Scottie Madden is a woman who has spent her entire life telling stories, whether through the lens of a camera, the pages of a book, or the intimate words of her blog. An American writer, director, producer, and showrunner, she has built a career that spans adventure reality television, documentary filmmaking, and feature films. Her projects are as diverse as they are ambitious, ranging from rugged wilderness expeditions to the romantic horror-comedy of her cult indie film the kiss. Yet, no matter the medium, Scottie approaches every story with the same guiding principle: complete immersion, authenticity, and the pursuit of emotional truth. Her memoir, Getting Back to Me: From Girl to Boy to Woman in Just Fifty Years (2015), has become a cornerstone of her legacy. It is not just the account of a transition, it is the story of reclaiming a life, of love tested and renewed, and of finding the courage to live openly after decades of carefully constructed armor. Written with humor, candor, and heart, the book continues to resonate with readers who find in Scottie’s journey a mirror of their own struggles and a beacon of possibility.
Beyond the page and the screen, Scottie shares her voice weekly in her blog Raised by Wolves, where she blends sharp observation with personal reflection. Together with her wife, Marcy, affectionately known as “Mylove”, she also travels to universities and institutions, speaking to audiences about gender, identity, resilience, and love. Their talks often dismantle long-held stereotypes with warmth and laughter, proving that education and empathy can go hand in hand. At her core, Scottie Madden is more than a filmmaker, author, or activist, she is, in her own words, a storyteller. Whether sculpting clay as a young artist, weaving tales of vampires and adventure, or chronicling her own truth, she has always sought to create worlds of depth, texture, and honesty. And at the center of it all is her enduring belief in love, love as a force of survival, of transformation, and of inspiration. Today, I am honored to sit down with Scottie Madden to talk about her remarkable career, her journey of self-discovery, and the projects that continue to shape her life and art.
Monika: Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing Scottie Madden, an American writer, showrunner of adventure reality television, director, producer of numerous documentaries, and the author of Getting Back to Me: From Girl to Boy to Woman in Just Fifty Years (2015). Scottie, it’s wonderful to have you here, welcome!
Scottie: Hello, Monika! And I'm honored to be speaking with you. You've kept some amazing company through your blog, talk about collective wisdom and experience!
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| Scottie & Marcy Madden at Town Hall Seattle (YouTube) |
Monika: Your career spans writing, directing, producing, and even showrunning. With such a wide range of creative work, how do you personally define yourself in the world of storytelling?
Scottie: I have always used the term "storyteller." I grew up in the fine arts with an incredible master artisan as my mentor, and I apply the same aesthetic to my filmmaking. Gerhard inspired and implored me to push whatever medium I was using at the time, be it clay, gold, television screenplay, or adventure reality series, and the entire story unfolding before me to create something that is the fullest experience possible for the audience.
Monika: That’s fascinating. Do you see a common thread connecting such different forms of expression, from fine art to filmmaking?
Scottie: That richness has a different sense of legacy and expression whether it's a ring on Mylove's finger or a vampire love story unfolding in a darkened movie theater, but they both have the same complete immersion and commitment of the storyteller, me, in them.
Monika: In 2008, you released your feature film "the kiss", a romantic horror-comedy that stood apart from the documentaries you had previously been known for. What drew you toward such a different genre?
Monika: In 2008, you released your feature film "the kiss", a romantic horror-comedy that stood apart from the documentaries you had previously been known for. What drew you toward such a different genre?
Scottie: Well, yes and no. An indie film is an engrossing, heartbreaking, and heartwarming experience, but it requires the same discipline, since most of every day you are looking for a solution that money can't necessarily buy. It's a lot like an adventure documentary, there are few places in remote nature that accept credit cards or play by filmmaking rules, so your solution to each obstacle tests the outer bounds of your creativity.
Monika: That makes sense. Beyond the challenges, what possibilities did this particular project open up for you as a storyteller?
Scottie: "the kiss" (all lower case, I was being ironic, lol) could never make excuses for not having money; that is one of an indie film's cardinal rules. But also, as a vampire flick, which has its own legacy, it was the opportunity to create a world as rich as Lord of the Rings (which never left my hip pocket through high school). It's a world that is alive today and will be available, this time with a bigger budget, to audiences and fans of "the kiss" soon.
