Meet Sofia Folgia | Writer and Producer

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

Hi Sofia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I don’t think there’s ever been a moment of my life that I doubted that I would be an artist. I didn’t know what type of artist I would be; some options were actor, writer, singer… though one option was absolutely not being any type of illustrator. I was lucky enough to be raised in a house where I was never discouraged from pursuing a creative career. I think that really powered me through a lot of the anxieties that people typically get when they go down that path. If we’re talking specifics, it wasn’t until I got to high school where my freshman year English teacher sat me down and told me that I can make a career out of my writing that I truly decided to go down that path (thank you, Ms. Restifo) – but there was never any universe where I would be anything else except a storyteller. The most fun part of my journey has been figuring out what I like to make.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Storytelling has always been the most important part of my life. Whether that was asking my dad to tell the same story about his childhood every Thanksgiving or coming up with little moments for characters that already existed in the books I was reading, I was obsessed with it. Maybe that’s why the biggest challenge of my career has been trying to pinpoint what type of stories I want to tell and how I want to tell it.

There were so many genres and so many styles to explore that I felt overwhelmed. I tried telling stories in the way that other people found the most impactful, but they felt inauthentic to me. A lot of my career during my first two years in college have been trying to follow other peoples rules of storytelling that ultimately disregarded what I was in interested. This is how I found my interest in storytelling wasn’t rooted in complete fantasy like I originally thought my career was going towards. I realized that there were incredible things happening in real life every day that are just as fantastical as the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Though I’m still a junior in college, I know my type of storytelling relies on the real world because of the simple fact that the real world is more interesting and beautiful than we like to believe.

Since that discovery, I’ve focused my career in amplifying real life experiences. I’ve worked in reality TV through Watt Pictures, and I’m currently head writer on the first sports desk ever created at SCAD. I’m also a part of SCADPro, working with an actual company that I actually can’t disclose because of an NDA, but is in a field that I love. Of course, I still write made up scenarios in my plays, but finding my footing in these fields has only made me a more flexible and imaginative writer. I’m still figuring out specific careers, ( I’m leaning heavily towards creative careers in sport) but I know I find a lot of joy in the real. I think that’s benefited me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, it’ll depend on whether I’m home in Philadelphia (or Delco, if you’re from the Philly area: sorry, that’s the only way I can describe where I’m from that makes sense to most people!) or in Savannah for school, But there are good places everywhere!

In Philadelphia, in my opinion, there are only a couple of places you can get a good cheesesteak: Angelo’s by the Italian Market, Jim’s on South Street, or Dalessandro’s by Fairmount Park. A sleeper cheesesteak place for me is Ishkabibble’s. That’s where me and the guys from the St. Joe’s Prep went. Very good cheesesteaks for incredibly good prices. My favorite cheesesteak place used to be Vinnie’s in Media, but they shut down, but to the left of where Vinnie’s used to be is the best candy shop on the east coast. If you want candy better than Hershey’s, go to Bevan’s! Some of the best dark chocolate I’ve had in my entire life, all made in house.

If you’re in Savannah, go to at least one of the Collins Quarters. My favorite is the Forsyth Park, but both are incredible with different menus. Favorite place to get dinner is Bull Street Taco. Favorite place to drink is Zunzibar. And, quick tourist advice, do not wait in line for Leopold’s!!! It’s not worth it. Go to Doki Doki or River Street Sweets. Even Ben and Jerry’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m going to shout out the people that are nervous to speak in their creative voice. Get loud, gang! The greatest part about going to art school and meeting other writers is learning about their unique view of the world…how we write about the same topics but in vastly different tones and genres but still can have an impact on people. I want them to know that their voice, no matter how cliché or how quiet they think it is, is something that will only benefit everyone around them.

As a quick bonus: Teachers. From my mom to my college professors, shoutout to you! You deserve better pay for what you do for us.

Website: https://fififolg1234.wixsite.com/folgiaportfolio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fififolg/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-folgia-a01596228/

Other: https://www.cbr.com/author/sofia-folgia/