TARYN O'NEILL is a filmmaker, futurist, writer, impact creative and co-founder of Scirens, bridging entertainment, sci-tech and climate action. Taryn is passionate about creating TV, film and new media projects to unite audiences around visions of better futures.

With over two decades of experience in front of and behind the camera (over 50 credits as an actress), Taryn actively explores the potential of emerging technologies, including virtual production and AI, bringing a powerful perspective to the realm of filmmaking and the evolving landscape of tech x Hollywood. She has a weekly LinkedIn post sharing thoughts and articles called #FutureFilmFridays.

Taryn most recently directed the 'hopeful futures' short film "The Assignment" for ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination, producing and writing with her Scirens co-founder Tamara Krinsky. The film incorporated numerous VFX elements generated in Adobe Firefly AI and Unreal Engine 5. Prior to this, she directed two Passionflix fantasy action feature films 'Wicked' and 'Torn', based on NY Times best-selling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s  novels. Her first project as a writer / director, the award-winning sci-fi short 'LIVE', has over 500K views and was exclusively distributed and optioned by Gunpowder and Sky for its Black Mirror-esque narrative and prescient take on the future of A.I. and social media.

Her screenplays have been semi-finalists & finalists with the Sloan Sundance Institute and the New York Television Festival. Taryn's first writing jobs were for Blackbox TV and Vuguru, the latter adapting an original idea from comic book legend Stan Lee into a sci-fi comedy web series. She was early pioneer in the online space, co-producing a Streamy Awards nominated sci-fi digital series  and co-founding Celebrate the Web.

As a futurist and advocate for climate stories and STEM in entertainment, Taryn co-founded Scirens: 'Screen Sirens for Science', where she champions engaging and accurate representations of STEM fields in media as well as climate infused storylines. Scirens also partnered with ASU's 'Center for Science and Imagination' for a live-streamed event celebrating positive climate futures fiction and the science and innovation underpinning it. Her Scirens work has taken her to numerous San Diego Comic-Con panels, to X-Prize, the Geena Davis org, numerous podcasts and both Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye's TV shows.

Taryn was named an Avalon Story Fellow in 2021 with a focus on developing stories to 'build a bridge to a more beautiful future'. She was a contributor to the Good Energy Playbook - a tool for screenwriting in the age of climate change - and recently collaborated on a future facing project about Hollywood for the Near Future Laboratory.

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Taryn was a nationally ranked figure skater and graduated from Duke University with degrees in Economics, Drama and Film. Now living in Los Angeles, she shares her insights on Twitter (@tarynoneill), while her creative fiction and deep-dive blog posts on Medium offer a more in-depth look at her explorations at the intersection of technology, science, climate, and story. Taryn offers her services as a writer, director, and creative consultant, helping entertainment projects integrate cutting-edge science, technology, and climate elements.

She can be reached at contacttaryn@gmail.com.