Originally from Orlando, Florida, Hala Pickford was not one for movies. "Growing up we basically watched Disney cartoons and Simpsons...I still haven't seen Star Wars!"
Instead, this 20 something writer hoped to be a musician, "I was the original Lady Gaga. Too bad I could never master piano and have a love of pants." Despite recording a few songs, Pickford's popstar dreams did not pan out. Instead, she took a behind the scenes role, promoting and managing local acts. Dissatisfied, Pickford decided to try something new, "I wasted 10 years on music. One day I decided I had had enough. I decided to go to California and see what would happen. I still wanted to do something with music, but eventually decided against it. All I knew was I didn't want to be an actress...actresses were boring and pretentious. Not rockstar enough!"
"The only good thing that came of Orlando, was it was there I first fell in love with silents. I had been a history buff my whole life, and I have no clue why but I had an urge to see a silent film someday. So on the last day of the last screening I made it to 'Beyond the Rocks', which had just been rediscovered (in 2005) after 80 some years. I remember thinking, 'I don't know who that Valentino fellow is, but its a shame he's dead!'" Pickford soon became a casual fan of silents, reading biographies on Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, and Rudolph Valentino. "Even though I didn't want to be in film, I can't lie, the idea of seeing where these people played was probably what excited me most about my epic move!"
Once settled in the city of stars, Pickford's love of silents intensified. She started a site, Forget the Talkies, dedicated to discussing silent film in an amusing manner, "I will bring the youngins to silents one way or the other! Considering all that's happened with the site I'm impressed...I thought no one would read it and I'd be bored within the month! Now it's two years old..." Pickford notes. The site has become extremely popular with young and old alike, bringing hipsters and students to the art of silent film. It receives several thousand hits a month, has spawned three books, merchandise, The Rudolph Valentino Society and a film festival.
Pickford finally relented to modern filmmaking after two inspiring moments, "I was never gonna be an actress, no matter how many people told me I should, as is the usual in this city. Then I seen my first Mary Pickford film and was blown away. A month later I attended a taping of The Big Bang Theory. Silents and Sitcoms...they lured me in." Pickford began studying film, acting, and technique, insisting that she too would someday enter film. Since then she has completed two screenplays and is currently pursuing completion of her indie film, "Abby's Punctured Romance". "I find much inspiration in both Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith, and June Mathis for the off camera stuff. These people wrote, directed, and produced some of the most wonderful films ever. Women behind the camera...we need more of that!" One thing is certain, Pickford seems determined to take her seat with the greats.