An anxious, aging millennial, Arab-American Austin transplant goes on a mission to find the platonic love of her life after realizing she’s never had one lasting female friend, but will have to figure out how to befriend herself first. Here to Make Friends is a half-hour comedy pilot written by Meghan Ross during the Sundance Episodic Lab 2021-2022, which was adapted into a proof of concept short film directed and produced by Meghan alongside her brother Justin Ross for Brave Makers and Lauren Salatich for Holocene Productions. The short had its world premiere at So Fucked It’s Funny in LA, its Austin premiere at the 2023 AFS ShortCase, and its festival premiere at Bentonville Film Festival. It was also selected for Austin Asian American Film Festival, The Front Festival, Miami Short Film Festival (where it was nominated for Best Comedy), Portland Film Festival, Blackmagic Collective Film Festival, American Cinematheque’s Arab American Women Night of Shorts, and opened up for RRR at the Hyperreal Film Club screening at The Paramount Theatre. It’s been supported by the Sundance Institute, Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship, NewFilmmakers LA & Warner Bros. Discovery’s OneFifty, The Tasajillo Residency, Austin Film Society, The Lilith Fund, and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
When two friends meet up during these never-endingly unprecedented times, their candid responses to the simple question "How are you?" catch each other off guard and spur an avalanche of hilariously stark honesty. Based on painfully true events. Directed by Sarah Kuck, written by Meghan Ross, and starring Meghan Ross and Haley Alea Erickson, the short film had its world premiere at The Front Festival 2022 and its online premiere on Film Shortage’s Daily Pick. This piece is part of the upcoming variety series Feels Like Now, which uses poetry, sketch comedy, music, and storytelling to explore how Austinites are feeling right now about life in Texas. Watch the teaser here.
If You Ever Hurt My Daughter, I Swear to God I’ll Let Her Navigate Her Own Emotional Growth is a short film adaptation of Sophie Kohn’s Daily Shouts column featuring Jon Hamm as the voice of a father meeting his daughter’s boyfriend, flipping the stereotypes of the encounter on their head. Directed and produced by Meghan Ross alongside her brother Justin Ross for Brave Makers, the short premiered on The New Yorker in June 2020 and was selected for The Webby Awards, Film Shortage’s Daily Pick, and NewFilmmakersLA October 2020 Virtual Film Festival. It was also featured in The New Yorker’s Best Shouts of 2020, Vulture’s Best Comedy Shorts of July 2020, Ms. Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, PopSugar, WhoHaha, and more.
Finally, a Female Candidate Likable Enough for Men is a short film adaptation of Rebecca Caplan’s Daily Shouts column featuring Rachel Bloom as the voice of the female candidate who’s so chill, you could totally see yourself grabbing a beer with her. Directed and produced by Meghan Ross alongside her brother Justin Ross for Brave Makers, the short premiered on The New Yorker in October 2020 and was featured in The New Yorker’s Best Shouts of 2020 as well as Vulture’s Best Comedy Shorts of October 2020.
Logo by Mary Kathryn Paynter
Host Meghan Ross is joined on Instagram Live by activists, experts, community organizers, and leaders to weigh in on a topic relating to the many (oh so many) social injustices and inequalities in our world.
While the interview guest drops truth bombs on us, Meghan performs tasks at an average-to-below-average skill level (ex: baking Middle Eastern sweets as an apology to her ancestors for pursuing comedy, repotting one of many succulents she kills, putting together patio furniture purchased to fill a void in her life), as she diligently listens along and asks questions about the topic at hand. Because when it comes to the current state of affairs, and whatever the hell Meghan will be filming herself doing that day: NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS.
Past guests include Moms Demand Action's Shannon Watts, Minnesota Teen Activists, United State of Women's Jordan Brooks, RAICES's Adriana Quiroga, Rosa Rebellion’s Virginia Cumberbatch and Meagan Harding, US Senate Democratic Candidate MJ Hegar, Evelyn from the Internets, Drag Out the Vote's Jackie Huba, and more! Follow Meghan on Instagram here for updates on guests, topics, and activities and watch season 1 and 2 episodes here.
Logo by Danielle Romeo & poster artwork by Good Snake
That Time of the Month is a late night show hosted by a Middle Eastern, middle child, middle-class woman! Once a month, Meghan Ross showcased talented acts from humans who happen to be women and non-binary, including an interview with a Strong Female Lead(er) in Austin and giveaways from women and non-binary-owned local businesses.
Founded by Liisa Murray and Meghan Ross in New York in March 2015, Meghan hosted the show at Fallout Theater following a successful 2-year run at ColdTowne Theater. After moving the show to Austin, she updated the format to include an interview with a Strong Female Lead(er) – an activist or subject matter expert kicking ass in their community.
That Time of the Month has been featured in New York Magazine’s Vulture, Time Out New York, Time Out Austin, Austin’s NPR station KUT, Austin Woman Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, and CultureMap Austin. The show has previously partnered with Femsplain and Amazon Studios film Late Night starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, won a 2017 and 2018 ColdTownie Award for Best Late Night Show, and has performed at Diverse as Fuck Festival, BABES FEST, BettyFest, and Austin Sketch Fest. Check out past episode clips here, sign up for the monthly newsletter here, follow on Facebook here, on Twitter here, and on Instagram here.
Logo & poster artwork by Louisa Cannell
An Uncomfortable Woman is a dark comedy short film about Dylan, a 33-year-old woman experiencing a transitional period of her life. After the sudden death of her mother followed by the end of her long-term engagement, Dylan becomes obsessed with a foreboding thought: Don’t all bad things happen in threes? Sensing another tragedy lurks around the corner, Dylan must navigate her fear of being alone, the male species, and an unwanted house party, all while armed with questionable yet endearing support from her childhood best friend.
An Uncomfortable Woman was chosen as the winner of Austin Film Festival’s First Three Pages Live in 2018 and has been covered in Sightlines Magazine, Austin Woman Magazine, Austin Film Festival’s blog, Women and Hollywood, The Austin Chronicle, Studio 512, and The Daily Texan. The film features an all-women-and-POC crew and lead cast and has partnered with more than 45 local and women-owned businesses and artists for crowdfunding prizes and fundraising event sponsorships. The film made its world premiere at Hollywood International Diversity Film Festival, was nominated for Best Women Short at Indie Short Fest and Best Director at Portland Comedy Film Festival, and was selected for the 12th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival, Portland Film Festival, BABES FEST’s Creative Medicine, Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival, jellyFEST season 6 finalist, and Portland Film Festival’s Indie Film Series: Women’s Voices. Check out the trailer here and Instagram here.