Filmmakers Making a Social Impact: Why & How Maitlyn Fletcher Is Helping To Change Our World
“Don’t be afraid to fail.” When I first started screenwriting, there were so many zany scenes and stories I wanted to write but I was too afraid to take a risk. When I succumbed to my fear, my scenes often fell flat and lacked personality. When I allowed myself to be criticized, I failed more often, but I also succeeded more too. Success only comes with failure.
We had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Maitlyn Fletcher. Maitlyn is a fearless, unapologetic creative force transforming live-action storytelling with a burst of cartoonish energy and bold queer narratives. As a writer, director, and producer, Maitlyn channels the irreverent spirit of classics like Adventure Time, Bojack Horseman, and The Simpsons, infusing her projects with a loud, punchy style that’s equal parts camp, wit, and visual innovation. Drawing inspiration from iconic directors like Tim Burton, John Waters and Edgar Wright, as well as the infectious charm of early-2000s cinema, she’s on a mission to reclaim the joy and vibrancy of queer narratives, steering clear of the typical melancholy tone. Her work isn’t just about breaking the mold — it’s about reinventing it.
Growing up as the “quiet one” in a high-pressure environment, Maitlyn has transformed her personal journey into a bold, creative declaration — she’s unafraid to be giggly, campy, and downright audacious. Her work champions lesbian representation and offers a refreshingly fun perspective on life’s most challenging moments.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you so much for having me, Authority Magazine! I’m so honored to share my life and person with you. First off, I am so grateful for my childhood… not because it was perfect, but rather because it was often difficult. I was an out and queer little freak before gay marriage was legalized; since nine-years-old I’ve suffered from symptoms of an autoimmune disorder (Lupus), and my sadistic orthodontist punished me with headgear in middle school (fun stuff, I know). Through these experiences, at a young age my parents equipped me with incredible values: choosing to laugh whenever possible and striving for joy. My father, Edward, is a bohemian artist who escaped the seriousness of the east coast. My mother, Kimberly, is a go-getter businesswoman and avid self-help book reader. Together, my divorced parental set have raised a child who has an incredible capacity to look on the bright side. My parents were even able to exhibit this value to me in their divorce, as they chose to remain best friends; they actually still travel together to this day. They strove to have a joyful dynamic instead of succumbing to resentment and anger (unlike most other divorced couples I know). Through every hardship, my parents instilled in me an ability to choose laughter and joy as often as I could. So, while my childhood wasn’t easy, it was one filled with the pursuit of happiness.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a kid, I grew up watching a lot of cartoons. I watched the classic kid-friendly stuff (Looney Toons, Adventure Time, Amazing World of Gumball), but I also watched a lot of cartoons that were deemed “inappropriate for her age” by a lot of nosey parents. I watched the Simpsons, South Park, King of the Hill, and more. I credit my sense of humor and view of the world to an overload of both child-friendly and adult cartoons. I often remember people and events in the most exaggerated, vibrant, and whimsical light (I have a cartoon memory). I see people and events in the terms of what makes them an extreme, which has allowed me to recall events in an engaging way. So, once I overcame my extreme social anxiety my freshman year of college (lots of exposure therapy, lots of journaling), I quickly learned how entertaining my view of the world could be. One day in the Sarah Lawrence dining hall, I was retelling some crazy ass story from high school to a group of friends– I soon realized almost every nearby table was listening. Suddenly, I felt inspired to stand on top of the table. Atop the table, I narrated and acted out the scene and to my surprise, people were laughing! I honestly didn’t know I could be funny. So, while I have been practicing creative writing since elementary school, I had never thought to try writing comedy. The next year I took a screenwriting class and wrote my first comedy feature. Granted, that script was terrible, but it was a first step in exploring comedy and my cartoonish view.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I’ve only just started my career, but I would say that a really interesting and fun moment was when I let my girlfriend help me workshop a feature script I wrote. Truthfully, before we started dating I was crushing and I based the love interest on her. A writer herself, she gave me notes on my script, not knowing that one of the characters was an ode to her likeness. This was a silly little inside joke I had with myself, but also a really anxiety-inducing one because I feared she would think I’m a crazy person if she found out I based a whole ass character on her. I told her recently that the “love story” she was helping me workshop was about her and luckily, she was charmed (thank God).
