Hi there!

My name is Samantha Roberts and I am the co-creator, director and star of “Here I Am”. Now I know what you’re thinking… “that’s a lot of jobs for one person!” and you’re right. It is a lot, but over the past few years, I’ve realized that gender minorities aren’t given nearly as many opportunities as cis-gendered men are, so why not create those opportunities for yourself?

I have not always been a very confident artist and it would be silly to say I am incredibly confident now (I’m not). Yet, creating Here I Am with this incredible team has opened up so much of myself that I hope to instill this level of passion into so many other young artists that feel as though they are told “no” from the few people that could just say “yes”. Those people are just scared for you, but you can prove them wrong by sticking to your goals.

When Christian and I began writing Here I Am, almost 2 years ago, we did not expect it to turn into this. Here I Am is a story of many things, but above all, it’s a story of redemption. If the question we are asking is “who is deserving of another chance?” shouldn’t we grant ourselves the grace to mess up? Loving someone can be scary. Trusting anyone to be there for you rain or shine is not always involuntary and that fear can guide us, but does that mean we can’t learn to love or trust? I ask myself these questions at least three times a day because I am scared.

I have been scared for most of my life. Scared to speak my mind, scared to be alone, scared to be a woman in this world who wants to be in charge… it can be all-encompassing. Even when the doubt hits me, there is one thing that keeps me going: the idea that if I can do it, so can every single person that’s been called a bitch because they followed their conviction. Even in the past few months, I’ve had to fight for my right to hold the position I do, which should not be questioned based on the pronouns I choose to use. Certain people tried to get me to believe that I did not deserve the work or praise I get and as a woman, I have to be thankful for every opportunity to do my job and sit quietly. Respectfully, that’s bullshit.

To every female and gender non-binary creator, do not let anyone make you scared or question if you deserve to take up space. I love you.

I am so honored to have a platform, no matter how brief, in which I can support other artists and creators. My writing partner and I know firsthand how taxing trying to be heard can be...