Warrior Woman Wednesday: Alli Gooch

Alli only places her energy into something she is 100% passionate about, and anything below that doesn’t make the cut for the ambitious high school senior. This system is working out for the Phoenix-native considering she has not only had seven films screened at professional film festivals, but also walked down the runway during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) for three designers. Meet Warrior Woman Wednesday Alli Gooch!

Most recently, Alli had her video go viral where her friend asked
Emma Stone to prom using the melody from La La Land’s “Another Day of
Sun.” You can watch the the prom proposal video here in case you missed it on Good Morning America and the BBC.

“Watching the prom video go viral was SURREAL!”
Alli exclaimed. “I had friends who were foreign exchange students in
elementary and middle school, texting and messaging me how the video is
all over the news in the countries they are from, and that’s just
insane.”

Alli’s primary passions lie in films, computers and video games. Her film journey dates back to sixth grade when she founded a film production crew with kids in her neighborhood.

 “We would hold castings for actors, and host lemonade stands for funding,” Alli said. “Six years later, our same group is still making films and winning awards in film festivals against professionals.”

Her first taste of success started when she entered a pro-level film festival which ended up getting selected and presented. Out of the nine pro-level film festivals she’s submitted to, seven have been screened.

“After studying movies and film for years, it was so cool to see a film I worked on up on the same screen as the pros,” Alli said as she recalled her first screening.

Alli transitioned her love of playing video games to designing them. She created multiple games, levels, and also 3D modeled countless objects. The experience helped her become a stronger film maker.

“Game design is all about leading the player visually through the course of the game and relaying a story and character arc, both which are huge parts of filmmaking,” Alli said.

Around the same time, Alli was scouted at a 4th of July party and offered a contract with an agency in both Arizona and New York. At a younger age, scouts previously reached out to her but she politely declined since it wasn’t her original intention to be in front of the camera.

When the opportunity arose again, she decided to give it a try. Alli took on the new adventure which resulted in NYFW castings for Nicholas K, Marissa Webb and Banana Republic.

My time living in New York has helped me become even more independent, confident, and driven than ever before,” Alli said.

Her three-season run has been memorable and also helped her obtain photography techniques to apply when she’s not modeling. Alli vividly remembers her first show with NYFW and all the feelings that came along with her nerves.

“I was excited, scared, nervous, and ecstatic all at the same time, and the moment I walked onto the runway, all of the butterflies and angst flew out the door and I felt so confident,” Alli smiled.

A lot is happening for Alli over the upcoming months: in May, Alli will graduate from high school; and in August, she will attend Chapman University as a Film Production Major at their Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, a top-ranked film school. Admission to the private school is selective but Alli was one of 70 kids, 40 who are freshmen, accepted to the school.

“Don’t let anyone or anything discourage you from pursuing something you are truly passionate about,” Alli paused. “While at times, it is important to listen to what othe people have to say, anything is possible if you put in hard work and dedication.”

Q&A with Alli Gooch
1. What motivates you to succeed?
I pursue things I am extremely passionate about and my passion fuels my motivation. I really like to challenge myself because I feel that’s the best way to learn and try new things.



2. Who inspires you? 
One of my biggest inspirations is Kathleen Kennedy. She has produced multiple films such as E.T., Jurassic Park, and both of the new Star Wars films. She is also the president of Lucasfilm and is a major advocate for recruiting women in the film industry. As a young woman aspiring to break into the film industry, I really look up to her and hope to achieve similar things some day.

3. Your biggest achievement? 
I would have to say that my biggest achievement thus far lies within my work as a filmmaker. As a freshman in highschool, I entered a pro-level film festival and ended up having my film screened at a theatre downtown. This was the beginning of a trend that is still yet to end today. So far in my career as a filmmaker, I have entered 8 film festivals, had my films screened at 7 of them, won awards for 3 of them, and won first place in one of them. I worked really hard on each and every one of the films I’ve produced, and each has brought its own challenges and hardships. However, the challenges each film brings are accompanied by valuable lessons and learning experiences that I would have never received had I been timid about producing the film in the first place. I’m really proud of these accomplishments and they push me to work towards bigger and bigger things everyday.



4. Goals for the future? 
In the future, I hope to be a professional Director or Director of Photography for both indie and blockbuster films. I love being behind the camera more than anything else and I find the concept of taking a written story and translating it to the screen fascinating. As a huge Star Wars fan, I secretly hope to be a part of the ‘above-the-line’ crew for one of the upcoming installments to the series.



5. What advice would you give to others? 
Do what you love and love what you do because your passion is the source of the purest and strongest motivation.



6. What do you do for fun? 
For fun, I experiment with different types of film. I’ve shot a lot of motion picture film on super8 and also taken stills on 35mm film with my friends. When I’m not filming or experimenting with film, I’m in front of the camera modelling. It’s never something I aspired to do but it has become something I really enjoy. I’ve walked New York Fashion Week 3 times and loved every minute of it. The beautiful clothes, the chaos before the show, the angst and excitement the runway holds, its all addicting and I plan on going back for another Fashion Week sometime in the near future.



7. Favorite quote or Bible verse? 
“Do or do not, there is no try.” –Yoda (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)