Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1359892
28 C I N E M O N T A G E C O V E R S T O R Y I grew up in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, which had its pros and cons. I lived in a safe and slower-paced environment. However, there was a lack of diversity compared with larger metro areas. Having the opportunity to work on farms and experience a rural upbringing gave me a unique outlook. My teenage years consisted of dirt b i ke s, b e e r, gu n s, f i s h i n g, ca m p i n g, and 3-day music festivals, as well as the occasional fist fight that resulted in loose teeth and blood in my mouth. I've always been an automotive enthu- siast and was fortunate enough to own motorcycles growing up. I still have an old 1981 Kawasaki KZ750-E2 from my college years which I've been restoring on and off through the years. Go to my (Stevie Waichulis) YouTube channel to view a few clips of this motorcycle. I get joy out of tinkering with mechanical things and getting my hands dirty in the process. My initial college major was Comput- er Science but I changed over to Fine Art and Graphic Design. I then ventured into Radio & Television Production, followed by earning a BS in Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. In August of 2004, I rented a U-Haul and loaded my old Buick and belongings and relocated to LA. The trek across the country and hopes of a bright future were exhilarating. At the time, I was primarily dating men and was beginning to become more gender-fluid with my wardrobe. Rochester, NY, was my first experience in a larger, more diverse city. Moving to LA was like another planet all together com- pared to the East Coast. When I arrived in LA, I lived with a friend from RIT in a small studio apart- ment in Highland Park. It was a sketchy neighborhood, with gunshots heard every other night. I grew up with guns in Pennsylvania and never had a prob- lem with them. However, when people shoot them off in populated cities, it's a bit uncomfortable thinking that a stray bullet can come through the apartment windows at any time. Helicopters with spotlights flew around our neighborhood most nights which made it next to im- possible to sleep. One of our neighbors owned a pickup truck with several bullet holes covered up with electrical tape. We had a few gang members in our apart- ment building. Needless to say, rent was affordable in Highland Park during that time. Meanwhile, I worked various retail computer jobs as well as low-budget independent films. I started obtaining more and more Assistant Editor and Edi- tor gigs and in 2008 I got to cut my first documentary film. T h r o u g h t h e y e a r s , p e o p l e constantly told me to dress more professionally, which meant more like a straight male. My style of dress was gender-fluid, and I was not willing to change to make other people more comfortable around m e . I p e r s o n a l l y s t a r t e d a n d stopped my own transition several times over the years because I thought it would be too difficult to achieve suc- cess in the entertainment industry if I transitioned. People's fears and misunderstand- ings of gender identity kept me from I thought it would be too difficult to achieve success in the entertainment industry if I transitioned. Waichulis on Instagram (and opposite). P H O T O : I N S T A G R A M