Meet Brenna Noyes | Director, Writer, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brenna Noyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenna, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
One thing about my industry that outsiders are probably unaware of is how close you become with your fellow cast and crew. The work it not always easy, but it is rewarding and for me personally, I would not be where I am today without surrounding myself with talented supportive friends that I have met on various jobs. In this industry your coworkers are not just your coworkers. They really do become your family.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Television was a crucial part of my childhood, and it will always be an essential piece of my life. At around 6 months old, most parents surround their babies, competing for the prize of having their child say “mama” or dada” first. My parents were among those; however, my journey to discovering language was not like most. My parents watched their friends with babies my age celebrate their “first words”, while they continued to wait for my babbling to turn into recognizable English words. But months turned into years. By age two, I had been carted to several doctors and speech therapists. Fear began to settle in as my parents were told I was missing brain connections and might never speak intelligibly. With the recommendation to strengthen motor skills while also teaching words, my earliest memories include jumping in front of the TV while attempting to reenact a Shirley Temple tap number (and usually failing miserably). During those years, TV became a beacon for me and my family. I clung to this visual media as a way to teach myself how to express my feelings at such a young age. At five years old, it was discovered I was severely tongue tied. I endured a difficult surgery and years of speech therapy. At eight years old, my mom was on the couch watching TV when I handed her my “Best Oral Reader in the Class” award. With happy tears streaming down her face, we finished watching an episode of Boy Meets World together. No matter how our days went, my mom and I always found ourselves in front of the TV together, bonding over the newest episode of Criminal Minds or This is Us.

Fast forward a few more years and I started to dive into my passion for filmmaking and entertainment. However, a career in the arts was never talked about where I grew up. My mom’s an accountant my dad’s an engineer, and being naturally proficient in math and science, it was expected I’d be one of those things too. However, I was never passionate about those things. I finally found the courage to use my voice to express my dreams and passions. I went to college for film, and dove headfirst into writing, producing, and directing short films. After college, I received a prestigious internship in the directing category for the Television Academy Foundation in LA. This was my chance to leave Michigan and enter a whole new chapter of my life. However, this was in March of 2020 and well, covid had very different plans. Instead of moving to the hub of the film industry, I was stuck in my childhood home, graduating college in my pajamas on a random Tuesday. Even though the experience was much different than expected, the Television Academy was amazing and transferred their internship program online in order to still give us exposure and networking connections. I choose to make the absolute most of that quarantine year and reached out to every single alumnus and industry professional I could. The Academy was able to plan a zoom meeting with me and an amazing director of shows like The Resident and Fear the Walking Dead, Ed Ornelas. Over the course of 2020, he had become (and still is) my mentor, giving me insight into the film and television industry. In April of 2021, he called me on a Wednesday telling me I had an opportunity to work on the set of Fox’s medical drama The Resident if I could be in Atlanta by that weekend. I packed my bags, drove 12 hours down to Georgia from Michigan and the rest is history. Since then, I have been in Atlanta working on numerous sets building connections, honing my skills, and gaining experience.

Also, for the past 9 months I have been working on a short film that I am extremely passionate about that I will be directing in two weeks. My dad has spent most of his life battling an autoimmune disease that causes many symptoms, one of them being chronic pain. At 16, I started having very similar symptoms and we were both diagnosed with the same disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis. It has definitely been a struggle navigating this disease especially while working on set of a TV show in a position where I spent 60-70 hours a week working on my feet and moving nonstop. It’s been a frustrating journey trying to find the right combination of medication and methods that help the pain and other symptoms. I channeled this mix of emotions into my work and wrote the short film What not to do at a Funeral. It’s a short dramedy about a girl who experiences a tragic loss, and both the grief and humor that arise at the funeral reception. I’ve been able to create a team of people that I have on set to help me make this short into a reality. I plan to submit it into numerous festivals and programs to gain exposure and use it as a solid portfolio piece when other filmmaking opportunities arise.

Even though it’s come with a lot of obstacles and setbacks, I am extremely proud of my journey and am very fortunate for the amazing people I have met along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area I would take them to see an indie movie (most likely a A24 drama or horror) at Landmark Theatres. Also, where I grew up in Michigan, we don’t have anything like Ponce City Market, so I would probably take them there as well to get some food and desert and then to the roof to play some games and get some drinks. I also love walking the Beltline and think it’s gorgeous at sunset so I would take them there and stop along the way at one of the many bars to grab a drink.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I grew up in a small suburb in Michigan where the film and tv industry felt like some far away fantasy land. A job in this field was never talked about as a serious career choice when growing up. However, when I got older and decided to major in film in college my parents showed immense support. They have always been by side, encouraging me to follow my dreams.

While in college, my professor Kelly Donnellan, was a critical part of my journey. She was one of the first people who really made me feel like what I had to say through my films was important enough. She believed in me enough to walk me through the application process to a highly prestigious internship program with the Television Academy Foundation that I thought I had absolutely no shoot of getting. And she was right by my side to celebrate with me when I found out I got it.

Ed Ornelas, a highly decorated director who has worked on shows like The Resident, Fear The Walking Dead and many more, is another mentor of mine that is the reason for why I am where I am today. I met him through that internship program and even throughout his busy work schedule, he found time to give me advice and put me in connect with numerous other contacts in the industry. He has made me feel like I belong in this highly competitive industry.

Website: brennanoyes.com

Instagram: @brennanoyes

Facebook: Brenna Noyes

Other: Tik Tok: @brenna_noyes

Image Credits
https://www.shotbykynder.com/