There is a tradition around here. We wake up early, on days that matter, to watch the sunrise. Birthdays, anniversaries, first days of production, wrap days. Whoever wants to show up, shows up. It started personal and stayed that way even when it became professional.
The name, Sunburnt, came from something a bit simpler though. It’s named for that feeling at the end of a long day outside as a kid. A little sunburnt, the good kind of tired, and entirely content. That is the exhaustion we are after. The kind that means it was a day well lived.
Why Sunburnt?
How we got here
For a few years I was doing commercial work; real estate, weddings, content creation. I learned a lot. I made money. I was also completely uninspired, running on empty, and not making a single thing that inspired me to get into this industry in the first place.
I kept telling myself I'd get back to documentaries when I had more time, more energy, more resources. I never did. The commercial work filled everything and left nothing.
Then one day, I made the time anyway. Carved it out of a schedule that had no room for it, and spent it doing what I actually wanted to do. I was on set for less than a day before I felt it in my bones and it felt like smacking myself in the forehead. Why haven't I been doing this for the past three years?
That was it. I finished out my retainer clients, thanked them honestly, and told them I wouldn't be offering client services going forward. Then I restructured everything around the only thing I actually wanted to build, my documentary studio. Sunburnt Studios stopped being a side effect and started being the point.
Founder & Creative Director
I was the 235th woman to winter over at the South Pole Station, which included shooting a short film at -106 degrees. I've also shot in 128 degree heat. I fully believe you go where the story is, and everything else can be planned around.
I've been on sets for over a decade, directing documentaries and production designing narrative films. I currently live in Arvada, Colorado with my husband, Porg (my cat) and Deunan (my dog).
