American born, New Zealand raised, Simone studied filmmaking in London, gaining a degree in Film, Photography & Photographic Arts from the University of Westminster.  She worked for a number of years behind the camera on both documentary and drama, before shifting her focus to writing and directing.

Simone has written and directed numerous short films including SPINDRIFT which won Best Panorama Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival, INBETWEEN which premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and NEW DAWN which was commissioned by the Edinburgh Film Festival to mark the launch of UK Film Four’s Lab.   She has been commissioned to write by the BBC, and the UK based television company MAYAVISION INTERNATIONAL.  Simone’s work attracted international attention when she was nominated for the prestigious SUNDANCE INSTITUTE/NHK FILMMAKER’S AWARD (2001), she was a semi-finalist, one of six from Europe.  She has just completed her first feature film, AFTER THE WATERFALL which had its world premiere in Beijing, this June.

Simone returned to New Zealand with her family in 2001.