Don't Worry, Trust Me was a short film that marked a turning point in my creative path. It was the first project I directed with a crew larger than ten people, involved a night shoot, and required renting equipment beyond what SCAD or the crew could provide. It became the project that proved I was ready for my senior thesis.

I had originally written the script for a class, and it had even won a few small festival awards, but I had set it aside. I initially planned to co-direct a different project for this course—the one right before my senior thesis—but it wasn’t approved, as co-directing wasn’t allowed. So, I decided to bring this script back, one I had even considered for my thesis, and use it as my class project.

It turned out to be a great decision. The project challenged me in new ways—through budget constraints, logistical demands, and overall scale—and introduced me to collaborators I still work with today. It helped me prove to myself that I was ready to take on bigger challenges and confirmed that leaning into difficulty is what drives my growth as a filmmaker.