Amanda Kari
Amanda Kari McHugh is a photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker, director, production designer, event and production coordinator and producer bi-coastal to Los Angeles and New York City. As a writer, she is never dry of ideas. She has a never-ending growing list of work she's always chasing after in terms of her work as a journalist. completed works of primarily poetry, but also expanding into short stories, blogs, plays and screenplays. She has a passion for using her art to bring people together and making people feel. In addition to writing what is the barest parts of herself, she has created the concept of collaborative poetry and immersive journalism. Using a public forum (parties, readings, concerts) to collect words and votes that will go directly into the pieces she writes. She believes that we are all connected. The earth, animals, even inanimate objects. We are all made up of the same materials of the earth; so why not connect us through poetry? She also uses social networking and videos to bring poetry to the forefront of people's lives. Through collaborating with cinematographers, musicians and artists, she wishes to create poetry-documentary shorts to inspire anyone who takes the time to watch. If you would like to be involved with this endeavor, please contact Amanda at mchugh.amanda@gmail.com. With immersive journalism, a term coined for the blog she contributes to No Fear of Missing Out, she aims to write about special underground music events that are shifting the way we experience art, music and each other. By being a participant as opposed to a participator, Amanda aims to gain a full 360-degree point-of-view of the power that these cultural shifting events manifest. She reflects in her writings the experiences from an emotional standpoint as well as an intellectual standpoint to use her experience to guide and inspire others onto their own paths toward their own authentic truths. Amanda has a strong acting background, having started professionally at the age of 11 with musical theater in upstate NY. She holds a BFA from The University of the Arts and completed The National Theater Institute's rigorous 14-week intensive studying acting, directing, scene design and playwriting. With her strong training and sensitive instrument, she gives an intense and truthful performance of her poetry. She has performed on in venues such as Da Poetry Lounge, The Poets Perch, The Poetry Stew, The Last Bookstore and Synchronicity LA in Los Angeles, Letoha's and UArts in Philadelphia and The Inspired Word and Louder Arts in NYC. She founded What Now? Productions LLC in the spring of 2012, with the goal of producing documentary films to bring a sense of solidarity of her generation across the nation. She has co-founded Selfless LA, a non-profit organization that puts on events to give artists a canvass to help change the world for the better. She is currently the event coordinator for Creative Migration, a non-profit that that produces documentaries about art and social engagement. Her current feature-documentary The Family Tree was shot, directed and produced by Amanda. It's the story of a man pursuing his American dream at the age of retirement of having a family-owned Christmas Tree farm and the local government doing everything they can to thwart his efforts. This man is her father. She raised 15k on Kickstarter and is now in the process of raising grant finishing funds to finish the edit and get the film on the festival market. As an art director she has art directed the cult comedy mockumentary feature Casting Couch, the horror short The Boogeyman, the dramatic short Standing Eight, the Candy Darling editorial fashion shoot, as well as music videos and trailers. She is originally from Upstate NY, loves cats, tarot cards, dancing, karaoke, existentialism, festivals, traveling, running, supporting the indie music scene and doing things that are way out of her comfort zone.
