Meet Giselle Fischman | Actor // Producer

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

Hi Giselle, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
A+B doesn’t equal C; its a very nonlinear industry. This could drive a person crazy if you don’t have the right perspective. You never know if and when the decisions you make will pay off. This can be challenging to navigate at times. However, on the flip side the opportunities are endless…anything is possible!

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.
When I was a little girl (yes, I’m starting there) my parents built a community theater in my hometown. My dad purchased an old church and renovated it into a theatre venue. Constantly surrounded by the arts, I eventually fell in love with “show business”.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan I packed up my car, like so many aspiring artists, and dove cross-country. When I arrived in Los Angeles, I had no idea how difficult it would be; I just knew I loved it. Eventually, I realized that I needed to be more creative with my approach, and thats when I started producing.

I’ve produced 2 short films and 7 plays with my producing partner Jennifer Skiffington. Our approach for theater was to take original screenplays and adapt them for the stage to showcase new writers and actors in order to pitch them for the screen. Most people ask, if on-screen is your goal why theater? Well, Nia Vardalos and her story of getting My Big Fat Greek Wedding made was a huge influence. The project started as a one-woman play, and well, the rest is history. I resinated with that approach.

Fast forward to last summer, I produced my latest play. An original, I wrote and acted in that debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Its my current passion project I’m working on. Stay tuned…more to come.

Some lessons I’ve learned along the way are: the faster you fail, the faster you fly. Sometimes you have to make things happen for yourself, you can’t wait around for someone to give you an opportunity.

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.
You can’t come to LA without an urban hike, so off to Runyon we would go. On a clear day you can see the whole city, sunrise or sunset is the best time to go! Next, Kings Road iced coffee (its my favorite). They are very friendly and recognize their patrons, I love when I see the morning ‘regulars’. If I’m feeling nostalgic an evening drive down Sunset Blvd is a must. LA has great food and so many great places to choose from, Cecconi’s has a lively atmosphere with fabulous tiramisu. I’d head to Malibu for a beach day and lunch at Duke’s. For a historic throwback restaurant Casa Vega is fun! These days no LA trip is complete without an overpriced smoothie from Erewhon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It takes a village. As a creative, who produces much of her own work it can be challenging to get projects off the ground. I have been humbled by the generosity of the people in my life who have bought tickets to my plays or donated to my other projects. I am very grateful for the people in my life who consistently support my dreams!

Instagram: @gisellefischman

Image Credits
Please credit Stephanie Girard for the first photo Please credit Johnny Love for the last photo