Author and Entrepreneur with Disability
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Brittany Gilbert
I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur since age sixteen. Not having a lot of money and mild cerebral palsy meant that I had to be creative. Thankfully, being creative was something that I liked doing. I gave it some thought. I loved creating stories. That’s when I then thought about books, films, and television shows. To hone my writing skills, I took classes in storytelling and screenwriting. That was alongside working on my degree in Business and Administration. It took some time, but I finally completed my first actual book.
“Rudy & Me,” It is a story about a young girl and her grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. My inspiration for the story came from my Paternal Grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s. While working on my book, I knew I wanted to turn it into a business. On March 13, 2017, I launched Fireball Unlimited. This would be the entity for my books and other projects I created. My book was the first project to be released. I turned that self-publish book into my first short film four years later. Having a book and a movie under my belt has allowed me to prove to myself that I can build a business and show others that anything is possible.
Yes, there are tons of writers out there, which is why it was important to find something that made me unique. Having cerebral palsy is what makes me unique. It also causes me to be met with additional hurdles. My first hurdle was the fact that I have mild cerebral palsy. Having a disability is no small task. More than simple tasks that people do without thinking, like tying your shoes or walking upstairs, are impossible or take lots of energy. My second hurdle was money. I did not come from parents who had money to support “a dream,” so it was up to me to make it happen. And I did! What made me unique is the various ways I was able to tell a story. Some are in book form. Some are in visual form. One of my niches is turning some of my fiction books into films.
The future? I just want to continue to create stories that resonate with people and continue to show the world that even people with disabilities can do great things.
Connect With Brittany
Comments