Amy Morrell

A 40-something kid-at-heart with 3 cats, a lot of yarn and a knack for gardening.

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”

You laugh, but Star Wars DID change my life! I was a pretty shy kid there for a while, growing up first in Danbury, CT, then in Lantana, FL. My Uncle Tommy took me and my two sisters to the Cinema 70 in West Palm Beach to see a brand-new, cutting-edge movie called “Star Wars.” I remember that I didn’t want to go, but my mom made me.

Bwah-hah-hah!

Bet she wishes she didn’t now!

Because what seeing that movie inspired in me was a desire to do more, be more, than I had ever thought about before. It was so heroic and so exciting, and I thought, “Man, I want to be involved with something bigger than myself. Something IMPORTANT.”

Hence my stating unequivocally that I was going to be an astronaut. Then, I wanted to be an archaeologist (thank you, Indiana Jones). Then an archer (thank you Hawk the Slayer). Then, a fencer (fence, as in sword fighting, thank you again, Empire Strikes Back and Excalibur). I still have not lived down this career wishy-washiness with my family.

Then, I finally had a brain storm: “Wait, what I really want to be…” All the threads of all my ambitions came together. “I want to be a MOVIE director! Like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas!” And so I began taking drama in high school, which was the only way I knew how to begin the process of learning about acting and directing and making films.

Along the way, I discovered other passions: theatre, photography, advertising, travel. And so I set aside my child’s dream of becoming a director for other goals. And it was all good.

But back to Star Wars changing my life.

What it did and still does is inspire me to take chances. To want more than the life I had in Florida. Not that there’s anything wrong with living in Lantana, Florida, but I wanted something… More? Different? Bigger? So I decided to move to Los Angeles. This was back in February 1999. The world was a much different place then, maybe more nurturing. I took the leap, bolstered by the support of my friends and the somewhat-disbelieving support of my family. I sold my furniture, gave a bunch of stuff away, packed up the rest in my car, and drove off into the sunset.

In L.A., I had several jobs: part of the street team for Arrow 93 FM Classic Rock, publishing supervisor at Canter & Associates, project manager at Bos Design, and a great temp gig as a project supervisor at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. “Disney” as I call BVHE (not to be confused with Disneyland) is the home video branch of the company, and I worked on DVD and video packaging. Yep, the kind you see on the shelves at Target and Best Buy. Lilo & Stitch? I worked on that. Alias? Scrubs? Those too. After the temp gig, I went to e2amp, a full-service advertising company that does design work for DVD packaging. I still got to work with all my good friends at Disney. I loved the work that I did as account executive, collaborating with all the wonderful and creative folks at e2amp and at Disney, as well as at Lionsgate Home Entertainment, too. We did some kick ass DVD packaging for them, including Speed Racer, The Punisher, and Moonlighting, to name just a few.

These days, I'm back in Florida, this time outside Orlando, in Kissimme, where I work at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online as a Site Producer. I have three cats and lots of yarn. And a pending patio garden.

I no longer dream of being a movie director. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, the film business is, and I don’t think I ever would have had the stomach for it. But I am happy nonetheless in the place I have found for myself in the world.

It’s really funny, where life takes you. It’s been a roundabout journey for me, and despite missing my friends and family in Florida, I feel like I’ve found where I should be. And the Force is with me. Always.