“I knew I wanted to write, film, and direct films, but my time at Concordia solidified that decision for me,” says Shanna Roberts-Salée.
If filmmaking wasn’t enough, in 2015, the ever-energetic Roberts-Salée published her first novel, The Lying Juilliards, through independent press Thought Catalog Books.
She also developed and produced two seasons of a web series called Mistakes Were Made, which earned her a number of independent film awards.
“Working on that series was so much fun,” she says, “because I wrote all the scripts, edited, produced, and acted in all of the episodes. I learned so much.”
She continues to work as an assistant director in film and television productions. Longshot, starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, was one of the highlights, and she recently wrapped up working as an assistant director for the historical action drama film, Midway, directed by Roland Emmerich.
“I keep delving into new things, to see what I’m most interested in,” she says.
The next step for the Concordia alumna is to develop a sitcom-format TV series and pitch it. She’s also trying to secure funding to write a feature-length film.
In the meantime, there’s nothing she won’t jump into if she sees it as a learning opportunity.
“Often, the self-taught process is the best way to learn,” she says. “You see your mistakes right away.”
However, she doesn’t consider a moment of her education without purpose.
“I really enjoyed the program,” she says. “My time there gave me the foundation — the confidence to say I have the tools to go out there and move forward with my dreams.”
“Working on Mistakes Were Made was so much fun,” says Roberts-Salée, who wrote, edited, produced and acted in every episode of the web series. “I learned so much.”
