Artist Snapshot: Madison Hatfield
Origin Story: I am born, bred, and based in Atlanta, GA—a true child of the city and the South. Despite still living in my hometown, I've had a long and winding journey to get where I am now. Growing up, my schools didn't have drama programs, and Atlanta wasn't anything like the filming hub it is now. As much as I loved movies, making or being in them didn't feel like a real JOB that a person could have. So I went to school to become a high school biology teacher and did that happily for four years. During that time, I started doing comedy around Atlanta as a way to make friends. IT WORKED (I have friends!!!), and it also reminded me how much I loved performing and writing. So I left the classroom and started training and practicing in earnest to be an actor and a screenwriter. The amazing community here in Atlanta led me into the wild world of independent film, and I added director and producer to the hat collection. After about five years of working an amazing day job in an indie bookstore for children, I transitioned to being an actor/writer/filmmaker full-time. For a hometown girl who can't seem to escape living within a four-mile radius, I've come a hell of a long way.
Pipeline Accolades: Finalist Short Film Competition, 2022
Accolades:
Come Correct (Writer/Actor)—Special Jury Prize for Screenwriting at the 2023 Rome International Film Festival.
Courtney Gets Possessed (Co-Writer/Co-Director/Actor)—Best Georgia Feature at Atlanta Horror Film Festival; acquired by Tri-Coast Worldwide and released digitally in November 2023.
On Being an Artist: Being an artist is so embarrassing. No one becomes an artist because it's stable or safe; we become artists because we want it. And being in a constant state of want and desire and yearn is so disastrously vulnerable. And yet the suffering that comes from the pursuit of this work and this life feels like MINE. I suffer because I said yes to myself, not because I ignored or silenced or starved the relentless fire in my guts. This is the suffering I chose and in THIS world? On THIS timeline? That's an immense privilege. I am grateful to embarrass myself with my own dreams every day.
Fueled by: I tell myself often that in this industry I have two main directives: paying my bills and chasing delight. Feel-good, laugh-out-loud, happy-ending storytelling often takes a backseat in this business when it comes to awards and accolades, and I'd never assert that films and shows that challenge us are not vitally important to our humanity. But stories that bring us comfort are important, too, and those are the ones I want to tell. I'm driven by the fantasy that someone will hear a line I've written and let out a real laugh for the first time all day. And the greatest honor I can imagine is making the film that someone returns to again and again simply because watching it makes them feel better. Art opens our eyes to the enormity of what it means to exist; it also brings us home to ourselves. My ambition is to get you home safe.
Currently: I'm grateful to perform and write full-time, which for me means submitting endless self-tapes into the void and seeing who, miraculously, calls back. I'm proud to have been in several shows including "Atlanta" (FX), "Chicago Med" (NBC), and "The Other Black Girl" (Hulu). Writing-wise I'm always waiting for Deadline articles to finally drop, but it's been exciting to work with some amazing companies and studios on scripts and pitches, thanks to the hard work of my team at The Gotham Group. And on the indie side, I'm always open to the next idea that I can bring to life with the incredible film family I have here in Atlanta. Most recently, I wrote, directed, starred in, and produced I Could Dom (a sex comedy for people-pleasers), a wild ride of a short film that will make the festival rounds in 2024 and 2025.
Someday: With every project, I want to continue to learn, grow, and ultimately earn the kind of trust and respect that will afford me the privileges of a healthy budget and creative control over projects that delight me. I don't aspire to be a household name, but I'd like to be well-known in certain corners of this industry as someone who is dependable, both creatively and collaboratively; someone who treats people well above all else and trusts that good work will follow (because it does). When my name comes up in conversation, there will be two general responses: "I worked with her, and it was an awesome experience" or "I haven't worked with her yet, but I hope to soon." In an industry full of the word "no," I look forward to being a person that you can't say "yes" to fast enough.