Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Lillee Jean Trueman Is Helping To Change Our World
Be yourself, no matter what they say. It’s always better to follow your heart when it comes to filmmaking; otherwise, you sacrifice what it means to be a visionary.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Lillee Jean Trueman.
Lillee Jean Trueman is a multi-award-winning director, actress, writer, producer, and filmmaker. She is most known for Lillee Jean Talks! Live, The Trapper Trap: The Rise of Princess Glamourite, The Chorus in Our Eyes, Write to Kill, The Gilded Age, and So Lillo Qui. Trueman trained at the T. Schreiber Studio and has won numerous awards for acting, production, design, and directing at indie film festivals globally.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
I have always been drawn to the arts, and I feel my whole life has brought me to this career as a director, filmmaker, writer, producer, and actress. As a child, I always partook in theatrical performances such as a take on The Nutcracker, and a spin on The Wizard of Oz. As my passion for the arts grew, I expanded into creating my stop-motion films for my blog at the time. I crafted storylines from an ice skating rink incident to a workout session, taking on multiple roles as filmmaker, director, actress, and writer. Even with no formal training, the most powerful apprenticeship is doing something. I have always been working my way up, and, loving each moment, bringing my unique ideas to life.
I kept to my passions, and as I grew older, I began to write my short films. They ranged from 17 years old, writing a historical documentary of women through the ages, realities versus what mankind glamorized, to 22 years old, filming “Project: Bullyish” documentary, addressing the gritty and dark themes of cyberbullying and online stalking.
In between these documentaries, I also experimented with TV, creating my show, Lillee Jean TALKS! Live, which won twice at indie film festivals for my episode with Donny Most. Guests have continued to line up with major iconic players such as Don Most, Chick Allan, Shelley Wade, Staci Layne Wilson, Lady Clegg, John Callas, Aaron Kai, and Neil D’Monte.
Continuing to grow as a filmmaker, I never stay in one spot. In the last year, I expanded into my sci-fi comedy film The Trapper Trap: The Rise of Princess Glamourite and a romantic comedy film titled The Chorus in Our Eyes. Both comedies went on to win at indie film festivals from Athens to Paris, which is extremely rewarding. I currently have a new micro-short film titled The Mission is Complete, Angelique set to premiere at indie film festivals in Autumn 2025, and a book-to-TV series I signed on to direct, titled “Write to Kill”, adapted from the novel by David P. Perlmutter. The series is going to be filmed in London and New York, which will be brilliant to be at the helm, bringing this vision to life.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Now looking back, I feel my biggest mistake ever was holding back. When I was first starting out I felt more shy about my work. Now, I think my greatest assets stem right from my brain. My work is creative, bold, not afraid to dive into grittiness, and the fiercely flamboyant. I really will go that extra mile, and it’s my best trait. Those afraid of that unique quality never lived to dream. The doers, are the ones who smash through and keep going.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
This question sparks me to my show, Lillee Jean TALKS! Live, which has brought on many interesting people. I’ve interacted and befriended many award-winning directors, iconic musicians, Emmy nominees, high-powered actors, those with Ladyship, and true movers and shakers in the industry.
To date, some memorable recent shows included returning star Donny Most, where he discussed and debuted on my show, his epic new acting roles, which shocked and excited fans of Donny immediately. It was thrilling, and a true honor to have such an icon on my show; he truly is talented. We won twice at indie film festivals for an episode he came on, which was so perfect, too.
Having Chick Allan and Chara Allan on my show was a true honor, where they individually discussed the historical heritage preservation they’re conducting at their Scottish medieval village. Other interesting episodes span from seasoned radio host Shelley Wade discussing interviewing her idol, Janet Jackson, which was so much of a girl moment, to John Callas, an Emmy Nominee, on his new Christmas movie.
Staci Layne Wilson was a true gem to come on my show, with her best-selling book series, which drew a lot of interest from fans, and me as well! Aaron Kai live on my show, showcased an epic jacket he painted, which nobody expected, and brought a lot of joy to viewers. Neil D’Monte was a great wildcard to have back on while he discussed big new Hollywood projects that I’m positive people are waiting for his next word on.
I feel with my show, the need to showcase all aspects of film, and the importance of uplifting one another. Thus, I’ve had on other filmmakers such as Jon Simon and Jameson Quinn. Both interacted with the process of film and the true meaning of vision, which were two fun moments that I feel were inspiring for other filmmakers.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
A person in history who inspires me is Queen Elizabeth II. I feel she lived life to the fullest, ruled with her convictions held strongly, and was very formidable. I idolize her approach to naysayers and the way she navigated life with style. She never let herself not have that moment.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I am using my success to bring goodness to the world by continuing to stand by my unique visions. Let’s face it, you’ll never see a Princess Glamourite unless you watch me. I am bold enough to laugh at myself and have a good time. This has brought a lot of happiness to people, which is part of my impact.
Socially, I have disrupted the entire world with Project: Bullyish. My film, which won at indie film festivals globally and was screened globally, pushed that limit.
