Origin Story
FAKING IT was conceived by Ariel Leigh Cohen and Morgan Smith while nerding out about spicy scenes over cocktails at a dive bar in Los Angeles, when the “we should make a podcast” virus finally caught them.
Join them as they explore intimate scenes from film and TV - the good, the bad, and the cringe!
Meet Ariel
Ariel Leigh Cohen is a podcast host, certified Intimacy Coordinator (IDC), and an Intimacy Director based in Los Angeles, known for her collaborative spirit and nuanced approach to choreographing vulnerability. Since relocating to LA in 2019, she’s found her true calling as an Intimacy Professional, committed to fostering creative environments where every intimate scene is handled with care, clarity, and cultural competence. Before stepping into intimacy work, Ariel spent seven years in New York City writing, directing, and producing original plays, and worked in Props for several Broadway shows in 2019. She made her film directorial debut in 2024 with Exhibition, a bold meditation on desire and disclosure.
Her specialties include period pieces, queer intimacy, kink, DV/Non-Consensual dynamics, and comedy (because awkward, tender, and sexy often go hand in hand). Ariel offers professional, compassionate, and culturally sensitive guidance to ensure every moment of intimacy is safe, intentional, and unforgettable.
Meet Morgan
Morgan Smith is an intimacy coordinator, director, and consultant who has worked across features, pilots, shorts, new media, microseries, student films, and plays since 2021.
Career highlights include the feature Intimacy Party directed by Courtney Hoffman and starring Juno Temple. You can catch her work in Find Your Friends (TIFF Industry Select 2025) on Shudder.
Out Magazine did a write-up on the FOX microseries she intimacy coordinated on, Wrestling with Love. Her work in Bound by Honor has received over 400 million views on ReelShort.
Morgan specializes in queer intimacy, dramedies, sci-fi, and complex or non-consent choreography. She combines consent-based practices with choreography to create environments where artists feel empowered to take creative risks, taking a trauma-informed, culturally competent, and flexible approach tailored to each production's needs.