One of the most discussed movies of Summer 2022 was the Hulu original Not Okay, starring Zoey Deutch (Set It Up, Before I Fall), newcomer Mia Isaac, and Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner). This film follows Danni, the cringe-y, chronically on the internet photo editor who finds herself in a position of gaining a huge amount of fame for surviving a terrorist attack. The only problem is that her whole story is a lie, and she keeps digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole.

Not Okay is directed by Quinn Shephard. This is her first widely released film and only her third directing credit, but Shephard has already managed to sweep the online community in the months before its release, and made a lot of noise with its main character being an unlikable lead, with the true story lying with a different character. So, who is Quinn Shephard, and how did the actress turned director cause such a buzz with her second feature film? Here is an overview on the young woman director making waves in the film community.

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Shephard’s Acting Background

     Village Roadshow Productions

Shephard grew up in New Jersey and got her start in acting at the age of five. She was featured in the French film called Harrison’s Flowers. A short while after that, Shephard starred in the hit holiday comedy Unaccompanied Minors. After those two roles, she went onto star in two other films: the comedy Assassination of a High School President and the horror flick Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl. While acting in features, Shephard also dabbled in acting on television, starring in dramas like Hostages, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. So throughout her young career, she worked with countless directors, all with different style project, gaining knowledge on directing and how movies are made.

Shephard as a Director and Storyteller

     Samuel Goldwyn Films

After her acting career, Shephard turned to focus on directing, leading her first short credited as writer/director. That short was Till Dark, and starred actors Ian Colletti, Will Denton, and Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer. It was officially selected for the 2015 Montclair Film Festival. After that, Shephard went on to write and direct her first feature film called Blame, about a teacher’s taboo relationship with one of their students, and a jealous classmate. Dusting off her acting shoes, she also starred in her first feature as well, alongside longtime partner Nadia Alexander (The Dark, Not Okay) who went onto star in her next feature as well.

In 2022, the age of social media, Tik Tok, and the unbelievably fast fashion trends, Shephard wrote a film about exactly that. Not Okay featured a highly unlikeable main character whose actions are self-centered, and all revolving around her lust for internet fame. Starring Zoey Deutch and stand-out star Mia Isaac (Don’t Make Me Go), Shephard’s second feature film was devoured by social media and was all anyone could talk about. Of course, the movie gained a following even before its release, and that was because of the brilliant marketing strategy.

Not Okay’s Marketing Strategy

     Hulu

It could have been the fact that the cast and Shephard fall into that Millennial and Gen Z age range, or it could have been solely based on the content of the movie, but the way Not Okay gained a fanbase was incredibly smart. Using the social media platform of Tik Tok, and hiring social media star Reece Feldman (also known as @guywithamoviecamera) to make behind the scenes videos while the movie was shooting. Typically, for an audience, it is unusual to see behind the scenes content while the movie is actively shooting and in progress. Due to NDAs (nondisclosure agreement), the fans of a movie may get a single picture of a trailer from a star, or a video of something that comes out in the trailer, but never what’s actively happening due to wanting the film to be a surprise. Not Okay had a Tik Tok page early on, and Shephard would star in videos, or her A-List cast would participate in a trend, in order to gain attention and a following of the movie as it was being created. Shephard was the star of quite a few of the videos, and was a unique way to both gain attention for the film itself, and also give the fans a look into the world of filmmaking in a first person sort of view.

There is no doubt that the name Quinn Shephard will be on many things in the future, whether that be acting, directing, or writing. She is definitely an up-and-coming director that is paving the way for queer women in the arts, and is not afraid to take risks in her films to tell impactful and relevant stories in creative and unique ways. Stay on the lookout for more by actor/director/writer Quinn Shephard.