Laura Irion Photography, Ted Ely Studio

Actor. Filmmaker. Adventurer.

What’s New:

Featured
Horror Adaptation Workshop
Horror Adaptation Workshop

I had an inspiring time performing in the workshop of an exciting new theatre production adapted for the stage from one of my favorite Hollywood horror franchises. Working with one of the UK’s leading theatre companies on this spooky show stretched me as an artist in ways I couldn’t have expected, and the material legit gave me nightmares 😆. Specifics are under wraps for now, but I can’t wait to see where the show goes from here.

FX’s FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans
FX’s FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans

I’m over the moon to make my network television debut opposite icons Naomi Watts and Chloë Sevigny in FX’s FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans. Working on this stunning period piece produced by Ryan Murphy, gorgeously written by Jon Robin Baitz, and Directed by Gus Van Sant and Max Winkler was an absolute dream. Getting a mention in Vulture and discovering I’m now a meme were just the icing on the ultra-luscious cake. Ep. 6: “Hats, Gloves and Effet Homosexuals” on FX + streaming on Hulu.

American Dynasty, S2
American Dynasty, S2

Had a wonderful experience playing Sallie Heinz, the strong, nurturing woman behind the man who created that ketchup you’ve probably got in your fridge right now, in the second season of FOX’s American Dynasty - streaming now. I learned how to knit, had my first on-screen kiss, and got to play THE funniest April Fools joke on my momma with my big ol’ false pregnant belly costume. I also got to work with playful Director Johnny Saint Ours, who’s just the kindest and the coolest.

HIGH SCORE in Deadline + Film Shortage Best Pick of the Month
HIGH SCORE in Deadline + Film Shortage Best Pick of the Month

Proud that my directorial debut, HIGH SCORE, is a Film Shortage Best Pick of the Month and was covered in Deadline. The chilling anti-racist short film follows a burgeoning white supremacist as he’s drawn into the abyss of online radicalization and addresses the real-life consequences of misinformation and hate speech proliferating unchecked on the internet. It won Best Short Film and Best Actor after its world premiere at the Chelsea Film Festival and awards for Best Thriller, another Best Actor, and a Stop Hate Award along its festival journey.

I AM…

Serena on the Bosphorous in Istanbul, Turkey.

  • Powered by imagination

  • Committed to making art that inspires empathy and ignites questions

  • A proud alumna of The Stella Adler Studio and The American Musical & Dramatic Academy

  • An outgoing introvert

  • Part Jersey girl, part Floridian beach rat

  • The daughter of a musician and a bartender

  • A life partner

  • A big sister

  • Momma to a Ball Python named Barlow

  • Addicted to hot sauce

  • Learning Spanish and Greek

  • Charmingly clumsy

  • Still obsessed with Six Feet Under, Broad City, and Stand By Me

  • A feeler & a Cancer (…or are those synonymous?)

  • A kinesthetic learner

  • A traveler

  • A yogi

  • A registered voter

  • An animal person

  • A Disney kid

  • Half-Greek & half-Irish

  • A spider-rescuer

  • Thrilled to have you on my site!

WATCH

CASHED

‘Watch "CASHED" on Amazon Prime

Also featuring Renika Williams of HBO’s Sex Lives of College Girls

After a rare night of drinking on her 25th birthday, Jess wakes up to a wicked hangover and surprise unemployment. As she struggles with whether or not to spend her last few bucks on weed, she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and find some peace of mind in the process.

  • Awards:

    • Best Actress (for Ryen), CIAFF

    • Best Actress (for Ryen), Best Dramatic USA Short, & Best Cinematography, CICHFF

    • Audience Favorite, HollyShorts Monthly

    • Best Comedy Short (nom), Queens World Film Festival

    • Bronze Remi Award, Houston WorldFest

  • Official Selections:

    • Queens World Film Festival

    • BLOW-UP International Arthouse Film Festival

    • Williamsburg Film Festival

    • Fort Myers Film Festival

    • HollyShorts Monthly Screenings

    • Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival

    • Golden State Film Festival

    • Deep Focus Film Festival

    • Tally Shorts Film Festival

    • NewFilmmakers NY

    • Transparent Film Festival

    • Tallahassee Film Festival

    • Cannabis Culture Film Festival

    • Front Range International Film Festival

HIGH SCORE

Directorial Debut

After a young man is fired from his job as a result of his offensive behavior, he finds the perfect people to blame: minorities. Newly inspired by the white supremacist ideology of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, we watch as he sinks into the darkest pits of the internet and takes the ideas he finds there as his own…

  • Awards:

    • Best Short & Best Actor, Chelsea Film Festival (USAToday's Top 10 Best Film Fests)

    • Best Thriller Short, Culver City Film Festival

    • Stop Hate Award, Immigration Film Festival

    • Best Short Film (nom) & Social Awareness Award (nom), Orlando Film Festival

  • Official Selections:

    • 16th Annual Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival

    • 19th Annual Canada Screen Award Qualifying Female Eye Film Festival

    • SOHO International Film Festival

    • Philadelphia Jewish Film & Media Festival

    • San Diego Int’l Film Festival’s Joyce Forum Jewish Short Film Fest

    • Cinematters: NY Social Justice Film Festival
      (alongside Academy Award-Winner Regina King's "One Night in Miami" and Emmy-Winner Sam Pollard's "MLK/FBI")

    • Chelsea Film Festival

    • Culver City Film Festival

    • Paris International Film Festival

    • Colorado International Activism Film Festival

    • We Make Movies International Film Festival​

Follow Serena’s Award-winning filmmaking

Anytime a person can empathize with a fictional character, it deepens their capacity to empathize with other flesh-and-blood humans.

That’s why we create content that not only entertains but also shifts perspectives. Stories can open doors and change minds in seemingly invisible, but monumental, ways. We’re here to tell those stories. https://schmehfilms.com/