Rebecca Carrigan (pen name, Becca Blue) is one of those people who, when they don’t find what they’re looking for, they create it.

She moved to New Brunswick from Vancouver four years ago, after a 25-year career as a production coordinator for Disney and Netflix.

“Vancouver has the second biggest film industry in the world,” Becca explains. “It’s massive out there. And it’s very welcoming, too.”

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, and raised in Cambridge, she began her varied career with a diploma in hospitality management and a stint on cruise ships before going to film school in Vancouver. “Originally, I wanted to be an animator for Disney. And then I decided last minute that I wanted to instead go to acting school. I was accepted out in LA, but my family did not like the thought of me going to LA at all. So I ended up going to the next best thing, which was the Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts. I studied acting for film and television, and that started my acting, and then on to my voiceover for animation and video games.”

But writing was always in the background. “I've written since high school. I am dyslexic, so it was very hard for me, reading and writing and stuff growing up. But the love of writing has grown throughout the years. And when I got into film, I loved the idea of these stories becoming motion pictures and sharing them on bigger scales. I then got into writing more on my own and turning it into film scripts.”

Becca turned one of her first novels into a feature film – she directed, produced, and created All I Need on her own, which was an official selection of the Canadian Independent Film Festival.

“Everybody thought I was crazy making it, thought it was too big of an idea.”

But the Covid pandemic changed everything, along with the writers’ strike that coincided with the shutdown. The film industry had come to a standstill, creating stress and uncertainty, while at the same time, writing had become a growing focus in her life, creating release and mental relaxation. She remembered visiting NB with her father when she was young and how she connected with the landscape, so, “I just trucked across Canada and moved to New Brunswick.”

Becca also earned a diploma in graphic design and interactive media, which serves her in her current work, supplying writers with graphic design, typesetting and editing services. “I am currently in a program with Penguin Random House, studying editing. I decided to enhance my skills as not only as an author, but as a person that provides publishing services to others.”

 Becca would like to grow her own studio eventually, offering workshops, book trailers and publishing-associated film, author headshots, etc. “I'm hoping that will grow into a business that I can work full time and educate and publish.”

After writing a series of novels and children’s books, Becca is now in the planning stages of a one-day event to be held in Fredericton on September 19, 2026, called The Writers of the Realm Festival and Serenity Ball. From 10 am to 5 pm, both writers and the public can take part in workshops, panel discussions, readings, and Q & A sessions.

“I want the public to see how fun it is to be an author. And what fun the books bring to the world, instead of just saying, here's a book fair, come on out, buy books, books, books, books. You know, we want to have it interactive. So for the public, they get the interaction and the fun. And we're going to throw in a few things for the public, like we'll have some book boyfriends, we'll have some interactive games, we'll have some fun stuff like that.”

Then, in the evening, Becca is planning to offer a Serenity Ball, which is an interactive formal dance. “It's a great time,” she says, and hopes it will develop into a weekend event. “I believe you should do things very well the first year and then grow into the next.”

Starting a completely new venture in an unfamiliar part of the country has not been without challenges, but Becca accepts that this is part of the process. “I'm getting my grounding and starting my company up and doing what I have to do to get going.”

If you’d like to have more information about the Writers of the Realm festival, check out sakurabluestudios.ca