Storytelling has always been instinctual for Em Wood. A double major in Theatre Arts and Communication & Media with a Film Studies minor, Wood built a college experience rooted in production, and creative leadership. Now based in Los Angeles, she is producing, directing, acting, and writing across multiple projects, balancing creative ambition with the business realities of independent filmmaking.
“I love storytelling,” says Wood, “and I find interpersonal communication fascinating. It’s an essential part of who I am and these majors seemed like the natural progression.”
At Merrimack, Wood immersed herself in the Visual and Performing Arts community from the start. She joined the run crew for the play, The Moors, during her freshman year and steadily took on larger roles over the years, serving as Props Master for Proof and Assistant Director for Ugly Lies the Bone and The Ash Girl. By her senior year, she was Vice President of the OnStagers Theatrical Society and Assistant Director for the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Her involvement wasn’t limited to the stage. Outside of class, Wood and her friends made indie films, using the campus and surrounding North Andover area as creative backdrops. One of those projects, the web series 01845, was directly inspired by North Andover’s zip code and the rhythms of student life. “It gave me a creative outlet while allowing me to hone my skills,” Wood says.
After graduating and completing her Master of Arts in Communication, Wood relocated to Los Angeles in February 2025. The move marked a shift from campus productions to industry-facing projects. Her latest undertaking is UnSmall, a 10-episode dramedy exploring insecurity, gender confusion, and residual trauma through humor and heart. Written by collaborator Jacks McLaughlin, the series blends emotional vulnerability with lighthearted storytelling. For this series, Wood serves as Line Producer, overseeing budgets and financial planning, deciding alongside the showrunner where funds are allocated and how resources are distributed. She also assistant directed the initial shoots and will direct select episodes in the upcoming production cycle. The team launched a successful crowdfunding campaign on Seed&Spark, raising more than $15,000 to finance the remaining episodes. With rehearsals underway and additional shoot days scheduled, the long-term goal is distribution and, ideally, securing funding for a second season.
In Los Angeles, Wood has continued expanding her portfolio. She produced and acted in the web series StimCare, developed with collaborators from The Upright Citizens Brigade improv community. She recently completed post-production on her short film Robound, initially created for the LA 48 Hour Film Project, and has begun casting for a new short, Cream & Coffee, co-produced with fellow filmmaker Walt Perez. Alongside these projects, she has set a personal goal of writing her first feature-length screenplay, drafting five pages per week as she builds toward completion.
While her current work spans genres and formats, Wood emphasizes that filmmaking is just as much about numbers as narrative. “Learn how to make a solid spreadsheet and how to apply the formulas. Budgeting is like putting a puzzle together and is essential to making a film, whether your budget is $1000 or $1 million. Every film is a business, and the numbers come before the art.”
Merrimack played a key role in building that foundation. “Merrimack gave me the space and freedom to make films,” Wood says. “Some professors even let me do video essays instead of traditional papers.” The freedom to create consistently, collaborate across departments, and take leadership roles in productions prepared her for the independence required in the industry.
Her advice to aspiring filmmakers is direct: make films constantly. “Plan to fully produce at least one to two films per semester if you’re serious about filmmaking,” Wood advises. “This is the only real way to learn. On the other hand, the industry is in a weird place, and you need a real job rather than just gig-hop like you could years ago. Moving to a major city like New York or Los Angeles is worth it for the networking and experience, but make sure to have something cooking before you get out there. Reach out to people online, and look into ‘externships’ with talent and management agencies while you are in your undergrad! This will help big time when you make the move.”
Beyond the production schedules and spreadsheets, Wood still carries the creative energy that first drew her to theatre and film. Whether developing a heartfelt dramedy, competing in time-sensitive film challenges, or drafting her first feature, she continues to build stories from the ground up—balancing ambition with discipline.
To learn more about Em Wood, or if you’d like to connect, reach out to her at [email protected]!
