Oz Magazine July / August 2020

OZ MAGAZINE

A .T. JULY / AUGUST 2020

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Georgia’s entertainment industry has become a true force in the world. As of now, we don’t have a moniker that currently reeects that. We need to deene our state with a current descriptive name to cover Georgia’s lm, television, music, virtual reality and gaming industry.

Using the name “Hollywood South” or “Y’allywood” for our whole state has been a huge conversation amongst the people and companies that work here. It is ne to name your company whatever you want, this competition is for a moniker that represents all our hardworking entertainment talent in Georgia.

Hollywood is a legacy. Why are we riding on their coattails by using the name “Hollywood” to represent us? We are so different from Hollywood. Plus, Louisiana has been using that moniker for years - we don’t need to market another state.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Oz Readers, Film Day at the Capitol, March 11th to be specif ic, feels like another existence ago. We were bumping elbows, sharing industr y news, exchanging business cards, introducing ourselves to each other, or reuniting with old friends and past coworkers. We could even witness the expressions of one another without our masks func tioning as uncomfor table par titions.

The following evening, f ilmmaking friends at Tyler Perr y Studios informed me that they were told to take of f work for a few weeks in response to the spread of COVID -19. A few weeks away from normalcy turned into a few months; all of a sudden, people and companies were applying for unemployment, loans, and sheltering in place. Some of us went on furlough, or worse, were let go. A lot of us were forced to adapt, which required literacy in dif ferent apps and vir tual communication and programming.

On June 2nd we watched the enter tainment industr y “blackout ” on social media in solidarit y with the movement to eradicate racism and brutalit y against Black lives. As we at tempt to sustain ourselves through a global pandemic, we are also collec tively visualizing atrocities in our nation on the phones, tablets, and television sets that we usually rely on as outlets for our industr y’s content.

The cameras on our mobile phones are now a lens to truth, and hopefully, a means to justice. As Black Lives Mat ter protests f lood the streets of Georgia, our f ilmmakers are called to become more thought ful in their craf t, subjec t mat ter, casting, and more. As we watch the stories coming out of Georgia, Oz Magazine will be here to repor t, investigate, and reveal the change.

Oz has a long-standing tradition of equitable content. As the new Editorin- Chief, I have the exciting oppor tunit y to continue highlighting diverse f ilmmaking in this ex traordinar y state.

B. Sonenreich Editor-in- Chief | brooke@ozonline.t v

JULY / AUGUST 2020

CONTRIBUTORS OZ MAGAZINE

STAFF Publishers

Tia Powell (Group Publisher)

Editor-in-Chief B. Sonenreich

Sales

Martha Ronske Kris Thimmesch

Creative Director

Cameron McAllister Cover Story: The Light That Shines The Farthest: Shines The Brightest At Home, p.30 Cameron McAllister is a writer, producer, film critic and the Associate Director for the Atlanta Film Society. In 2011, he founded Reel Georgia, which was acquired by Georgia Entertainment News in 2017. He also founded and manages the Georgia Film Critics Association, one of the largest and most highly-regarded film critics groups in the Southeastern United States. He has worked for the Atlanta Film Society since 2014, where he has helped propel the 44-year-old Academy Award-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival to its place as one of the nation’s premiere independent film showcases. He also formerly served as Executive Director for the Rome International Film Festival. Cameron’s written work has been featured in Paste, Oz Magazine and Southern Distinction.

Michael R. Eilers

Production and Design Christopher Winley Michael R. Eilers

Social Media Engagement Sammie Purcell

Copy Editing Clay Voytek

Copywriting

Toni Caushi Jordan Moore Sammie Purcell

Cover Design

Michael R. Eilers

lane matravers Feature Story: Q&A: The Fire Behind Atlanta’s PA Academy, p.42 Lane Matravers is a screen and TV writer and aspiring novelist based in Atlanta. In 2013, she graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a degree in creative writing and journalism. In 2016, Matravers moved to Vancouver, Canada to pursue a Master’s degree in creative writing at the University of British Columbia. While there, Matravers honed her craft as a screen, TV and fiction writer. In 2018, her one-act play, Witch in the Woods, was chosen for a full production at the Brave New Play Rites festival. In 2019, Matravers graduated from UBC after successfully completing and defending her thesis, a feature-length script about feminism, deceit and rock and roll, all told through the lens of a horror film.

Asad Farooqui Feature Story: The Inner Soul in Outer Banks, p.48

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Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.

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Asad Farooqui is a director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He has directed multiple short films and written various scripts about Pakistani and Muslim characters stuck in an America that refuses to accept them. Farooqui's feature script, BIN, was a finalist for the Sundance Writer’s Lab and a finalist for the Best Screenplay Competition at the Ivy Film Festival. BIN also won the prestigious Islamic Scholarship Fund National Film Grant. Asad's feature script, The Immigration Game, won first place at the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Contest and was a Sundance Writer's Lab finalist.

