Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Fierman.
Hannah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I always knew I wanted to be a storyteller. Before I could read/write, I was saving thrift store wigs, hats, and clothes, dressing my friends up, and yelling lines at them from the edge of the “stage” as we performed plays for our parents. I remember thinking, “I want to tell stories with my friends, like this, for the rest of my life.”
The acting bug took hold and many plays/years later, I booked my first supporting role in an indie feature with director Ben Morgan. After school, I took on all the shorts/auditions I could find. I scoured the internet for opportunities, which were difficult to find back then. I eventually booked a role as the antagonist for the first-ever feature film to be cast by an online community, “Live Mansion”. The film was never completed but John Leguizamo and Spike Lee judged our auditions in a New York City theater. Through that project, I met some wonderful New York filmmakers and soon moved to the city. My not-so-secret plan was always, one day, to move back to Atlanta and start my own production company here.
I was a working actor in New York for five years before the opportunity to move back home came sooner than I’d hoped. The GA tax incentive was a dream come true for all Atlanta native filmmakers. It made it viable to work as an Actor/Filmmaker in town, close to my family and friends once again. I felt “YES!”, the world was going to see the wealth of talent I’d known here for so long. Back in the ATL I started working more in the horror genre and in independent films with local filmmakers I respected. One indie film, in particular, unexpectedly took-off and I found myself with a cult following, which opened more and more opportunities within the genre and the indie market in general.
Most recently, I was hired to write and direct a segment for the horror-comedy anthology feature, Dead By Midnight 2. Along-side many other wonderful filmmakers, I got to work with my producer, Sara Sometti Michaels, who is truly a force of nature. I enjoyed every aspect of making the segment but the best part was writing the piece with my husband, Josh Wilcox.
Currently, I am set to play the lead in an indie feature titled “On Location” along-side my long-time friend, Damian Maffei. We’ll be working together for the first time after initially being cast together in “Live Mansion” 14 years ago. It’s been a journey, but I’m where I want to be, collaborating with amazing people all the time. I love my Atlanta tribe of artists.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the hardest part for me was juggling three different jobs while I lived in New York. I moved there not knowing anyone except the people I met via the online casting, no friends or family, no other connections. It was a roller coaster. I struggled with crippling self-doubt at times, then was flying high on bookings the next moment. I think the people who succeed in this sort of business are those who can balance the constant highs and lows that come with the artist lifestyle and carry on despite it all. It is extremely important to surround yourself with like-minded, positive people who genuinely want to see you succeed.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I work in all genres, but my horror roles are by far the most popular, which is ironic because I cannot watch anything scary. Horror indies are the easiest to sell because of the firm, curious and open-minded fan-base. Horror fans do not care if there is an A-lister attached, nor do they give a crap about large budgets. They just want to be scared, to have a visceral experience in the theater. It’s a proven business model year after year, so it naturally encourages artists to try new things and take risks in their work, which attracts new and talented people, which continues the cycle.
Right now, I am most proud of completing my segment “Hellevangelist” for Dead By Midnight 2. It was a painstaking, but an absolutely wonderful process.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Acting-wise, I have played many meatier roles, but I am most proud of my appearance in “Toast Of London.” My family roots are English and I am such a fan of British television. On the show, I played both an old cockney man and a proper English Rose in front of famous British actors. I was terrifying, but I came out alright. And it was wonderful good fun.
Contact Info:
- Address: My Agents are Thom, Brenda, Jennifer and Rick at The People Store
645 Lambert Dr, Atlanta, 30324, GA - Website: www.hannahfierman.com
- Phone: (404) 874-6448
- Email: hannahfierman@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hannahfierman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannah.fierman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HannahRoseFierm
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2689823/
Image Credit:
All the photo credits are listed in the file name of each image except for Walt and Stephanie. The photographers are Nate Dorn, Naomi Smith, Jackson Beals. Walt Weiss & Stephanie Anderson, the photo of my Husband, Josh Wilcox and I was taken by a timed camera.
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