The Journey

My mother passed away in 1984 at just 41 years old, after a long struggle with alcoholism. My siblings and I were still young. Her loss shaped our lives in quiet, lasting ways.

In 2012, we lost our younger brother to substance abuse. He was 37. That loss hit hard, in ways I still carry. And then in 2018, my father passed.

Grief doesn’t travel in a straight line, and after all that loss, I found myself needing to rebuild from the inside out.

I moved across the country—Boston to Los Angeles, then eventually to North Carolina—searching for meaning, stability, and a way forward.

At the same time, my body began to change. Rheumatoid arthritis, three spinal fusions, shoulder surgery, and chronic pain became part of daily life.

Instead of retreating, I leaned into storytelling. I assembled a team of creatives who shared my vision. We rehearsed, we filmed—and I directed.

Those first few projects laid the foundation for HarLau Productions.

Today, I’m a filmmaker, a business owner, and a creative leader.

I bring every part of my story into my work.

I stand for resilience, collaboration, and truth—for the voices that often go unheard. For the artists who’ve been told to sit down. For the stories that demand to be told.

This journey didn’t break me.
It made me fierce.