Meet Jill Morley | Writer & Filmmaker

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

Hi Jill, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
What I love to do is shine a light on underrepresented communities and humanize the people in them. Exposing the truth in a compelling, unexpected way is my goal. When you’re writing or developing a film, you start completely on your own. It’s a little seed in your brain that, if you work hard and are lucky, grows into climbing ivy. This is why I like to have a positive and encouraging message in my work. Often the means to doing this is being vulnerable about my experiences and showing my own path of growth. My documentary film, “Fight Like a Girl” was very difficult to make on a lot of levels. I had to run my small production business, train for fights, make the film and fundraise for the film all at the same time. Sometimes, I wanted to stop and turn my energy to something that would be less stressful and easier. But, I felt a responsibility the the women that I was filming, to share the culture of female boxers and to expose a message of hope for people who suffered like I did, from PTSD and depression. I still get emails from people 6 years later who let me know that it helped them get through a very difficult period of their life. Some told me it made them feel empathy and compassion for the women the way I did and upset misconceptions they may have had previously about women who fought. While on some levels, it felt like I was literally opening a vein to tell this story, I kept in mind the larger goal of letting people know they are not alone.

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.
My first play, “True Confessions of a Go-Go Girl” was about the lives of go go girls in New Jersey. I grew up a sheltered, suburban Jersey girl, so for me, this was Alice going down the rabbit hole. I’d take a bus to Hackensack and dance in a bikini in front of truck drivers, mechanics, businessmen, with women who were mothers, biker chicks, fierce survivors, and bored housewives. I didn’t know of another play written by a “go-go girl” that went anywhere. Having already been an actress in New York City writing comedy sketches and monologues, I found this material the most compelling I had ever encountered. It was the 90s and there was a negative stigma attached to go-go dancing, stripping and sex work. This was before “Hustlers,” before Diablo Cody won an Oscar and way before “P-Valley.” I found support from fellow artists and the Westbank Cafe in midtown Manhattan. They mostly produced traditional plays, cabaret acts one woman shows. The idea of putting on a show about a go-go girl so close to Times Square where there were still peep shows in a well respected theater/restaurant was a risk. Not to mention, the poster had me in a thong! Shocking for the time. However, once I had the play on it’s feet, I started getting good reviews. Industry people came and I was getting known in the theater community. Soon, I had someone option the rights for a Hollywood film and was developing it as an Off-Broadway show. People from Saturday Night Live came, agents, managers, producers, The Public Theater, and celebrities. Long story short, everything fell apart and I went into a deep depression for many years, which I regret. I regret not having the resiliency I have now. I took my failures personally and punished myself for them. I turned to making a documentary about how difficult it was to quit stripping (which I had to turn back to after everything imploded.). It was called “Stripped.” In the course of shooting that documentary, I lost two of my friends- dancers who felt trapped in their lives. One fell victim to a plastic surgery mishap. She wanted to get a brow lift to feel competitive onstage with the younger strippers. She was a brilliant artist and I loved her and all of a sudden, she was gone. Another friend, Susan Walsh, went missing two days after I interviewed her for the doc. Due to the fact that she was a stripper, the police didn’t look for her right away. When I called, they said she was probably out “partying.” Those events marked my life forever. I saw firsthand how certain groups of people are deemed “not worthy” and I believe it affects my work to this day. I am drawn to people who have not been treated fairly, subversive women, people of color, LGBTQ people and those who do not feel seen for who they are. There is an element of revealing humanity in everything I write or produce.

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.
Funny question in a pandemic! Truthfully, between writing and boxing, I mostly know boxing gyms and my house! My house has some exciting inhabitants – my husband, Gary and my dogs, Rocky and Lola. Outlaws is a great boxing gym in Reseda with some awesome coaches and are very supportive of women. When gyms were open, I taught at IconFit, also a great gym. Wow. Pathetic how housebound I am! In my New York days I was all over town!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Gary, deserves a lot of thanks and credit in my journey. He didn’t set out for the roller coaster life of being a writer, boxer and filmmaker. Nor did he expect his wife would have such horrible bouts with depression. The fact that he stuck by me and supported me in this journey is astounding. It can’t be easy to be married to me! It takes someone who is very stable and has faith that things will work themselves out. He has to have the capacity to see other qualities in me that are worthwhile and not every guy can do that. I am grateful he sees my talent and believes in me. I am also grateful to the friends and family that are supportive and encouraging. I have been at this a long time and have had many ups and downs.

Website: www.jillmorley.com
Instagram: @jillmorley
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-morley-b15a84/
Twitter: @jillmorley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillmorleyboxer
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvc6guT6n7_baiX0DlK6hDA?view_as=subscriber
Other: www.FLAGboxingLA.com

Image Credits
Gary Lai and Risk Imagery