Elise Ballard is a writer, speaker, and producer. She is the author of Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight to Inspire, Encourage and Transform (Random House / Crown Publishing), a collection of over sixty interviews with amazing people from all walks of life recounting the stories of their greatest epiphanies.

Originally created as a film/television project (she was an early adopter of using a sizzle reel to sell a book), Epiphany contains over sixty interviews with people from all walks of life—from celebrities and thought leaders to “everyday” people—recounting the stories of their greatest epiphanies, which are also part of her EpiphanyChannel online project. She is now considered an “epiphany expert” and is a twice-invited TEDx speaker, and teaches, speaks and writes about how to cultivate epiphanies.

Elise started her career in entertainment working as an actress in New York and Austin and moved into independent filmmaking and producing in Los Angeles as a partner in a production company with films distributed by Lionsgate and Monarch Entertainment. Her directorial debut, Lord of the Wiens: A Dachumentary, a film about the annual Wiener Dog Races in small-town Texas, became a cult hit and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes.

As a writer and journalist, she has been featured in and has contributed to publications such as Psychology Today, Guideposts, Live Happy Magazine, and The Hollywood Reporter and has been invited to cover events such as the Nobel Prizes. She’s created stories and content for several brands and platforms including Dr. Oz, Joel Harper, Time Warner Cable, and Lifetime Network and currently works with USC Shoah Foundation Institute in Production and Media. 

Elise also serves on numerous film-related non-profit boards and advisory committees, such as the Humanitas Prize and the South By Southwest Conference Advisory Board.

Her passion for true stories and uplifting entertainment guides her path and she always has at least a few projects in development. She resides in Los Angeles, CA and loves visiting her “homeland” (New Orleans, Dallas and Austin) as often as possible. www.EliseBallard.com