Scottie Thompson is an actress, filmmaker, public speaker and activist. She grew up performing on stage as a ballet dancer, and pursued a career as professional with The Richmond Ballet, the State Ballet of Virginia. She followed her passion for storytelling into a career in film, TV and theater, after completing her undergraduate degree in Postcolonial Performance Studies at Harvard University. She just had her directorial debut for the dark comedy short Sienna and the Sit, which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying festival Hollyshorts in 2025.
She has recurred in series including Bel Air, 12 Monkeys,NCIS, The Blacklist, and MacGyver, among others. Her film credits include Crown Vic, Skyline, Star Trek, The Lookalike. Most recently she starred opposite Harvey Keitel and Stephen Lang in Hellfire and opposite Gabriel Byrne and Thomas in Murder at Yellowstone City. She also produced that #1 ranking Netflix film.She has appeared on stage in a world premiere reading of John Patrick Shanley’s play Brooklyn Laundry at the Marilyn Monroe Theater in Hollywood, as well as in the world premiere of Shanley’s short play On the Terrace.
Outside of acting, she is involved in environmental activism, and is passionate about and involved in promoting health, education and women’s rights. She is an Ambassador for Amazon Watch, a nonprofit protecting Indigenous communities in the Amazon Basin, as well as an Ambassador for Artists for Amazonîa, a collective of artists and activists in the US inspired to protect those same communities. She recently gave her first TedX Talk on the virtues of Imperfection as an antidote to our increasingly social-media centric, performative online world. She is also a contributing writer for the magazine Art Confidential: LA and has too interviewed and written about writers, visual artists and exhibits in LA and around the world.
Sienna and the Sit
Directed by Scottie Thompson
Contributing Writer to Art Confidential Magazine
Merde Magic is a film production company devoted to distinctive voices and storytelling rooted in craft, humor and humanity. Our name, inspired by a comedic twist on a French theater tradition meaning “good luck,” reflects a guiding belief in alchemizing life’s messier depths into gold. (For the French connoisseur: they call it the magic of the movies, and the merde we make is magic.) We are drawn to stories that move through discomfort - using vulnerability and laughter as lenses of illumination - to inspire connection.
Merde Magic champions bold, unconventional work while fostering a thoughtful, collaborative production process. We support filmmakers with clear creative vision to curate singular, emotionally-resonant films that linger well beyond the final frame.
Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist
Scottie Thompson | TEDxPacific Avenue
Drawing on my work as an actor, writer and director, I explore connecting to our inner life to unlock our authentic voice and empowered storyteller. I am available for keynote talks, panels, and workshops on storytelling, creativity and embodied expression.
