Home is Where the House Is is a two-part video series that humanizes the often larger than life figures of the NYC ballroom community.
Gilead Sciences
Director,
Casting,
Post-production supervision
2
featured characters
2
short films
3
days of filming
To craft content that authentically centers LGBTQ+ voices, weaving in lived experience, identity, and cultural nuance with a focus on resonance, representation, and respect across visual and narrative forms.
The idea was to create two part video series that humanized the larger than life figures of the NYC ballroom community. Often legendary and idolized, these individuals act as leaders of their tribes. As I learned more about the strong bonds that tied this community together, it became clear that showcasing the intimacy of the familial aspect of the ballroom scene was integral to the story. I approached this by showing the inner workings of how two distinct ballroom figures, Tempress and Yusef Mugler, run a ballroom house like a family. I explored this through the lens of a trans house mother and a queer house father.
Commissioned by Gilead, the series humanizes figures often cast as performers, depicting them instead as caretakers, organizers, and emotional anchors. The two-part video project has been shared across creative, activist, and wellness networks—extending awareness of ballroom as both art and sanctuary. It has resonated as authentic representation, offering rare visibility to the inclusive ecosystems that nurture resilience, identity, and intergenerational mentorship.