My social footprint is not letting corporations try to dictate life, and educating the public on the charlatans behind the curtain: the digital media agencies that conduct this lowly work. They hide behind normal people to create mass hysteria and prey mainly on children.
Bullyish explores people given incentives of game cards and college payments paid off, for return of work including: ghostwriting slander pieces, writing comments of hate amongst several accounts to make it seem like a crowd, making sure threads do not fade so they don’t get archived, and manipulating seo to ensure financial security and gain.
Internet jargon is dictated by these smaller divisions, “chans”, and the truth is they’re not the world. They’re media corporations, spanning globally to create little fires, or little rays of light, where needed for profit, and the spread of propaganda. While a lot to swallow, this hysteria for nine years of my life led to distributed criminal A.I. deepfakes made of my body, that was dealt with by the NYPD, and vicious criminal threats to my life, also dealt with by the FBI, NYPD, and AG.
If I were to just sit back and let these corporations harm me, what type of woman would I be? Not the woman I want to be. Project: Bullyish is groundbreaking, and through my work, I hope to make people more educated about these subjects that I feel need vital education. I will continue to empower other women to not sit back, and not take these things lightly. You have rights, just as the next person. Bullyish empowers people to know that, once more.
On a different note, I am using my notoriety to procure the simplest medicine, to just laugh, and have a good time after watching my films. I feel movies recently are taking such a cookie-cutter turn, and I’m not into that; neither are my fans. The social impact I am leading sits between awareness and happiness.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
So much has happened in my life, at such a young age, that made me realize if I want something, I need to manifest my dreams, and go for it. One of my dreams is filmmaking. I love to direct, write, produce, and act. All of these things put a smile on my face, and when I started to film and write episodes of So Lillo Qui, right around attending class at T. Schreiber Studio, it sparked a huge creativity in me.
From there, I went on to write The Trapper Trap: The Rise of Princess Glamourite, which was my first indie film with a larger cast. That moment of being on set the first day, in costume as Sabrina, and really letting go, was my own leap of faith, and belief in myself.
The film later went on to win numerous awards at indie film festivals around the globe for the poster I designed, the costumes I created, my acting, and even the trailer. I grew up with the phrase go big or go home.” I went big.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Since I have produced many documentary films, there have been several times I’ve been told the impact they’ve had.
For example, one of my documentary films, which delves deeply into cyberbullying and stalking online, has emotionally touched many younger people.
Since my documentary film, Project: Bullyish, screened in California and internationally, I’ve been told people cried during screenings, and the film, due to the raw nature of how I shot it, is a tear-jerker.
My cause with Bullyish has created a real awareness, and a chain reaction of the realities of the Internet. The Internet people knew from 2015, or even 2020, does not exist now.
There are true stealth dark areas, and corporations behind every single campaign you can think of, whether good or bad, and Bullyish showcases that. To put it in perspective, you might think that you are nobody, but you might be an asset to a PR company at the end of the day, seeking gain for political, social, or individual campaigns spanning the web, and then real life. The power of social media is strong and has been weaponized, as explored in my documentary.
Knowing the individuals who have shared this with their children, and that my documentary Project: Bullyish resonated, really speaks volumes to the type of directing and filmmaking I produce.
Are there three things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Three things that individuals can do to support me in this effort are: not being a bystander, not engaging with such negative behavior, and supporting one another fiercely.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1 . Be yourself, no matter what they say. It’s always better to follow your heart when it comes to filmmaking; otherwise, you sacrifice what it means to be a visionary.
2 . Follow your gut in filmmaking. Your first thought is your best thought. When you end up overthinking certain aspects, they never come out right.
3 . Different is okay. Be different, be bold, and do what you envision. You got the job, so you know what’s right.
4 . Film is a process, not a competition. You should never be in competition with your fellow entertainers. Your goal is to be that vision on a project, collaboratively.
5 . No idea is a bad idea. Filmmaking is a journey. If it inspires you, go for it.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Young people should consider following their instincts. Everyone is becoming the same in thought. Being yourself is why you’re on this Earth. I feel the most positive impact is for people to get off the apps and gaming until 5 am, and live life in real time. The most positive impact on this world socially, will be when people rid themselves of internet culture, and free themselves to be creative again.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
It would be an honor to meet Bryce Dallas Howard. I think she believes in her convictions and is a strong woman. I also love her directing style; she is truly talented.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite “Life Lesson Quote” remains unchanged. Queen Elizabeth II was a vision in her thoughts, and “never complain, never explain” I live by. In the entertainment industry, it’s vital to keep moving forward and never stop moving. To stay stagnant, is to not grow.
How can our readers follow you online?
WEBSITES:
https://www.projectbullyish.com
Social Media:
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10479689/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilleejean
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REALlilleejean/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/lilleejean
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LilleeJean/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillee-jean-b97621215
YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/LilleeJean
FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/LilleeJean_
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Lillee Jean Trueman Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.