A script written by Brantford-born Hailey DeDominicis has come to life as the Netflix movie Our Little Secret.
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“It’s what you want at this time of year, a light holiday treat,” said the screenwriter who now lives in Paris, Ontario. “To be on set and see people like Kristin Chenoweth and Lindsay Lohan speaking words that I had written, it was a total pinch-me moment.”
Our Little Secret is a romantic comedy about two exes who left 10 years ago but discover that their new partners are siblings. Spending time together over Christmas with family, they attempt to keep their past a secret.
DeDominicis worked for more than a decade in creative marketing, doing TV commercials, public relations and social media for companies in the Greater Toronto Area.
“I always wanted to get into film in a meaningful way but it’s a tough industry to break into,” she shared. “Over the course of the 12 years that I was working, I would take courses online to learn how to screen write. I always had it in my head that I was parallel-pathing, learning the craft.”
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The onset of the COVID pandemic meant DeDominicis was working from home, and gaining extra hours without the daily commute.
“For the first eight months I was really enjoying sleeping in, but by the time New Year’s hit I thought you’re never going to get this time back,” she reflected. “So, I made my resolution in 2021 to get up at 6 am every day and write before I started my day job. In January of that year, I wrote Our Little Secret.”
DeDominicis utilized a coverage website where writers can pay to have their script read. She said that producer Lisa Gooding came across it and reached out via e-mail.
“We worked on it for a little bit. She had some notes, and we went back and forth,” the screenwriter explained. “She took it into Netflix, and they took it. It was remarkable and I’m so grateful.”
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She said the collaborative process with perspectives from others made the story better and stronger, and while the team at Netflix knew it was her first movie, their mentoring and willingness to help was a pleasant surprise.
DeDominicis — who grew up in Brantford’s north end, attending Greenbrier Public School and North Park Collegiate — made the jump to full-time screenwriting about a year ago when she felt comfortable enough that she could continue feeding her dog.
“Once you do it once, it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it was,” she shared. “I think it’s true for a lot of dreams and goals that people have. It’s like a New Year’s resolution to start exercising. You need to get over the hump of actually getting into it, and then it turns into something you love and enjoy.”
DeDominicis says she’s “playing in the rom-com space” and has a couple of scripts she’s working on with the same producer.
Our Little Secret first aired on Netflix on November 27, 2024, and the screenwriter attended the premiere screening in New York City.
“I get asked all the time if I’m going to move to LA and I have absolutely no desire,” she shared. “I love this community, and I love being close to my family and friends. As long as I can stay put, I’m going to.”
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