Hi, I'm Sydney!

Sydney is an award-winning director, writer, producer, and film composer from Naperville, IL, based in Los Angeles.

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Hey hi hello! I’m Sydney Relihan, and an eight-year-old boy once looked me dead in the eye and told me gay people don’t exist. I laughed a little, since the kid was telling me, the queer person standing literally right in front of him, that queer people only exist on-screen, but he whole-heartedly believed they could be found only in GLEE which his parents allowed him to watch a few episodes of that weekend. I suppose I never saw queer characters in media until, ironically, I also watched GLEE at fourteen. I believe so strongly that film and television can change people’s understanding and perspective of the world because that show changed mine.

 

Since “coming out” as a filmmaker, it’s been my mission to create more diverse LGBTQIA+ and mental health representation. I rarely see my asexual aromantic or neurodivergent identities accurately and authentically depicted. I strive help provide that much needed representation both in front of and behind the camera. Approaching every story, heart open and on my sleeve, I believe the best projects do the same. With my work, I allow these ideas to shine while drawing from my own personal experiences.

 

Most recently, I wrote/directed/produced the independent TV pilot SEX SHOP, featuring the wacky adventures of two asexual BFFs stuck running a mob-front sex store. The award-winning pilot now rides the festival circuit. I additionally worked as a writer, director, and producer to spearhead "The Ace Files Project" with the nonprofit Sheauxtime Collective Inc., a series of (short and full feature) films and concept videos that highlight and explore the intentional existence of Asexuality in our world. 

 

At this very moment though, I'm working as a producer's assistant and script reader, writing/developing both series and features, co-hosting a podcast called The PAWlywood PAWdcast where my friend Shannon and I chat animal movies, and crocheting silly hats for my cat Dora in between goofy excursions around Los Angeles while I look for the next long-term, full-time gig.

 

(And Yes, that is quite literally shot-for-shot remake of the Nicole Kidman AMC ad starring my father. It was a Chicago November and it was raining and he was wearing cargo shorts and flip-flops while my sister shined a flashlight at him in the backyard, but we pushed through. We persevered because we had to. Because, somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.)

 

I graduated from Summa Cum Laude from Cornell University in 2022 with a B.A. in Performing & Media Arts and minors in Creative Writing and Psychology.

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