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Lesley’s Story

One of my fondest childhood memories is being tucked in bed, cozy under the covers, wide eyed and all ears as my larger-than-life father—a former college football player—spun a bedtime tale. His leading characters were always the same, but their adventures and mishaps to mysterious, far-away places were different. I relished every episode, focused on every word, developed images in my mind...

The pastime probably didn’t help me fall asleep, but it did help me become who I am today. I didn’t grow up thinking I would be a storyteller. When I was little, I wanted to be a race car driver. This was well before Danica Patrick crashed through those gender barriers, so most adults just raised their eyebrows when I professed this dream. As I matured, I wanted to be a veterinarian and declared myself a zoology major at the University of Arkansas, where, for a communications credit, I enrolled in the Theory of Cinema. And everything changed.

Soon after, I moved to the Big Apple, got my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinema Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and learned how great filmmakers tell stories. But (there’s always a ‘but’ that comes midway through the story), the need for a steady paycheck led me down a different path. For 20 years, I worked as a marketer in the travel industry, helping destinations and their constituents get their words out using print and online mediums. I reached the c-suite, a Vice President in Sales in Marketing, and decided I was bored. What to do? Return to my first love—storytelling.

Today, like any character in any good story, I’ve evolved. I’ve returned home, but home is different. Home for me is blending what I know of travel and tourism with what I know about telling stories, and I can’t wait to tell yours.

Bio:

Shortly after earning her BFA in Cinema Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Lesley Kontowicz served as script-supervisor on the 1993 Oscar-nominated short film The Lady in Waiting and then was lured away from NYC with the draw of a regular paycheck in Tucson, Arizona. That led to a successful 20-year career in advertising and publishing. In 2010, Lesley left her executive position at Madden Media to return to her roots in filmmaking and her love of writing.

Lesley writes travel articles for her bank account, short stories for her soul, and screenplays for her visual imagination. Her travel writing appears on many destination marketing organization websites; her short story Trichloris was published by The Sunlight Press; her short screenplay, Bright Omen from a Black Raven is currently in pre-production. Lesley also serves as a judge at the Prescott Film Festival and occasionally takes a gig as a script supervisor. When she’s not writing, she edits.

Contact Lesley at lkontowicz@wordsthatplay.com and read some of her work at Words That Play.

Could it be my love of fashion that’s compelled me to wear “many hats” in my career? Perhaps. But really, I think it’s my creative drive, innate curiosity and holistic approach that takes me down various paths all leading me to the same place—art.

Very early on, I entertained my parents and their friends with performance productions that went beyond impromptu dance or dramatic routines. I would develop the performance, fabricate my costumes, select the musical accompaniment, sit down with crayons, pencils and paper to design the audience program, set up the seating, act as emcee, then finally, present my one-woman show. From the living room floor to the backyard lawn, every space became my stage for fashion shows, dance routines and theatrical skits.

By the adventurous of age of 5, I took my show on the road and went public—walking the runway, acting, singing and dancing in junior theater, participating in drama and glee clubs, playing piano, and eventually competing in beauty pageants. Being crowned Miss Fallbrook and achieving first runner-up in Miss U.S. Teen and fourth runner-up in Miss Gold Coast led to representation with a southern California modeling and talent agency. In my teenaged mind, it seemed I had arrived.

Dad thought I’d become an engineer as he watched me deconstruct and reconstruct every radio I could find. Mom thought I’d be a concert pianist when I was accepted into the National Piano Guild. Induction into the National Charity League and recipient of the Merci Award led many to assume I was destined for public service.

The college years were devoted to interior design at San Diego State, acting at the John Ruskin School, and theater at Santa Monica College, and it was my ongoing devotion to acting that became my gateway into the film industry—earning a role in Layover, a 2001 thriller starring David Hasselhoff.

In filmmaking, I’ve found the creative outlet that consistently fulfills my diversity of interests. Film acting naturally segued to casting several films while my passion for fashion has led to various positions in the wardrobe department. Modeling honed my photographic eye and fostered my interest to study photography which developed into many opportunities as a set photographer (with photos featured in Vanity Fair, Taste of Country and other titles). Most recently, my “roll up your sleeves and get it done” work ethic, handed down to me from my immigrant parents, has allowed me to perform the many responsibilities of a producer.

Filmmaking might seem glamorous, but it’s hard work. Nevertheless, I thrive on the idea that we’re a collection of creative talents revealing a visual narrative that will connect emotionally with viewers. And these endeavors are deeply satisfying to me.

Bio:

Tiiu Loigu (pronounced tee-you) learned her strong work ethic from her parents, Estonian refugees who emigrated to southern California via Canada. Though her artistic interests are diverse, she works diligently to master her many talents and achieve success. After walking the runway at the age of 5, she embarked on a career of modeling, acting, and ultimately filmmaking—performing many roles both in front and behind the camera lens from acting to casting, set photography to costume design, and producing the award-winning short film Common Threads. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Beyond the set, Tiiu strives to support the efforts of women in film and hopes to inspire women across the globe to follow their creative passions. Find Tiiu’s film credits on IMDB.