How UVA helped this Hoo find her place behind the camera

“It was a character where I had to scream, a character where I had to cry, a character with a lot of emotional layers. … It was like a band of girls having the time of our lives,” Kotsen said. “I couldn’t imagine after that experience not doing something creative.” 

Kotsen continued acting, appearing in six drama department productions, working on short films on Grounds through Doug Grissom’s Overcranked course, and even landing a role in a TV series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” But while she was on set in New York City, a producer noticed she was more interested in what was happening behind the camera than in front of it.

That realization ultimately led her away from acting and toward producing. After graduating with a degree in economics and media studies in 2021, Kotsen attended the Peter Stark Producing program at the University of Southern California, where she continues to guest lecture today.

In April 2025, Kotsen joined A/Vantage Pictures as a producer, where she helps shepherd movies from early development through production, post-production and distribution. Her day-to-day duties include finding and developing stories, working with writers, directors and talent; solving on-set problems; and managing the creative and financial logistics that bring a film to life.

As a student at UVA, Kotsen appears in Virginia Players productions, works on student films and explores creative experiences that help launch her career as a film producer. (Contributed photos; design by Meredith Michael Smith, University Communications)

She was brought on board for a variety of projects, one of which is “They Fight,” a drama based on the 2018 documentary of the same name. The film follows a former convict who returns to the Washington, D.C., youth boxing gym that helped shape him, hoping to guide local teenagers and redeem his own past. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and is now streaming on Hulu.

While Kotsen’s career has taken her from New Jersey to Los Angeles to film festivals around the country, she traces much of her creative foundation to her time at UVA.

“The thing that I loved most about UVA was the breadth of people who go there. I got to see so many different perspectives,” Kotsen said. “I got to talk to so many different people, and I really learned a lot about myself and the world.”

Kotsen is already working on several future projects and has a deep appreciation for the years of work that go into every film. She said audiences rarely realize how long a production can take.

“I cry whenever the credits come on at the end of a movie,” Kotsen said. “I just know how much effort all of those people listed put into getting this production made, whether it took them two years, which would be insane, or it took them 20, which is honestly more likely than you think.” 

In February, Kotsen was on set for director Ramin Bahrani’s upcoming film, “Vegas: A Love Story,” starring Brandon Sklenar, Maika Monroe, Paul Dano and Judy Greer. Her production company also recently wrapped filming on “Left Seat,” a thriller starring Richard Gere and Michelle Rodriguez.

Kotsen is also slated to executive produce the futuristic, climate-themed short film “The Mushroom Man” with Cate Blanchett’s production company. She said she is especially drawn to stories centered on women and to lesser-known cultures and perspectives that resonate with broad audiences.

“I’m always trying to find niche perspectives that feel relatable to a larger audience,” Kosten said. “I think that I’m able to discover and find those projects because of how interesting everybody I met at UVA was.”