A fighter. Fighting with her fists as the skilled assassin or with her heart as the desperate mother. That interesting combination of soft and strong. Highly trained and multi-talented, Megan is a firm believer that all art is one art, and lives her life accordingly. While acting and martial arts top her list of passions, Megan's exuberance and drive extends to all her pursuits: stunt work, the production company she co-founded, her charity organization AIM: Artists in Motion, plus her newest endeavor; design, each discipline informing the others, and spurring Megan's growth as an artist and a human.
An artist's journey.
TINY DANCER
Megan's experience as an artist began in an Indiana dance studio when she was three years old. She spent the next 14 years studying at Dance Magic Performing Arts Company, taking ballet, jazz, hip hop, and her favorite, tap. Dance segued naturally into gymnastics, then musical theatre, and her first acting role was at the age of 10 in an Equity production of "The King and I." She continued performing regularly in professional musical theatre productions such as "Grease", "Westside Story", and "Cabaret".
Megan traveled the world with her dance company, performing at Carnegie Hall, the Winter Olympics in Sydney, and tours through Europe. She studied in New York City during the summers and performed in professional productions with the International Ballet Theatre. At age 17, Megan was the winner of the prestigious Prelude Award for dance, being the first tap dancer to do so. Once she graduated high school and moved out to Los Angeles, she continued to dance professionally in tours, music videos and live performances.
THE ACTING BUG
In her last year of high school, Megan did an independent study on acting and it changed her dreams for the future. She was accepted into the conservatory program at the world reknown American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and at only 17 moved to Los Angeles for two years of intense study at the Academy in all areas of theatrical and performing arts. As a newly minted AADA Alumni, she studied with other schools in the LA area including The Meisner Center, Lesly Kahn, iO West, and for the last several years, Stuart Rogers Studios. As an actor, she has worked in television ("Medical Police,” “Stumptown", "Criminal Minds,” “NCIS:LA”), film ("The Beekeeper", "Rise of Chow", "Bright", "Basta"), as well as on stage with CTG and at East West Players ("Women Behind Bars", "Angelique", "Men's Club", "The Best Man"). Megan also has appeared in many national commercials, print campaigns and regularly does voice over for commercials and dubbing.
GETTING SOME ACTION
Megan's role as the Lee sister, Leigh, in "Wasteland" introduced her to martial arts and eventually, a career in stunts. By 2007, with 20 years of dance, ten years of gymnastics, and five years of fencing and stage combat in her back pocket, Megan took her first job as a stuntwoman on the television show "Leverage", doubling actress Gina Bellman. Megan has trained in Kung Fu, FMA and JKD under Guru Dan Inosanto and most extensively in Tae Kwando under Master Simon Rhee, under whom she has earned a 2nd degree black belt. Other stunt work includes “Hawaii Five-0,” "Bright", "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back", "Expendables 2" and more.
GIVING BACK
In 2010, together with Jeaneen Tang, Megan formed AIM: Artists in Motion, a volunteer charity organization. AIM came from the desire to not only do more charitable outreach, but to unite artists in that endeavor. AIM offers many opportunities to artist-volunteers throughout the year and bring artists together in an effort to give back to our underserved local community. She now is co-chair of a similar organization at Children’s Community School, focused on teaching children about the importance of community outreach.
NEW WAYS TO CREATE
In 2012, Megan's now-husband and three friends started Five Fingers Media, an independent production company dedicated to on-camera storytelling. The team has produced over a dozen projects of varying scope including the web series NO MATTER WHAT. Through these projects Megan has gained invaluable experience as a writer, director, and producer, only deepening her belief that all art is one art. She also serves on the core production team at Cease and Desist Theatre.
