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 a direct descendant of King Kamehameha. I've called Boise, Idaho home for over 20 years, and in that time I've built incredible friendships and connections across both the independent film and business communities.

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.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University and a Master of Arts in Communication from Southern New Hampshire University. These years of training gave me the technical foundation and strategic lens I bring to every project 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 built that production company alongside my corporate career until January of 2022, when I took the leap and left my role as a video creator at HP - plus seven years of steady benefits - to work for myself full time.

From day one, #OMGFemaleFilmmakers was built with a clear purpose: tell real stories for people doing real good. That meant showing up for Idaho's nonprofit community. And we have! Producing video content for 25+ local nonprofits including The Wassmuth Center, Learning Lab, and Idaho Community Foundation, at rates that actually work for nonprofit budgets. Over time, that reputation grew beyond Idaho, attracting clients from California, Florida, New York and Oregon. In 2025, we partnered with Saint Alphonsus, Ayni Brigade, and Blue Chalk Media on the Bring It campaign - when national production came to the Treasure Valley, we made sure it stayed local, hiring 18 Idaho crew members and actors across two shoots. In Real Life Films was born from that same foundation, bringing the same human-first storytelling to corporate and agency clients who want content that actually reflects who they are. Two companies, one purpose: tell stories that change lives.