“I’ve been in the business since I was 16, fresh out of Reno, Nevada I moved to Hollywood. So since 1987 I’ve been in front of the camera and working really hard at my career.” Amick says. “I got to soak in David Lynch. One of the masters of all time, and I was introduced to film-making through him as my mentor. So that gave me an interesting colored lens to see through the rest of my career and the rest of Hollywood.”
Lynch may be the best known auteur of whom she worked with, but Mädchen Amick’s path was also influenced by other talented women in the industry.
“Starting in my 20s, I worked with Diane Keaton, she was one of the directors on the original Twin Peaks. Lesli Linka Glater, who’s another amazing female director, she also worked on Twin Peaks and I continued to work with her through Gilmore Girls and different projects.
“There was this little bug in my mind that said “women can be directors, this is something I can do – put in my vision, and see it through to fruition.”
Amick’s desire to direct lined up with the general environment of inclusivity that the CW celebrates. “I think it just ended up being a really nice opportunity with this big wave that the CW is doing,” she says. “Berlanti Productions, (producer) Sarah Schechter, and Roberto (Aquirre-Sacasa) our producer are very much about seeing that we are bringing in diversity — whether its other ethnicities or having females behind the camera. So I just felt comfortable finally saying ‘I would really love it if you gave me the opportunity to direct one of our episodes.’”