Aloha! I’m Steph, short for Stephanie Michelle Lokelani Cullen. Yes, those are two middle names, not two last names; it’s tradition in our Hawaiian culture. I am a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) and direct descendant of King Kamehameha, living in Boise, Idaho. Despite not having an ocean anywhere near me, I have been in Boise for over 20-years and through that time have made incredible friends and connections both in the independent film community and the business community.

I first fell in love with filmmaking when I was a kid living in Hawai’i. As the oldest of four, I would force my siblings to act out scenes from my favorite TV show, Pippi Longstocking. They’d oblige, because they had to. I’d write the content and direct them, while they would act out the characters, with me playing Pippi, of course. During that same time, in the early 80’s my dad rented the movie E.T. on Betamax and the rest is history. That movie changed my life! It showed me how magical storytelling could be and that anyone could do it with a pack of Reese's Pieces and friends who have your back.

With a Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University, class of 2017, and a Master of Arts in Communication with an emphasis on New Media and Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University, class of 2023, I use my training, experience, and knowledge to enhance the content we create at In Real Life Films.

It was during my last couple of courses in my Bachelor program that I formed my first LLC, #OMGFemaleFilmmakers, and kept that production company side-hustle going until January of 2022, when I decided to take a leap and leave my corporate job as a video creator for HP (Hewlett-Packard), giving up seven years of cushy benefits to work for myself full time.

From the beginning, #OMGFemaleFilmmakers has been dedicated to amplifying voices and telling stories with purpose. As our reach has grown, so has our responsibility to create space for both nonprofits and corporations to share their truth. In Real Life Films is a place for corporate and agency clients to experience the same authentic, human-first storytelling that defined OMG. Together, we’re committed to telling stories that illuminate the real people behind the work. #OMGgoesIRL