I started Ashes to Films because I’ve lived it.

Sixteen years ago, while attending school in Santa Barbara, I lost my home to a wildfire. The experience was devastating—not just the loss itself but the overwhelming task of rebuilding. When the immediate crisis passed, the world moved on, but I was still dealing with the emotional and financial fallout, trying to find stability while life kept going for everyone else.

As a filmmaker working in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, the turning point for me came when I picked up my camera again. Creating art gave me a sense of purpose in the middle of chaos. I know firsthand how powerful creativity can be during recovery.

It’s why I want Ashes to Films to exist—not just as an idea, but as a working nonprofit film fund and festival that provides paid creative opportunities for fire survivors in the entertainment industry, from filmmakers and actors to crew members and working artists.

Long after the media stops covering the disaster, people are still rebuilding. I want to create immediate opportunities for them to work, tell their stories, and find healing through creative expression.