A graduate of USC's Master of Professional Writing program, AUTUMN McALPIN is a filmmaker and owner of Side Gig Productions. She recently co-wrote and produced the feature film, Waffle Street, starring James Lafferty and Danny Glover, which won several awards on the festival circuit and is now available worldwide on Netflix, DVD and VOD. She has also directed two award-winning short films, PSA campaigns, and recently directed her first feature film - which she also wrote and produced. Miss Arizona stars Johanna Braddy, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Robyn Lively, Missi Pyle, & Steve Guttenberg. The former actress and model is the author of Real World 101: A Survival Guide to Life After High School, and Autumn worked for several years as a columnist for The Orange County Register, writing about the chaos and conundrums of life as a mother of four. Beyond creative storytelling, Autumn runs the nonprofit Aspire Higher, which connects south Orange County families to volunteerism causes, and she actively supports Operation Underground Railroad and Welcome Inn.