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

Hi Lisa, why did you pursue a creative career?
From as far back as I can remember, I was always obsessed with the arts. I grew up in NYC and my parents were always taking me to free concerts, art exhibitions, and craft based street fairs. For birthdays, we would go sit in the nosebleed section of a broadway show.

When they divorced, movies got brought into the picture. My father would take me to any and all science fiction movies, while my mother would have us change trains three times to go to a little theater playing classic films from Greece, where she is from.

Two of my first memories are waiting on a line around the block to see ET with my dad, and separately, going to meet the star of most of the Greek movies, Aliki Vougiouklaki, at a hotel lobby with my mom. They both, probably without meaning to, got me hooked.

Like any kid, this gave me the wild childhood ambition of becoming an actor, and then a writer. I wrote plays and forced my sister and friends to perform them for an audience of…my mom. My mom also sent me to acting classes, since I was a shy kid, to get me out of my shell. In junior high I co-wrote and performed a play that the whole school had to watch for a special assembly. (I’m sure it was terrible, but I’d caught the bug.) I was in all the school plays in high school, and the beginning of college.

In college I realized this could actually be a career, and transferred to the film school at Boston University, and focused on directing both films and plays. After graduating, I came straight to Los Angeles and started working as a PA. I was also a production coordinator, writers assistant, production manager, talent rep – I tried it all. I accidentally fell into casting at some point, and it was the perfect mix of both creative and business for me. I’ve been doing that for 20 years now, while writing and directing projects on the side.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I try to mostly work on projects that I am passionate about and tell uniques stories with a message. While we all have to make a living sometimes, with each project I do, I give it my all. Some of my favorites that I’ve cast are Sam Kadi’s “The Citizen” (a Middle eastern immigrant lands in NYC on 9/11), Kim Bass’ “A Snowy Day In Oakland” (a BLM message, now streaming on Starz) & “Tyson’s Run” (living with autism, on Netflix in March), and Lavinia Currier’s “Oka!” (a film starring an actual pygmy tribe.)

Right now I’m putting together another film to direct with my creative partner Nicholas David Brandt, called “Kennel.” Our first film was a teenage thriller that was about living in a family with mental illness. This one is even more topical – it’s about the aftermath of women losing Roe Vs. Wade. It so hard to make a film, and takes such a long time. – the only way to get to the finish line is to make sure you have a message that is important not only to you, but to everyone. Women have lost their rights in the United States, and we see this in our laws changing seemingly every day. We all have to do our part to ensure that all men AND women are created equal – and my way is through art. The importance of the message is what keeps me and my partner motivated and focused. Real change can come from art.

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.
My favorite place is the excellent happy hour they have at “Figaro” in Los Feliz. Delicious french food and cocktails – I’m there a couple times a month for both friend and work catch-ups. “Night And Market Song” is Silver Lake is my favorite for supremely flavorful Thai. Portos in Burbank for Cuban, and Yang Chow in downtown for Chinese.

I have a friend coming in this weekend and on the itinerary is the amazing “Standing Room” burger place, located in the back of a liquor store in Redondo Beach, with a visit to Quality Seafood for fresh oysters, as well. We’re also planning to hit some museums, including both Gettys, LACMA, and The Broad downtown. Excellent art and photo ops for any LA visitor. And no visit is complete without a drive up Beachwood in Hollywood for the perfect view of the Hollywood Sign. Living on the east side, I’m also a big fan of street art, and planning to head downtown for some sightings of new art pieces.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom is my inspiration. She left her own country to go study abroad, at a time where that wasn’t really an option for women. She made it from nothing, all the way to a high rise office on Park Avenue. She gave me my optimism and a “never give up” attitude.

Casting directors Matthew Barry and the late Nancy Green-Keyes gave me my first break in casting and taught me the ropes on films like “Freddy Vs Jason” and “The Notebook.” I learned the business from them, and how to love it. Once we parted ways, they also referred a then “baby filmmaker” to me – Kim Bass. We’ve since collaborated on five theatrical films, and he also encouraged me to make my first film, “Bad Behavior” with my writing-directing partner Nicholas David Brandt. I couldn’t ask for a better collaborator and friend.

Website: https://www.wearereasonablyepic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisahamil

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0357659/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.