Laura Hunter Drago on her company New Girl Pictures and ‘To the New Girl’
Laura Hunter Drago built New Girl Pictures from the same impulse that once kept her in auditions: she wanted women to have real chances to shape stories instead of waiting for permission. The company, started with longtime collaborator Samantha Macher, opened its doors with the 2020 release of their first feature, To the New Girl. The anthology follows ten women at an open mic night in Los Angeles, each reading a letter addressed to her ex’s new partner. The film screened at Queen Palm International, Golden State, and FEMINYSTA festivals before moving into wider release.
Drago’s path to producing began in Washington, D.C. theater as a kid, continued at NYU Tisch, and led to years of film auditions in Los Angeles. Helping friends on their sets gave her the production bug, and the experience of shepherding To the New Girl turned that interest into a full-time focus. She now splits time between producing and project management, using the same planning skills for both.
Recent Accolades and Recognition
Drago’s screenwriting has drawn fresh attention. In 2025 she was named one of Austin Film Festival’s “25 Screenwriters to Watch” and joined the Film Independent Project Involve cohort. Those honors sit alongside continued work through New Girl Pictures, where the emphasis remains on giving emerging women filmmakers first-time feature credits that can open doors elsewhere.
Expansion into Audio Fiction and Podcasts
Drago has carried the same collaborative model into audio. She created, wrote, directed, and voiced the mystery podcast series The Crime at Camp Ashwood. With Macher she also produced and edited the scripted series St. Mary’s School (for Children with the Stigmata). Both projects keep the focus on character-driven stories told by women, now in a format that reaches listeners on their own schedules.
Ongoing Commitment to Women in Film
New Girl Pictures continues to prioritize content made for and by women. The company’s slate favors elevated thrillers and grounded character pieces that place female perspectives at the center. Drago’s own writing and producing work follows that line, pairing strong ensembles with stories that let women claim power rather than react to it.
Current Distribution and Accessibility of ‘To the New Girl’
The film remains easy to find. Viewers can stream it on Tubi, Plex, Xumo, Struum, Vimeo on Demand, Zuzu, and Amazon Video Direct. A free behind-the-scenes commentary track featuring Drago and Macher is also available for those who want the production footnotes.
Drago credits Buffy the Vampire Slayer with shaping both her feminism and her taste for long-form storytelling. The series fueled early fanfiction and even her college application essay. She still listens to music while working, lately Maggie Rogers, Ben Platt, Halsey, and Taylor Swift’s Folklore, and keeps a public “Breakup Playlist” tied to the film on Spotify.
Her first professional set experience came right after college as a stand-in on a Disney production. The job earned her SAG card and gave her an early education in set language, crew roles, and the calm professionalism of a lead actress. That fascination with production logistics carried into her later producing work.
She describes herself as a planner who relies on to-do lists and project-management habits. When adapting the original stage play of To the New Girl, she shifted the setting to an open mic night. The change preserved the script word-for-word while giving the film its own rhythm and keeping the micro-budget shoot feasible in three days.
Working with Macher feels natural; the two met as fourteen-year-old Catholic high schoolers and have collaborated on theater and writing projects ever since. Their opposite-coast living arrangement has made the film an ongoing reason to stay close. Drago notes that Macher’s quick wit and sharp writing remain assets on every project.
Drago prefers the collaborative portions of production over solo administrative stretches. She also admits to an Aries stellium that pushes her toward leadership roles, which she calls both blessing and curse. The same impulse led her to volunteer at Los Angeles festivals when she first arrived in town, an experience that eventually placed her own premiere at the TCL Chinese 6.
The original release date had been set for May 2020. Festival disruptions pushed it to August, and the delay turned out to help the film find home viewers during lockdown. Drago now looks back on that period as one that rewarded patience and flexible timing.
Her five-year goals include writing more original material and producing another feature in less time than the four years it took To the New Girl to reach screens. She remains drawn to television’s long-form possibilities and has been told by friends she should consider showrunning. She keeps an eye on peers such as Alexandra Boylan, whose faith-based projects continue to expand, and Deborah Lee Smith, whose film Here Awhile showcased Anna Camp in a standout role.
If a director were to tell Drago’s life story, she would hand it to Greta Gerwig, though she jokes the assignment might feel redundant after her own deep identification with Lady Bird. For a single film to watch on repeat, she chooses Almost Famous for its music, performances, and bittersweet close. Make sure to stream To the New Girl on Vimeo and Amazon.