Monika: It has been eight years since the premiere of the kiss. Did you ever feel tempted to return to that genre, or perhaps expand on the vampire world you created?
Scottie: I like this question, “tempted.” That's how all stories are to me: tempting. They tease me with flashes and possibilities. I developed the vampire world that I created for the kiss for an additional two years, writing the entire histories of all eight vampire clans. So yes, I've been tempted, and not just by the story. Many suitors have come to tempt me with making a sequel or a series, with a few near-misses, which is also life here in Hollywierd. We're always selling our next projects, which is a diversified slate if you're smart. I am happy to report that the current suitor is proving to be the most promising. Stay tuned for that.
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| Available via Amazon. |
Monika: At the same time, how do you see the bigger picture of navigating a career in Hollywood?
Scottie: This question also allows me to clear up a misconception about Hollywierd, nothing is linear in anyone's career trajectory. In fact, our career decisions and paths only make sense in retrospect. It's really just a process of saying yes to every opportunity and following the path lit by those choices.
Monika: Looking at your body of work, I didn’t come across any film projects directly focused on transgender themes. Was that a deliberate choice on your part?
Monika: Looking at your body of work, I didn’t come across any film projects directly focused on transgender themes. Was that a deliberate choice on your part?
Scottie: I only came out officially to the outside world with the publishing of my book (I know it looks so... planned). So, and it's not lost on me that you have shown interest in the kiss, I was trying to deal with the concepts of transformation, resurrection, and being completely committed to love and life. Completely committed to love and life. Completely, which was something that, rich as my life had been, lacking almost nothing... was just, wasn’t.
Monika: That’s very moving. What was it like for you personally, keeping a distance from stories that touched too closely on your own truth?
Scottie: I had resigned myself to "running out the clock" (sorry, I was also raised as an athlete) on my life, be the best dude I could and earn my true womanhood in the next lifetime. So yes, I intentionally stayed away from ever getting close enough to my “sun” of anything directly transgender, because the warming rays only magnified the pain of my life unlived as... well, as me.
Monika: How do you feel about the visibility of transgender stories and creators in Hollywood today?
Monika: How do you feel about the visibility of transgender stories and creators in Hollywood today?
Scottie: Time will tell. As a community, we're all getting closer to getting one "up on the boards." Angelica Ross and Jen Richards got an Emmy nomination for the short series Her Story, and I've got a dramatic series based on my book that I've been blessed to have Alexandra Billings agree to play me. So... prominent? Not by a long shot. Until trans producers are able to produce a trans-themed product, only then will we start seeing true art.
Monika: In your view, how are trans characters currently positioned within mainstream narratives?
Scottie: We are still deemed "supporting characters." Even our patron saint and sacred cow, Jeffrey Tambor's Maura, is not the lead character, nor are trans themes. The dysfunctionally wonderful Pfeffermans are the main characters, and family is the theme, by design and great intention from Jill Soloway. And this is important for both cis and trans professionals to note.
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| The Takeaway (YouTube) |
Monika: What does that mean for the way cis and trans audiences interpret shows like Transparent?
Scottie: The cis world thinks, "Aren't we doing enough of the trans thing over on Amazon? I mean, look at the Emmys!" And the trans world says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, the whole family is interesting, and aren't we normal after all, now get back to Maura." And all Jill is supposed to do is tell HER story as both creator and the one who lived it (it was based on her Moppa, right?). No amount of Jeffrey's apologies, and his very tangible behind-the-scenes support, can or will change the facts that a cis male is playing a trans female.
Monika: That brings us to The Other Woman. Why is Alexandra Billings’ involvement in that project so meaningful to you?
Monika: That brings us to The Other Woman. Why is Alexandra Billings’ involvement in that project so meaningful to you?
Scottie: This is why I'm so excited that Alexandra agreed to play me in The Other Woman. And while we're on Transparent, it serves as the reason why we have to keep up the fight, both to honor Jill's groundbreaking work (she's leading a movement, like it or not) and also to recognize what happens when we are "okay with the crumbs from the table." We don't dare criticize Transparent, it's ours. And it's also why we gave I Am Cait a chance: we are so starved for anything that we treat it as sacred.
