Lou Simon(IV)

Writer, producer and director, Lou Simon, stumbled into filmmaking by fate and became a "triple threat" within the indie film community by melding passion with hard work. Born in Havana, Cuba, at age nine Ms. Simon and her family migrated to Miami, Florida to escape the communist regime. Ms. Simon soon found her own escape and safe haven amid the change and turmoil in her life: Writing. Assigned as a tool to assist the process of learning English, Lou was required to write a short story that would inadvertently ignite her passion for writing. She eventually graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in English and Creative Writing. Although she continued to freelance, she ultimately decided to continue her education at NYU School of Law before finding her way back to her roots in 2011 when she helped a friend work on a screenplay. It was then that she discovered her true gift: Screenwriting. Never one to wait around, Lou not only wrote, but also produced and directed her feature film, "HazMat" and secured distribution for it in a record time of nine months. "HazMat" went on to win Best Horror Film at both the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival and the Berlin Independent Film Festival. Her latest film, "Agoraphobia", which she also wrote, produced and directed, stars legendary actor Tony Todd and rising star Cassandra Scerbo. The supernatural thriller is slated for release early 2015.