Speaker Showcase: Directing TV with America Young

Directing for TV requires  versatility and an ability to bring someone else’s vision to life. While  film is a director’s medium, the main creative forces behind television  are the showrunners and writers. If you want to come to set and focus  on directing and not have to think about producing, writing, production  design, and the five other hats you have to wear when you’re an indie  filmmaker then directing television might be your lane. The only issue  is the number of female-identifying directors working in television is  still ridiculously low. And don’t even get us started on the number of  women of color directors. So how can you start a career as a TV director  when the odds are stacked against you? Badass Stunt Woman/Director  America Young is the perfect person to ask. American will share how she  has been able to maneuver between doing stunts, directing indie films,  and directing television.

Having stunt coordinated for years, America transitioned  to directing seven years ago. While having a solid foundation in  action, she is also known for her ability to bring out the best  performances in actors, both drama and comedy, while translating subtle  and rich story points visually on screen. The projects she has helmed  have a wide range from a drag queen comedy to sci-fi action to fantasy  action to coming-of-age drama to exploring domestic violence in a  superhero universe.

Her first feature, “The Concessionaires Must Die!!” executive produced by Stan Lee, (www.cmdthemovie.com)  is now available on Itunes, Amazon, and other VOD platforms. Her most  recent digital series, “Whatta Lark”, which pairs a quiet, introverted  woman with the fiercest and loveliest of Drag Queens can be watched on  Amazon. She has several features she is attached to in development. She  also directed the cinematics for Resident Evil: Shadows of Rose which  was named #8 video game of the year by Time Magazine, after having  performed in 65 games, including playing Batgirl in the game Gotham  Knights. America’s latest television directing credits include “The  Horrors of Dolores Roach” currently on Amazon Prime and “Obliterated.”

America was pivotal in the rebranding of Barbie with the  Barbie Vlog in 2015 and directed the critically acclaimed season of the  Barbie motion capture animated series for Mattel which was featured on  VICE, Vogue, Glamour, and Newsweek among other publications. It has been  viewed on YouTube over 150 million times and went from 500k subscribers  to nearly 11.6 million in the time she has been working on the Brand.

Her second feature, “Back to Lyla” which is Alice in Wonderland meets  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind inspired, was acquired by 1091.  Upon completion of the Warner Bros directing program, she successfully  entered the TV world, directing an episode of Blindspot and Legacies.  She has now directed 17 episodes of TV since for Netflix, Amazon,  Blumhouse, Warner Bros, CBS, and BET+ at the end of 2021 she directed  the pilot of Surfside Girls for Apple TV which got a full season order and released.

America Young was awarded the 2020 Humanitarian Award by  UCSD and the Spirit of New Mexico in 2022 for her work as a filmmaker  and for championing women in the film industry through The Chimaera  Project. A non-profit she co-founded and is President of.

When America’s not kicking the crap out of Super-Heroes  that support the Superhuman Registration Act, jumping off buildings,  teaching actors how to fight, or setting herself on fire, she enjoys  telling stories, sipping herbal tea, and sharpening her pair of Sai.