I’m a writer, independent film and audio content producer, and performer based in West Michigan.

 

With a career that spans across multiple creative disciplines, my work is rooted in building empowering, inclusive collaborations.

 

I’m passionate about using every resource available to amplify the voices of the underrepresented, one story at a time.

 

I believe in the power of storytelling to create change and shape a more inclusive world.

 

My experiences have taken me from Los Angeles to Gothenburg, Sweden, and New York, but I am always ready to travel wherever a compelling project calls.

 

Documentary Production

 

I’m currently finishing RAISING US, a feature documentary that highlights the power of parent advocacy in the fight for disability rights and inclusion. The film follows five Massachusetts mothers, including my own, as they navigate raising children with Down syndrome and autism over the course of fifty years.

 

I’m also in production on I AM TED, a short documentary that explores the work of Lindsay Cherry, founder of I AM Academy in West Michigan, as she helps her high school students prepare their own TEDx talks amidst a changing political landscape in Holland, Michigan.

 

Another short documentary project, RED ALERT, captures the collaboration between a celebrated Michigan-based artist Joel Schoon-Tanis and climate activist Ken Freestone as they create and unveil an art exhibit and curriculum to raise awareness and offer solutions to the threats to local and global biodiversity.

 

Podcast / Audio Narrative Production

 

If you're looking for a podcast that blends humor with helpful advice for parents, check out GEAR UP! ADVENTURES IN PARENTHOOD, hosted by clinical social workers Heather Bouwman and Kristina Boersma, recorded and edited by Dave Purnell, produced by Jen Plante Johnson. Together, they offer insights and personal stories to help you navigate the ups and downs of parenting and raising children in today’s world. Available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and here.

 

This podcast is a collaboration with ODC Network, an innovative non-profit organization focused on outdoor education and conservation in West Michigan. Their work has helped create a space where Heather and Kristina’s parenting wisdom can be shared with a wider audience.

 

Narrative Production

 

I’ve also had the pleasure of working on a variety of narrative projects:

 

MiSSES PiCKLES, a short comedic film about two women on an oddball adventure to find a dying cat (currently on the festival circuit).

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OUT OF BOUNDS, a dark comedy short film about a politically divided brother and sister who unite for a heist to redeem their father’s botched funeral.

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OWNING IT, an award-winning dramedy series in development that follows a woman’s search for her biological roots after a near-death experience reveals a rare DNA defect.

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TEN DAYS TO TEKOA, a historical drama about two teenage girls orphaned during the Civil War who journey to Boston in search of a new life, based on real events.​

 

No matter the medium, my goal is always the same: to tell stories that are meaningful, inclusive, and full of heart.