Farooqui is a graduate of Emory University and received his MFA in Screenwriting and Directing from Columbia University where he was also a Teaching Fellow. He is currently developing his first feature, The Immigration Game, which is slated to shoot in Atlanta this year.

Sammie Purcell Feature Story: A Local Film Industry and A Global Crisis: Atlanta’s Indie Film Community Faces COVID Head On, p.36 Sammie Purcell is a graduate student in journalism at Boston University.

She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2017 and worked in the travel industry for a few years before heading back to school. In the future, she is interested in working in film and television criticism. In her spare time, she enjoys singing in a band with her father.

JULY / AUGUST 2020

CONTENTS

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OZCETERA

FEATURE STORY

A compilation of recent news and hot projects from and about the Georgia entertainment industry

The Fire Behind Geogia's PA Academy

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A Q&A with Linda Burns about her about her work for Atlanta's PA Academy

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FEATURE STORY The Inner Soul in Outer Banks A Q&A with Atlanta’s Caroline Arapoglou about her acting career and being represented in the Southeast

COVER STORY The Light that Shines the Farthest Shines the Brightest at Home Lecrae and A.T. "Lumkile" build 3 Strand Films, a new Atlanta production company intent on driving the perspective of society

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52 Oz Scene

Black Women Film Network Summit: Celebrating the work of women of color in film and television

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FEATURE STORY

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A Local Film Indsustry and a Global Crisis Exploring how Atlanta's independent film industry is being affected by COVID-19

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Let Me Give You My Card

July / August 2020

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OzCetera

Minno includes the world's largest selection of Veggie Tales

PRIMAL SCREEN PARTNERS LAUNCHES MINNO

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inno, a new children’s digital media network, was launched in partnership with Atlanta’s design firm, Primal Screen.

Minno is an ad-free subscription-based digital video platform offering Christian educational choices including the world’s largest selection of Veggie Tales.

Minno is available across six existing plat forms including A pple T V, A mazon, Google Play, IOS, Android and the web. The subscription video on demand (SVOD) service will give direct access to fresh content. “We have big plans for the SVOD platform which gives such direct access to the viewer in a variety of ways untapped by most streamers,” executive producer, Fatimah Abdullah, said.

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July / August 2020

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OzCetera Pinewood Forest - Theatre

PINEWOOD FOREST BREAKS GROUND ON NINE-SCREEN LUXURY CINEMA

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inewood Forest, a 235-acre masterplanned residential and mixed-use development adjacent to Pinewood Atlanta Studios, broke ground for its nine-screen luxury cinema. Pace Lynch Corporation and Spotlight Theatres have partnered to develop and operate the theatre which is projected to open in early 2021. The nine theatres will seat approximately 850 patrons.

“We are excited to create a unique and

innovative boutique theatre celebrating the artistry of film,” president of Pinewood Forest, Rob Parker, said. “There is no place more fitting to observe Georgia’s major contribution to the film industry than within arm’s reach of North America’s largest production facility, Pinewood Atlanta Studios.”

Pinewood Forest’s theatres, boasting immersive digital audio complementing 4K projection, will produce an enhanced

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patron experience. “The theatre’s timeless exterior and best-in-class digital features, including highest-quality sight and sound presentation, are designed to create a viewing experience unlike any other,” principal of Pace Lynch, Bill Lynch, said.

“We are excited to partner with Spotlight Theatres to introduce a cinema that will attract visitors to Pinewood Forest from across metro Atlanta.”

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OzCetera Janesky Family

GEORGIA FILM INDUSTRY UTILIZES BIG ROUND WHEEL

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t all star ted when the Janesk y family purchased a ferris wheel to restore as a backyard project for their three children.

The projec t involved an amusement ride manufacturer who suggested that, once the wheel was complete, the family might consider renting it out for special events.

Now, the Janesky family is proud to rent

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

out multiple rides to the film industry here in Georgia, amongst other states. The most popular production to use the wheel here in Georgia was the live action Disney film, The Little Mermaid.

“Working in the film industry is possibly the most rewarding job we do,” Big Wheel co-owner Darren Janesky told Oz. “We strive

to keep the traditional old time amusement look alive in our rides. One of our ferris wheels is from the 1960s. Safety inspectors from around the country take pictures of our rides and praise us on how well maintained we keep them.”

July / August 2020

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OzCetera RoleCall Watch

ROLECALL LAUNCHES ONLINE STREAMING PLATFORM

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oleCall, Atlanta-based film production management platform, launched RoleCall Watch in April to connect mainstream audiences with quality, independent films. By curating independent , creative talent in one space, the general public can more easily discover the stories often overlooked by more well-known streaming services.

“From the beginning, one of the main objectives for RoleCall has been to take the ‘independent’ out of independent filmmaking. If indie creators want to benefit from the efficiencies and economics of the scale of industrialized cinema, we need to start thinking more strategically,” founder and CEO of RoleCall, Stephen Beehler, said. “We truly are stronger together.”

