Six years ago, Justice Woman was just a domain name that happened to be available —and I bought it because it sounded cool. I grew up as a fan of Wonder Woman and especially Batman, a mere mortal with no superpowers who still cared deeply for the people of Gotham. I had recently graduated from law school, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of practicing law. My true passion was acting. Still, I had bills to pay, so I stuck with law and opened my own practice, which I ran for two years. It was during that time that Justice Woman was born.
Hanging out my own shingle was an eye-opening experience. I witnessed firsthand how our legal system —and those in charge of it— can work both for good and for harm, all under the guise of "the law". That realization pushed me to leave law behind and return to acting. I enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and that’s when I started writing.
After graduating, I needed an acting reel to showcase my work. But putting one together was exhausting —I spent more time chasing down directors to get copies of their films than actually promoting myself. At that point, I figured: with all the effort I’m putting in, I might as well write and shoot my own project —the Justice Woman story that had been simmering in my mind all along.
While writing the series, I watched as a wave of turmoil swept across the world. Those events ignited my desire to speak not just for myself, but for others who had experienced injustice. I began to write about the many inequalities in society—homophobia, immigration issues, discrimination, double standards, sexual hypocrisy, class privilege, political corruption, and more. These became the core themes of Justice Woman. Still, I took Oscar Wilde's advice to heart: "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh —otherwise, they’ll kill you". So I gave the story a comedic edge.
As a fan of Batman and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, I knew I wanted Justice Woman to have that gritty, comic book look. We achieved that mostly through production lighting and color correction in post.
Initially, I planned to shoot just a pilot, but I was too excited to wait for a network to pick it up—so I embraced the web series format. I did my research and drew inspiration from Felicia Day and her web series The Guild.
I didn’t go to film school, and I didn’t have a big budget, so I took on every role I could—writer, director, producer, and lead actor—to make Justice Woman happen. It was tough, but thanks to the encouragement and support of friends and former colleagues, it was also possible. Their generosity—offering locations, props, and time—made a huge difference. Sometimes, juggling so many roles gets hectic, but the cast and crew keep me going. We have fun on set, and everyone gets along—no drama, just lots of laughter.
Most of the cast are close friends I’ve worked with in theater, film, and even law. For them, it’s more than just another gig; it’s about our shared friendship, and that shows in the final product. They come to set, give it their all, and even help with production when needed.
For the first season, we used a Canon EOS 7D, because that’s what our first Director of Photography owned. I wasn’t very knowledgeable about cameras at the time, but I liked the crisp look it gave us. In season two, we switched to a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, thanks to a new DP who owned that camera. The image quality was even better, but when he left to study in London, we went back to the EOS 7D for seasons 3, 4, and 5. It remains a solid choice for our budget and needs.
I tend to shoot first and aim later—which has gotten me into trouble at times—but it’s also shown me that if I commit and push forward, I’ll get things done.
We started Justice Woman with just $2000. I quickly realized that wasn’t enough, so I chose to shoot only on weekends while working weekdays to save more. I bartered services and goods —offering housing in exchange for filming space— called in favors, and relied heavily on the generosity of friends and family. It wasn’t often financial support, but every bit of help made a big difference.
The series is planned for six seasons and 18 episodes, but that doesn't mean it has to end there. It could go on indefinitely. As John Stuart Mill once wrote: "As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other". The fight for justice is ongoing, and nothing would make me happier than to keep Justice Woman alive. It’s something we’re actively exploring.
Thanks to advances in technology, filmmaking has become more accessible than ever. Anyone with the drive and desire can tell their story. I’m confident that we’ll continue to see more diverse, meaningful stories in the years to come. With web series distribution, we’re hearing from voices that once had no platform. Thanks to the internet, we’re no longer stuck watching bad TV —we can choose what we want to see.
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