an idea down, get some friends and shoot it. The world is waiting for you.”

I could keep going, there are so many people to thank! For now I’ll just say, having a trusted team of mentors and advisors is like gold, pure and simple. And I feel truly rich.

Website: https://www.maggiemccollester.com

Instagram: @maggiemccollester

Other: IMDb: imdb.me/maggiemccollester https://www.harbingermoonmedia.com

Image Credits
Headshot photo credit: Joanna Degeneres. Images: Hamish McCollester, Gwyn Gilliss, Craig Holzberg, Tim Phillips, Sam Christensen – with Amaryllis Temmerman and Serge Van Limbergen.