Monika: Do you think audiences sometimes expect shows like Transparent to represent every trans story?
Scottie: But Transparent isn't anything like "me" anymore. Maura is like me, or you, or anyone, but maybe Jill's Moppa. And here it comes, girls, any more than The Goldbergs. I am not Jewish. I have friends who are, I was married by a rabbi (long story), and I don’t expect it to be. I won't hold it to those standards. If it was about an Irish, Scottish, Finnish, Polish family with four girls (and one of them looks like a boy), then it might be closer. So we need to give Transparent a break when it's not trans. It's called television. And drama.
Monika: What kinds of responses do you personally encounter when pitching trans-centered stories in Hollywood?
Scottie: I hear this all the time as I pitch my own show: "Oh, we're not sure there's room on our slate for two trans shows." And my counter is that they have five medical shows and four cop procedurals. But what I get in return is the metaphysical pat on the head for my precociousness, "Isn't she adorable? They're so cute when they're young and naive." Which is the point: we aren't understood because we aren't heard or seen. So we continue to push and climb and believe and strive. Time will tell.
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| Zuma Beach, California. Photo by Lara Weatherly. |
Monika: What first inspired you to write Getting Back to Me: From Girl to Boy to Woman in Just Fifty Years?
Scottie: Well, like all the other mediums in my life, writing a book was always part of the plan. At first, the subject started as my own LOTR and along the way became any subject that touched my soul but wasn’t appropriate for any of the other mediums at my fingertips. That list (entitled “books I will write” in the file drawer in my head) became the thing I would do when I got… “the time”, that mythic beast that seems to be more elusive with every passing year.
Monika: What changed that turned the idea into something urgent and unavoidable?
Scottie: Until my body and soul revolted. As I said, I had a life strategy, I had developed very elaborate and robust coping mechanisms to keep my gender dysphoria from derailing my life. Some were constant behavioral monitoring systems that kept my true self under lock and key. Others were the monthly “lockdown” that I had to institute to brace for the hijacker, a severe bout that would seize my body (oh yes, it was visceral) and mind (like being on meth and LSD simultaneously) for days.
Monika: That sounds incredibly intense. Was there a breaking point?
Scottie: One day I had a system-wide failure. My entire body literally threw up the truth of what and who I was to my wife of then twenty years. And for five years after that, we pretended that though this was true about me, just knowing the truth would be good enough. Until it wasn’t. So I knew the very visceral consequence of continuing to deny reality.
Scottie: I started to come all the way out. And I kept coming. And this will sound trite and cliché, but the book wrote itself. Seriously, three months of fourteen-hour days, and an additional two months of editing and proofing. I journaled about the year of my official transition, which required me to be very clear with the reader about why each milestone along the way had the significance, irony, or humor that it had for me. A memoir has organic freedom that allows for a natural format to disclose my history. As a writer, I use the format to fit the story. And this seat-of-the-pants, real-time account flew out of me with the same force that the truth of me tore through our bedroom on the morning I came out to Mylove. The real decision was whether to publish. There is no turning back in a “no turning back” story.
Monika: For other trans women reading your memoir, what do you hope they find in it?
Scottie: As for use for my fellow sisters? Yes. I read several memoirs during my time in my mental dungeon, and these gave me the sense that I wasn’t crazy, couldn’t be making it up. And seeing that someone else didn’t have it figured out, was afraid of all the right and wrong things, and finally, thank God, didn’t sacrifice her precious life to fulfill the world’s expectations.
Monika: Beyond inspiration, what practical lessons or advice do you share in the book?
Scottie: I also “field test” the systems of transition, from name and gender marker change (a huge day for us all!) to simple health care, and there’s some advice and some “Geezus, I hope you never do it this way” kind of stuff as I navigate the narrow parts of the river. But, and this is something that reviews from both cis and trans readers have been the most enthusiastic about, my book is an inspiration to live in love, with love, for love, and to laugh. Always.
END OF PART 1
All the photos: courtesy of Scottie Madden.
The main photo credit: Lara Weatherly.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska