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I recently released my first ever sketch on my new YouTube Channel, Root and Fruit Productions, that I created with my excessively-talented best friend, Alina Foley. The sketch is called Golden D*ck. Alina and I’s artistic aims were to comedically (yet poignantly) explore the concept of “Golden D*ck/Penis Syndrome” and the dismissal of femme lesbian queerness through live-action acting and puppetry. Golden D*ck Syndrome, for clarification, refers to the inflated ego many men come to have on predominantly female college campuses. Stylistically, the sketch is meant to resemble the comedic style of 2000s YouTube and has been released with a classic click-bait thumbnail. Here’s the tale: a liberal arts indie boy attempts to woo a hot lesbian freshman, and somehow, he’s surprised to find that all his normally successful moves (including whipping out his impressive eleven-inch member) fall flat. So, in creating this project, Alina and I had to help a puppeteering student design an eleven-inch puppet d*ck with huge Muppet-like eyes and a flaccid-to-erect mechanism. On my iPad we drafted a design on Procreate to send over to the student puppeteer. Later that day, I was meant to present in an academic lecture in front of my professor and an entire lecture hall. I accidentally projected the penis design. I got in trouble with my professor and was absolutely mortified. Since then, I’ve been diligent about closing all my windows before going into any kind of professional meeting.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Currently, I’m in post-production on a short film I wrote and directed, MOUNTING RUSHMORE. The comedic short film will incorporate live-action actors (including Dave Foley from the sketch comedy group Kids in the Hall), 2D animation, and hand-made miniature sets. Here’s the concept: on a trip to Mount Rushmore, a teenage girl’s plan to lose her virginity is complicated by her lust for her boyfriend’s sister and her boyfriend’s recently realized George Washington fetish. Our protagonist and her boyfriend are queer characters, navigating the awkward and hilarious experience of coming to terms with your queerness. Realizing you’re gay is terrifying, beautiful, and sometimes sad… and also so funny. When one experiences sexual awakening that doesn’t match the widely-accepted “man meets woman, falls in love, and has missionary sex,” they are bound for a slew of ridiculous experiences. Although starting to navigate sexual activity is awkward for most, for young queer people, their first encounter is often an incredible failure– especially because these sexual encounters are often with people they are not truly attracted to. In MOUNTING RUSHMORE, I want to convey the common fantastical and failing qualities of primary queer sexual experiences. Furthermore, I believe it is important to champion more young, questioning lesbian and bisexual men narratives. While we see the high school, closet-case narrative played out much more for strictly gay men in the media, we rarely see it effectively done for young queer women and bisexual men. I hope this short can fill a much needed gap in queer stories and be useful to both those currently closeted and cathartic for those who can relate from past experience. I hope to be finished with the film by August 2025 and start submitting to festivals!
I’m also currently writing an animated original pilot set at a retirement community in Palm Springs!
As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?
Like I said earlier in describing my upbringing, I’ve learned from my parents to almost always find joy. This mentality is practically compulsive at this point! I’ve been overcoming obstacles my whole life with this mindset. For one, growing up with Lupus meant spending a lot of my youth sick, fatigued, and often at the hospital. Luckily, I am now in remission, but when I was ten-years-old my hair was falling out in chunks and I was in a wheelchair. This was an all-time low. And yet, with the support of my parents, I was able to find a way to laugh. Every obstacle I’ve had since ten-years-old has paled in comparison; so, since I was able to smile through it then, I’ve been able to keep my head up when anything is difficult now.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
I know from experience that diversity in media allows children to understand and discover their identity with less shame. I remember growing up as a gay kid in the 2000s without much lesbian media representation at all (and specifically none in children’s television). I also so clearly recall how ecstatic I was when I heard Cartoon Network was maybe planning a romance between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen in Adventure Time. While my peers were gushing over Edward and Bella in Twilight and other straight young-adult romances, I felt like such a freak for not being invested like they were. Suddenly, with the promise of this sapphic arc in my favorite animated show, I was finally able to feel excited about romance. I even signed an online petition begging the “Bubbline” (Marceline + Princess Bubblegum) relationship to happen. The mere idea of these queer characters made me feel less alone. Cartoon Network didn’t end up legitimizing the romantic arc until after my middle school days were over, but I know firsthand how much the idea of representation meant to me– I can’t even imagine how affirmed and seen I would have felt if it had actually occurred when I was that age. Another reason representation is so important is to expose the general population to different cultures and identities. In regard to my experience, I noticed a major positive difference in how queer people are treated since we’ve received greater representation. Suddenly, we aren’t entirely alien to the general population. Although there is still plenty of prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community, representation makes it easier to be a queer person in every interaction with a stranger, family member, and peer. Moreover, representation on-screen is just as important as representation behind the scenes. For example, greater diversity in writers’ rooms means more opportunities for disenfranchised groups as well as more dynamic stories as there are more contributing perspectives.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1 . “Don’t be afraid to fail.” When I first started screenwriting, there were so many zany scenes and stories I wanted to write but I was too afraid to take a risk. When I succumbed to my fear, my scenes often fell flat and lacked personality. When I allowed myself to be criticized, I failed more often, but I also succeeded more too. Success only comes with failure.
2 . “Sleep.” When I feel really passionate about a project, I often have an urge to neglect rest in order to continue writing, storyboarding, etc. A lesson I learned too many times is that I can’t do anything well without sleeping enough.
