kurtis williams
Director of content
Photograph taken by Andrew Castro @acastrophoto
Kurtis is originally from Oak Harbor, WA, but moved around a lot from growing up in a military household. From a young age, he quickly developed an interest in storytelling and knew early on that he wanted to be a part of the filmmaking process. The only issue was that he didn't know where his place was. Moving around so frequently, it was difficult for him to feel part of a community or for any one place to feel like home. Knowing he was meant to write in some way, Kurtis would move to Tucson, AZ to study English at the University of Arizona. It was here that he discovered the art of screenwriting and wrote his very first short screenplay. From there, it clicked. He found his calling. Once he graduated, he would teach high school special education and become a technical writer for the U.S. government. After gaining some life experience, Kurtis finally felt ready to apply to some of the country's top film schools. He has now found a home in Los Angeles and attends LMU's School of Film and Television as a graduate in the Writing for the Screen program, hoping to one day showcase his stories to the world as a writer/director.
Kurtis knew from a young age that he had talent for academic writing but was intent on persistently reading and watching films to grow as a creative writer. Through the years, he was eventually able to uncover what kind of stories he enjoyed telling and how to tell them in an effective, visual way. Kurtis is known for his patient and calm demeanor that makes him an ideal collaborator. He is also meticulous and detail-oriented, which ensures that any project he starts has a clear vision. His professors quickly noticed his ability to find the heart in his stories and recognized his desire to tell stories from unlikely perspectives that other writers might not think of. Kurtis has found that he has to be able to feel the story and its' characters deeply before he decides to pursue it.
Kurtis' finest work developed at LMU has been his short film that he wrote and directed, Seeing Symphonies; a film about a hearing college student who attempts to learn enough sign language to ask out his Deaf classmate. Having studied American Sign Language for a few years while getting his undergraduate degree, Kurtis sought out to find a Deaf actress to play the lead female role in this project. His professors noted the beauty of the story not being about being Deaf and struggling to communicate, but rather, struggling to communicate while being hearing. They have also praised the grace in which he showcased the theme of all people just wanting to have a connection. His current screenplay projects continue to follow his usual instincts by being heartfelt stories told from unlikely perspectives.
Kurtis' creative influences cover a wide range of writers throughout history. His own writing has been greatly inspired by Charle's Dickens' heartfelt tales, Abraham Lincoln's methodical speeches, the timeless themes of Shakespeare's plays, and the fast, witty dialogue of Aaron Sorkin's screenplays. His favorite films first existed as excellent crafted screenplays, from Whiplash and The Truman Show, to The Social Network and Inside Out.
Kurtis is excited to work for Allusion Magazine as a way of shining a light on established and up-and-coming industry professionals. He is ready to develop a new community of aspiring artists to collaborate with and meet a wide range of talented artists. It will be incredibly gratifying to have a tangible, high-quality project to show our communities that we worked on together. His guiding philosophy is: “This above all: to thine own self be true.”
The first job Kurtis ever wanted was to be an animator for Pixar after seeing A Bug's Life in theaters. Since then, his passion for all aspects of filmmaking has never ceased. After discovering screenwriting and directing, he knows that those paths are where his heart truly lies. So maybe he doesn't want to be an animator anymore - but he is still highly influenced by all of the films he enjoys now and enjoyed way back then.