Aydrea Walden, creator and star of the web series Black Girl in a Big Dress, joined Jillian Davis—co-creator of The Pemberley Podcast—for an Instagram Live chat on March 30 for JASNA Southwest. Video from the event is now available online.
Walden shared her love of Shakespeare as well as Austen and explained that Black Girl in a Big Dress started out as a writing sample in her search for more appropriate projects within the entertainment industry.
The two also discussed the JASNA Southwest Young Filmmakers Contest, for which Walden served as a judge last year. Davis and her writing partner, Yolanda Rodriguez (with whom Davis created The Pemberley Podcast), won first place in the 2020 contest in the over-20 category for their short film “Jane Austen Virtual Book Club.”
Walden offered advice for future entrants and shared news of some of her upcoming projects with the audience of nearly 100. Her two cats also made cameo appearances during the live chat.
Both Davis and Rodriguez are serving on this year’s Young Filmmakers Contest committee. Entry deadline for the 2021 contest is October 1, 2021.