Fantasy Girls — which tells the story of four teens in Reno attempting to perform in a talent show while being pursued by a kidnapper — was inspired by a real-life prostitution ring Julia and her friend discovered during a trip to Reno. "I wanted to tell stories, and I knew that I had good stories," Julia told Elle when asked about her inspiration for the short. "So I went to Reno with my childhood best friend with [the idea of] making a movie. We enter the city and meet this group of kids on the side of the road, and we just both knew, we're going to uncover this story in this little mix."
After learning that the kids were part of an enormous prostitution ring, she felt compelled to tell their story, but not in a way that was exploitive. "So many children are being trafficked and girls go missing all the time, and they were at risk," she continued. "I was like, I want to tell this story in an artful way, not like a documentary." In making the film, Julia felt like she'd finally discovered what she was meant to be doing. "After trying so many things, I finally found what my calling is," she added. "I want to use my platform to highlight and shed light on issues that are dear to me."