Essa O'shea was born on September 10th in Fairfield, Iowa, to Springli, a writer, and Nick, an alternative medicine practitioner and chiropractor. As the youngest of six children, she picked up reading at an early age and became entranced with storytelling. After being involved in drama and local film throughout high school, she moved to New York City, at the age of seventeen, to study acting and screenwriting at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. She spent roughly a year and a half living and learning in the east village before making the move to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in film.