The Making of a first-time feature filmmaker “ Rogue Angel” A Story of Grit, Passion, and Defying the Odds

 

I never thought I’d be here, writing about how I directed my first feature film. Not because I didn’t believe in myself—but because life knocked me down just when I was about to take that leap.

For years, I was an actor, a filmmaker in the making, working in various crew positions while bartending full-time to help support my family of five. It was a tough but steady life—until COVID-19 took my 22-year bartending job away overnight. Suddenly, everything I knew was gone, and I was left wondering:

“What now?”

I had always wanted to direct a feature. I had made a few short films but there was never time, never enough money, and let’s be honest—never enough confidence to say, “I can do this.” But sometimes, life gives you no choice but to jump.

I took the first step with a micro-series called M.O.M. Squad—a project I conceived, co-wrote, produced, and directed. Still waiting to finish editing. It was my first real taste of being at the full helm, and I loved it. I knew I was meant for more.

The Challenge That Changed Everything

One day, while working as an actor on the set of Night of the Tommyknockers, I was approached by a hideous monster. Lol.

No, really. The guy in full prosthetics—my on-screen killer, Ben Stobber— who called me later and asked,

“Hey, are you interested in making a feature film… in 7 to 10 days… for only $7,000?”

That’s how I found myself in the Lucky Sevens Film Challenge, created by Jeremy Settles and Ben Stobber. Seven filmmakers were chosen. Only three of us finished.

I was the only woman to complete the challenge—and the only one who had never made a feature film before.

Building Rogue Angel

I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I gathered everyone I could think of who might be crazy enough to take on this challenge with me. I was overwhelmed by the support—Actors auditioned, filmmakers jumped in and strangers who had heard about the challenge offered locations, food or just to borrow things we needed.

That’s how I met my Director of Photography, Glenn Student. He has worked tirelessly as both a producer and editor to get the film finished. I could never have done this without him.

Thanks, Glenn!

With my incredibly creative daughter, Brenna Daly, and one of my best filmmaking friends, Julie Garcia, we set out to go big. Conventional wisdom said, keep it small, but I thought, why not show the world what we’re capable of?

I spent six weeks writing a script, only to realize—I hated it. That’s when Brenna said something that changed everything:

“Mom, why don’t you make a female empowerment movie? That’s all Hollywood is talking about right now.”

I threw my script out and started over.

 You see, I grew up surrounded by theater—my mom was always the lead actress in local plays and, my dad played every villain in every melodrama you could imagine. Drama was in my blood. But I didn’t want just drama—I wanted action.

During casting,( while still writing )We found an actress who was also a professional stuntwoman. That sealed it. Rogue Angel became a female-driven action thriller, fueled by grit, resilience, and the kind of determination that refuses to quit.

Being a Female Director in a Male-Dominated Industry

Filmmaking is a team sport, and I truly believe everyone who contributes is equally important. But as a female director, I also learned some hard truths.

On set, I’d be standing there, calling the next shot, and people would walk right past me to talk to my DP—as if I didn’t exist.

Thankfully, Glenn had my back. Every time someone tried to bypass me, he’d turn to me and say,

“Sounds great, Let’s see what the director wants to do”.

That moment meant everything.

I also learned that, as a director, you’ll get a ton of advice—especially from people who want to help. And you know what? All advice is valuable. The trick is knowing how to filter it, take what serves the story, and let the rest go. Because at the end of the day, the director’s job is to protect the vision and get the film across the finish line.

And that’s exactly what I did.

I am proud to say we had 43 cast members. 7 crew. 4 ambitious locations—And no room for failure.

And almost everyone worked for no pay.

They believed in me, in this story, in what we were creating together. I have one job—to make sure this film gets seen.

Why We’re Self-Distributing

We had 28 distribution offers. Every single one was a boilerplate contract—a deal that meant signing the film away with no real guarantee that anyone would ever see it.

I couldn’t do that. Not after everything we’d been through.

So we’re taking matters into our own hands. We’re self-distributing through FilmHub—because we believe in this movie and the people who made it happen.

How You Can Help Get Rogue Angel Seen

Independent filmmakers can’t do this alone—we need YOU. The best way to support?

💥 Buy or Rent the film!
💥 Spread the word—tell your friends, share on social media
💥 Tag us when you watch it—we love seeing your reactions!
💥 Leave a review—this helps indie films STAND OUT on streaming platforms

I never thought I’d be here. I never thought I’d get to say, “I made a feature film.”

But I did. And I did it with the most incredible group of people by my side.

Now, let’s make sure the world gets to see it.