3 . “Be yourself or you won’t write well.” When I was closeted and shy, my writing suffered from inhibition. When I finally embraced my identity, both through aesthetic expression and personality, every aspect of my writing improved. I learned creativity requires vulnerability both on and off the page.
4 . “You can collaborate with (some of) your friends and it doesn’t have to be a disaster.” While my best friend, Alina Foley, shared an incredibly compatible sense of humor, I was fearful of collaborating because I had always heard “don’t work with your friends.” Alina and I created a sketch (GOLDEN D*CK) together and she just starred in my current project, MOUNTING RUSHMORE. Our relationship is entirely intact, and we’ve only grown closer. This is not to say every friend is a friend you should work with, but the ones you feel comfortable confronting might make great creative partners.
5 . “Cold email.” Do not be afraid to email people for an informational interview, a chat, help, etc. The worst you’ll get is a “no” or no response. After reading Claudia Lux’s book, Sign Here, I desperately wanted to know more about her process and characters. Knowing she was an alum of Sarah Lawrence College, I emailed her for an informational chat and we’ve been in contact ever since!
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Burn out is part of the process. At least for me, it’s nearly impossible to not burn out at least a little sometimes. I find the best way to deal with burn out when it creeps up on you is to recognize it and practice some extra self-care. Furthermore, as long as I’m consistently taking care of myself, I always bounce back from burn out. For me, self-care means watching goofy comedy or campy horror, meditating for ten minutes, half-assing yoga poses, baking, and hanging with my beautiful and lovely friends.
You are a person of influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I feel like a broken record at this point, but I would love to inspire others to practice positive thinking and to find humor in difficult circumstances. I also want to be clear that I also believe it important and inevitable to fully experience negative emotions sometimes; this championing of joy should not be an act of emotional repression. I just believe that while there are always negative moments, finding happiness in day-to-day life should always be strived for. So much of my work explores the way we can laugh in the face of difficulty. Not every narrative surrounding hardship has to be depressing. Life is certainly difficult, but it’s made so much easier when we can laugh about it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Oh my goodness, I’m grateful for so many people in my life, but one I would love to thank is my former history of animation professor, Robin Starbuck. Robin is an amazing artist who creates non-fiction experimental animations. I am so lucky to have her as a mentor. While my work is much less experimental, the mixed-media approach to my narrative filmmaking led us to form a strong relationship. She has given me extensive notes on my projects, helped me find resources during pre-production, and has given me invaluable advice about production. At one point over a school break, I was having a confidence crisis in terms of my writing/directing and I emailed her for career guidance. She sent a magnificent email back, detailing her faith in me and my work. This email skyrocketed me out of my self-doubting funk. She continuously supports me in my creative endeavors, and I am endlessly thankful for her.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My freshman year of college, when I was still stupidly shy, and a socially anxious mess, my wise and dear friend, Maisie Firek, gave me a piece of advice I tell myself every single day: “You’re not a mind reader.” I used to spend so much time pondering what everyone was thinking of me. I even worried about the cashier at Trader Joes (it was really pathetic). I read into every interaction, worrying people might be upset with or annoyed at me. One day, in a panic, I expressed to Maisie a concern that our mutual friend was pissed at me (she was not). Maisie took me by the hand and told me: “It’s not your job to be a mind reader, and, frankly, you’re not one.” At that moment, I realized my anxiety was so egotistical. Who was I to think I could read everyone’s mind? I made a decision to avoid hypothesizing about others’ thoughts as much as I could and thanks to Maisie, my day-to-day anxiety has vastly plummeted.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Jason Segel! My favorite movie of all time is FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. I’ve seen it 30+ times and every time I watch it I laugh just as hard. I absolutely love the incorporation of the Dracula puppet musical and I’ve spent so much time wishing I could see the whole production. Moreover, I too am a huge fan of The Muppets. When I got my tonsils out as a child, I cried uncontrollably unless I had my Kermit the Frog puppet with me and was watching THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL. Furthermore, I recently watched Jason Segel’s GQ Interview (Jason Segel Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters), and I resonate completely with his acting approach of being someone the audience can relate to, rather than being someone who’s “cooler” than the audience. Although I’m not an actor, in my work I try to create narratives that explore the ridiculousness and awkwardness of life, rather than some kind of glamorous and sexy narrative. I often say “I’ll never be cool,” and I mean that with the highest compliments to myself. I can only hope to ever create whimsical and relatable media as well as Segel does, and I would absolutely love to hear more about his writing process over breakfast or lunch.
How can our readers follow you online?
Readers can find me on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok! Thank you so much again, Authority Magazine! I had such a blast answering these questions.
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maitlynfletcher/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW-ZzmkC4nQ6ox1zXTVTtcA
My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maitlynfletcher?_t=ZT-8uAnxeBqMV1&_r=1
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
