Your eyes meet across the aisle in Trader Joe’s. Then, your fingers brush as you reach for the same container of oat milk. The moment passes, but you can’t help wondering, could she have been the one? This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with writer and director Elle Mills (@elle.mills) to talk about her journey from longtime Youtube creator to filmmaker with her directorial debut of short film Reply available to rent now on CreatorPlus. 

Elle became a creator young with her extremely successful Youtube channel. If you’re not familiar with it, just imagine if Ferris Bueller had a Youtube channel. Elle has amassed 3.1 million followers across all platforms and reflects on the consequences of growing up on camera with no privacy. By just 19 years old, she had become burnt out and was very open about her challenges with depression and anxiety, sharing her vulnerability on her channel. But not everyone deserves your vulnerability, and it can get tricky to know where to draw the line when you are your own product. The pandemic gave Elle a chance to reflect and figure out why creating, a thing she truly loves to do, was starting to cause her so much distress. Her transition to filmmaking enables Elle to share her creativity with the world on her own terms in a way that is not at the expense of her privacy, and we absolutely love this for her. 

Reply is an adorable short film, super relatable, and features some iconic early 2000s fashion that gave us hardcore nostalgia for overalls and tye-die. Plus it's the perfect date length, because it ends right around the time you’d normally start making out during a full length film. It tells the story of two teen girls who meet and catch feelings, but never pursue them due to one having a boyfriend and some severe comphet. We talk about missed queernections and the meet-cutes that never panned out. Sometimes the what if’s are truly what stick with you the most. 

Follow along on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod).

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