Welcome to Film Intimacy Professionals

If you've found your way here, welcome.

Whether you're an actor, director, producer, writer, student, educator, or someone who is simply curious about how intimate scenes are created, I'm glad you're here.

Film Intimacy Professionals was born from one simple belief:

Every performer deserves to feel safe. Every filmmaker deserves to know how to tell intimate stories well.

Unfortunately, for decades, our industry has struggled with both.

My Journey

Long before intimacy coordination had a name, I experienced firsthand what happened when productions had no roadmap for filming intimate scenes.

As a young actor working in Hollywood, I learned very quickly that filming intimacy often depended on trust, luck, and the personalities of the people in charge. Sometimes those experiences were positive. Many were not.

Like countless performers before me, I experienced situations that crossed professional boundaries, left lasting emotional scars, and forever changed the way I viewed filmmaking. My memoir Shevolved: A True Hollywood Survivor Story details those events.

Years later, after stepping away from the industry, earning my degree in Media and Film Studies, and eventually returning to film, I discovered that the industry was beginning to acknowledge something actors had known for generations: There had to be a better way.

When intimacy coordination emerged as a profession, I immediately recognized its potential. I became the first intimacy coordinator working in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and dedicated myself to learning everything I could about this new field. What I discovered was encouraging—but also concerning. The role itself had incredible potential. The education surrounding it still had a long way to go.

Why Film Intimacy Professionals Exists

Over the past several years, I have worked with actors, directors, producers, assistant directors, educators, and aspiring intimacy coordinators from around the world. One conversation kept repeating itself.

• Actors told me they still didn't feel heard.

• Directors admitted they weren't sure how to work with intimacy coordinators.

• Film students regularly asked, "Why didn't anyone teach us this in film school?"

• Aspiring intimacy coordinators often wanted practical filmmaking knowledge that went far beyond memorizing policies or terminology.

Everyone wanted the same thing. They wanted to understand how to create great intimate scenes, not just how to avoid doing it poorly. That realization became the foundation for Film Intimacy Professionals.

A Different Philosophy

This nonprofit was never created simply to train intimacy coordinator, it was created to educate filmmakers. Filming intimacy is about far more than consent checklists or choreography. It requires an understanding of storytelling, acting, directing, cinematography, movement, editing, production logistics, communication, psychology, and human behavior. A truly effective intimacy professional understands the language of filmmaking just as well as they understand performer advocacy. Likewise, directors, producers, assistant directors, actors, and crew members all benefit from understanding the process. The goal isn't to slow productions down. It's to make them stronger.

When everyone understands the process, communication improves, performers gain confidence, directors gain creative freedom, productions save time, and the final story becomes more authentic. Safety and creativity are not opposing ideas, they are partners.

Education Should Be Accessible

One of the principles that matters most to me is accessibility. Knowledge should not be reserved for a select few. Quality education should not depend on where someone lives, who they know, or whether they can afford expensive training programs. That is why Film Intimacy Professionals is committed to creating practical, affordable, university-level education that can benefit productions of every size, from independent films and student projects to professional sets.

Our mission is not to create gatekeepers.

Our mission is to create better filmmakers.

Looking Forward

This blog will become a place where we explore every aspect of filming intimacy.

We'll discuss:

• Directing.

• Acting.

• Behind-the-scenes techniques.

• Movement.

• Communication.

• Common mistakes.

• Real-world solutions.

• Industry changes.

• Historical context.

• And the countless small details that help transform vulnerable moments into powerful storytelling.

  
  

Whether you're here to hire an intimacy coordinator, become one, improve your filmmaking, or simply better understand this evolving profession, I hope you'll find something valuable here.

Thank you for joining us at the beginning of this journey. Together, we can build an industry where safety and artistry are never competing priorities, but essential partners in creating meaningful stories.

~ Kristen Elizabeth

Founder, Film Intimacy Professionals