We Interviewed the Creator of “Rise To The Top”!

We had the pleasure of chatting with the creator of “Rise To The Top” be sure to check out their work here! The project has a planned premiere date in January 10th, 2025!

1.What initially inspired you to become a creator, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your creative journey?

In terms of being a creator when it comes to making stories, all it took was just one little spark to make an original musical story (which at the time was the original version of Rise To The Top [it was a novel series at the time]) about three and a half years ago to really get my gears turning, and to make my creative energy something truly special. That original spark has inspired me, even to this very day. I find myself every day thinking back to the imagination and creativity that was sparked as the result of wanting to develop a story like Rise To The Top. It has inspired all of my works, even to this very day, and I am very proud of that. 

2.Can you share a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion for your current creative project?

Ultimately, Rise To The Top was originally created using the experiences I had and the feelings that I felt after some student leadership elections that didn’t go my way. This story was created to help me feel better and to see, in a way, what could’ve been if everything did, in fact, go my way. However, as time went on and as the story has evolved and changed over that time, many moments and experiences ended up influencing the overall story, but perhaps none more so than my emotions and experiences with my high school graduation back in the Summer of 2022.

3.What challenges have you encountered as an indie creator, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?

I think the biggest challenge I have encountered is having this work and life balance, between writing for this show I love making so dearly, and taking care of my other life responsibilities, including being a sophomore in college pursuing a career in journalism, and other creative ventures I’m pursuing outside of writing for Rise To The Top, such as voice acting and singing/songwriting. That balance and trying to figure out how to fit everything I want to do in each and every day, week, month, and year, is something that greatly influences my work, in ways that I can’t even begin to fully imagine. 

4.Are there any particular creators who have significantly influenced your style or approach? How do you incorporate those influences into your own unique voice?

One particular indie creator’s style of handling her cast and her approach to her shows as a whole that greatly inspires everything that I do is Lenexa, better known to me as StarViz, or simply Viz. Viz has this style of being as caring and respectful to all of her casts and all of the stories in which she has the privilege of putting together, and it’s something that I have brought over when working on Rise To The Top, though I’ve given it my own unique spin and have changed things so that things are done how I would do that, and not how anyone else would do them. 

5. How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to feedback from your audience or collaborators?

On the point of audience feedback, with Rise To The Top not currently out for all to listen to, it is difficult at this time to truly get general audience feedback. That being said, however, I have gotten a great deal of feedback from my cast and crew on various aspects of what I’ve done, and I will be forever grateful for that. Hopefully as time goes on, audience feedback will come and will be of great help to me going forward.

6.Can you recall a memorable success story or milestone in your indie creator journey that stands out as a turning point for you?

I really haven’t had a memorable success story or milestone in my indie creation journey at this time that I can speak of. I’m still working really hard on Rise To The Top, and the real milestone will be once all 14 episodes of Season 1 are fully recorded and edited. 

7.What role do setbacks or failures play in your creative process, and how do you overcome them to keep moving forward?

Setbacks, and even some failures, have played a critically important role in my creative process. Each setback, and even each failure, I have learned something brand-new that has helped make my creative process better, every step of the way. 

8. How do you manage your time and energy to sustain a consistent creative output while juggling other aspects of life?

It’s honestly one hell of a struggle. This is something that I have a lot of issues with properly balancing, but over time it has gotten easier and easier. Usually I just think about all of the specific tasks I need to get done in my life, and then what needs to get done on the writing and recreational side of things, and then I decide what can get done today, and what has to be done later on. I’ve gotten to the point where, though still difficult to balance, it’s gotten a lot easier than when I first REALLY started getting into the creative sphere. 

9.Have you found any unexpected joys or rewards in the indie creator community, and how has it contributed to your overall experience?

The greatest reward working in the indie creator community is being able to meet fellow show creators, as well as meeting countless amounts of talented voice actors, who have helped to inspire my own creative efforts, as well as many of them coming on board to help bring Rise To The Top to life. It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and it’s something that I will not be forgetting for a very long time to come. 

10.If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creators, what would it be based on your own lessons learned?

Keep the faith and just be yourself. That is something that fellow creators have taught and shown me. As long as you believe in yourself to keep creating, and as long as you just be who you are no matter what, you’re going to go far, without any questions or debates. Trust yourself, and trust your judgment, and in the end, everything is going to be alright. 

11. What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek? What are some things we should change/do? What are some things you enjoy about our website?

All Ages of Geek is great. It’s exactly the kind of site and concept of something that I hope to properly launch and create someday. This site can bring various fandoms together under one umbrella to talk about everything that they love. I hope everything stays as it is, because reading about the interviews and other aspects of this site has been something truly special, and I hope that all of that continues for a long time to come. 

12. Goals for 2024?

My primary goal for 2024 is to finish writing and fully editing Season 1 of Rise To The Top, so that it can be put out there for the world to see on my planned premiere date of January 10th, 2025! I have other goals that I hope to accomplish throughout the course of the year, but this is the one I primarily have my eyes on accomplishing, and I intend to see it through with the help of the amazing talent that I have assembled!

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All Ages of Geek is a fully independent media platform, brought to life and sustained by the dedication of two sisters and the generous support of our community through donations. We’re passionate about creating content that resonates with our audience, and we’re excited to share our latest project with you—an upcoming game developed with our unique vision and creativity. Explore our other content and see how you can support our journey. Your engagement and contributions make a significant difference. Thank you for being part of our story.