“Find what makes you unique, and lean into that thing. Whatever odd hyper specific thing you are obsessed about can be the thing that connects your art to an audience.”
Quick Facts
Education: Trident Tech & The College of Charleston
Years of Experience: 10 Years
About
Michelle Iannantuono has worn many creative hats throughout her career, from novel writing and chemistry to game design. Now, as Director of Octopunk Media, her film company, she has produced over ten films, blending emerging technology and interdisciplinary techniques into her creative practice.
In 2018, she was one of the first independent filmmakers to create a movie with Unreal Engine, a 3D computer design software developed by Epic Games, and she is a recipient of the 2023 SC Indie Film Grant. Through these experiences, she has refined her skills in teaching, communication, and filmmaking.
A storyteller since age three and budding filmmaker at age six, video games didn’t enter her radar until she reached adulthood. “But my interest in games was far more purposeful,” she says, “I didn’t have them growing up, and when I reached adulthood, Let’s Play culture made them a lot more accessible to me. First, I watched others play games and then became interested in them myself.”
Michelle highlights her own enjoyment for blending different tools, experiences, and techniques from other fields as part of her filmmaking process. She emphasizes the importance of “find[ing] what makes you unique and lean[ing] into that thing,” in order to establish a connection between an audience and a creative piece.
