Meet Lily McGraw | Aspiring Director & Filmmaker

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

Hi Lily, what inspires you?
Throughout the challenging process of getting into the film industry, I would say my Aunt Jill is one of my biggest inspirations. She’s been in the industry for over twenty years, having worked on projects such as Seal Team, Pretty Little Liars, and the Kevin Costner film, Horizon. Aunt Jill has always been the “cool movie Aunt”, ever since I was a kid. Growing up I always admired her youthful spirit, and genuine kindness (even if she would never admit doing something nice out loud). In the industry she’s worked with so many people, and every single one of them adored her, and respected her deeply for her never ending helpfulness and hard work. When I started in the film industry there were countless times I wanted to quit. The hours were too much for me, people weren’t always kind, and I felt hopeless joining this tough industry with such a big dream. She was always there to remind me that I was capable, and that my hard work was going to pay off one day. Aunt Jill has always believed in me, and I want to be like her in my career. A funny, kind, loving, and hardworking soul who won’t let anything drag her down. My Aunt is my hero and although she never takes any credit, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am in life today without her.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started out wanting to be an author in high school, but when I attended the trade school, “Warren Tech,” for film production my dreams changed. Moving to California from Colorado mid-pandemic was crazy and I’m not sure how I managed to stay sane, but I am so glad I did it. The alternative was staying in Colorado till the pandemic ended, somehow pursuing a film career in a state it barely was active in. Although the first couple of months were slow in Los Angeles, I was able to use the time to brainstorm about projects I eventually wanted to make. I attended Santa Monica College for a short time before I was offered production assistant jobs on TV shows. These were well-known TV shows like Shameless, and 9-1-1, soon enough I learned that experience was the best teacher for me. Since then I’ve worked on countless projects, the ones I’m most proud of being Tiny Beautiful Things, Seal Team, Snowfall, and a secret project I’m working on now. Despite the coolness of it all, I had my fair share of rough days that made me question everything. For one, the physical toll that a fifteen-hour workday takes on your body. On the longer projects I worked on, I was running on nothing but caffeine and any little thing could set me off. I couldn’t take constructive criticism and I took everything personally which made the hectic set days even harder. My lack of confidence and pure exhaustion made me question whether or not I was making the right choice for my career. When I would hit these blocks in the road, it was helpful to remind myself why I was working as a production assistant in the first place. Of course, my end goal wasn’t to be a PA, it was to be a director or producer. Outside of the film work I was getting paid for, I was busy making my own content, ranging from music videos to game play-throughs, to short films. The projects I’ve made on my own that I’m most proud of include my documentary short called, Given a Voice, a film that tells the true story of four sexual assault and harassment survivors. Another short film I created is called, Kay, shot on a Super 8 film camera and based on a poem my great-grandfather wrote for my great-grandmother. My favorite projects to work on are anything with my sister Mady. We have two major TV show ideas in the works, both of them funny and adventurous with in-depth characters we’ve fallen in love with. One of the projects titled, The Spinster Chronicles, already has ten episodes planned and a concept episode shot! I think we face the challenge of finding time to work on these things with our regular jobs on top of everything else. Sometimes we’ll each take our turn stressing about it, but in the end, we’re so young and there is plenty of time for us to truly put our heart and soul into it. Of course, we sneak in little work sessions here and there, but I know our ideas are special and one day the stories we write will be enjoyed by so many. I want the world to be emotionally changed by my work. I want someone to watch my projects but be thinking about it for days, weeks, or months after. Entertainment that makes you think, laugh, or cry. I want people to be on the edge of their seats, invested in the lives of these fictional characters I’ve created. I think like many others, I want to create joy through my work. It would be a dream for me to express this on a bigger scale one day, especially if it was with my sister Mady.

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.
I have had friends come in from Colorado to visit me before, and I always love showing them new things in the city! Some delicious breakfast places I love taking my friends to include Paty’s Restaurant in Toluca Lake, Bea Bea’s in Burbank, and Modern Bread and Bagel in Woodland Hills. The last is definitely my favorite because as a girl with celiac disease, they have gluten-free everything! I think it’s pretty much tradition to take out-of-town people to In-n-out for lunch/dinner, but if they prefer a more sit-down restaurant I would pick La Cabanita in Montrose, The Storybook Cafe in Burbank, or Taylors Steakhouse in La Cañada. There are so many good food places here it’s impossible to choose, but that’s my top few options. As for things to do, the list feels endless. If we want to go shopping, there is the Americana shopping center or downtown Burbank! Sightseeing-wise, The Getty Museum is always so beautiful year-round. One of my favorite drives is to go through Topanga Canyon and stop at the little town mid-way through before the mountain drive turns into a beach drive. My favorite beach to go to is Manhattan Beach, a cute and fun town with so many little shops and an amazing ice cream shop (Manhattan Beach Creamery) to go to after a full day of boogie boarding. The nightlife in the heart of Hollywood is something else I enjoy! Some of these nightclubs are so fun and play great music for a night full of dancing. One club called No Vacancy has the coolest entrance to a bar I’ve ever seen! There are so many places in California that I haven’t even explored yet, and I’ve been here for nearly five years! These are my happy places!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My best friend Isabella Cousineau (or Izzy, Isa, Iz to me) gets plenty of credit for who I am today. We met in Colorado at our trade school, Warren Tech, where we studied film production and made the best music video to Macklemores, “Thrift Shop.” Although we went to this school together we didn’t become close friends until mid pandemic in 2020, when we both coincidentally moved to Los Angeles and lived twenty minutes away from each other. It was honestly a blessing having a friend in a new place, and our friendship just blossomed from there. Izzy is an artist, pursuing a career in animation, and we both bonded over the general art of storytelling. That, and things like Spider-man, TMNT, My Hero Academia, and The Lorien Legacies Series (to name a few we have so many shared interests). Izzy is a insanely hard working and thoughtful soul, who cares so deeply about those around her. With Izzy I feel like I’m experiencing my twenties in the best possible way. She’s my go to safe space and escape from all the problems in the world, whether we’re just sitting on the couch together or vacationing in San Diego. So thank you so much to my bestie Izzy, who is going to take on the world by storm! I love her so much, and one day she’s gonna be animating a Pixar movie that will make everyone ugly cry at how good it is!

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