In February, RoleCall opened its first brick-and-mortar, RoleCall Thearte at Ponce City Market in order to become the creative hub for storytellers in the Southeast. In only a few weeks, they produced six local plays, screened a dozen Georgia-lensed films, and hosted comedy

and improv nights. The community was buzzing until COVID-19 put everything to a halt.

After seeing how the self-isolating world was turning to streaming services not just for entertainment, but for comfort in these ominous times, Beehler knew RoleCall needed to pivot their approach.

Building and launching RoleCall Watch as fast as possible was key in order to give indie filmmakers a new source of revenue while simultaneously providing audiences

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with new, fresh stories from relatively unknown voices.

“How we respond as a community is critical during public health crises, and how we respond and support artists during this time is also critical,” the company’s head of business operations, Maija Ehlinger, said.

“We want to ensure that local artists are still able to tell their crucial stories to the general public and make money doing so.”

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OzCetera Bria Henderson

SPELMAN COLLEGE GRADUATE BRIA HENDERSON CO-STARS IN FX’S “MRS. AMERICA”

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pelman College graduate and BronzeLens fes tival volunteer, Bria Henderson, has been tapped for a recurring role opposite Cate Blanchett and Elizabeth Banks in Mrs. America, FX’s nine-episode limited series from Emmy-winning writer Dahvi Waller, Oscar-nominated producer Stacey Sher and FX Productions.

Mrs. America tells the true story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafy (played by Blanchett).

Through the eyes of the women of that era - both Schlafly and second-wave feminists Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and Jill Ruckelshaus - the series explores how one of the toughest battlegrounds in the culture wars of the ‘70s helped give rise to the Moral Majority and forever shifted our political landscape.

Henderson will play Ms. Magazine editor Margaret Sloan, an outspoken, funny, radical-thinking African American feminist and civil rights activist who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. A lesbian, single mother and accomplished poet, Sloan was an intersectional trailblazer in several cultural and political movements.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

July / August 2020

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OzCetera Still from Georgia-lensed short film Laundry Day

ATLANTA FILMMAKERS PRESENT LAUNDRY DAY AT THE INDIE GRITS FILM FESTIVAL aundry Day is a collaborative short film directed and shot by Atlanta-based writer and director Olamma Oparah and Atlanta-based cinematographer Colbie Fray. Oparah graduated with her Master’s at Georgia State University’s film, media and theatre program, and focuses on the African diaspora experience in media. Fray cut her teeth on camera work after being chosen as a videographer for her school news station at the age of nine.

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Their film Laundry Day, is dedicated to the late African American writer, Toni Morrison, and is conceptualized around Victoria P. Allen’s poem “Mother’s Stain.”

The film focuses on millennial dissonance between mother and daughter and how technology aids in the erasure of black culture, traditions and generational discord. It was selected to debut at the Indie Grits Film Festival.

“This project was a labor of love and resonated with so many women. As we embarked on the film, I began to get feedback from young millennial black women about their issues with their mothers. The conversation often led to a single topic: How do we heal expectations from women (our mothers) who define womanhood by vastly different social standards,” Oparah stated.

ATLANTA TALENT AGENCIES PARTICIPATE IN #BLACKOUTTUESDAY

industry were first to post. Amongst the first companies to post were notable talent agencies within Atlanta.

“We felt it was important to show our support and stand with the black community,” owner of Atlanta Models & Talent, Inc., Sarah Carpenter, commented.

“We must fight racial injustice and demand equality.”

“The black tile was not posted to bring attention to the agency,” Joy Pervis stated after J Pervis Talent Agency decided to post the black tile on their Instagram profile. “We posted to stand united and in solidarit y with all our employees, neighbors, friends of color and the entire Black community.”

“It’s really encouraging to see our entire industry joining together to stand up against racism and racial injustice. It’s

a great big step in the right direction, but now the real work begins,” president of People Store, Rick Estimond, told Oz. “We all posted our black tiles. Great. But it’s an empty gesture if we don’t follow it up with meaningful action."

Other agencies weighed in on the issue of combating racism in the film industry moving forward and making sure this movement isn’t just a flash in the pan.

“Only recently has Hollywood formally promoted inclusion within productions by implementing the ‘Inclusion Rider,” requiring a certain proportion of actors or staff to be women, people of color, LGBT, people with disabilities,” Pervis said. “This was a great step, but we must go beyond this. We must encourage our writers and media to create more content with people of color in every type of role.”

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nly days after protestors flooded the streets of Atlanta in response to the death of George Floyd, Instagram users began posting black tiles. Most of the tiles were accompanied by the hashtag #blackouttuesday. The posts were intended to show solidarity with and support for Black communities who face racism and racial injustice. While the black tiles quickly started trending throughout the social media platform, many companies within the entertainment 16

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

Brandy Star Merriweather

CLARK ATLANTA STUDENT PRODUCES SHORT FILM ON AFTERMATH OF ALEXIS CRAWFORD’S PASSING

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lark Atlanta University student, Brandy Star Merriweather, took home the local win for Atlanta University Center in the 2020 Campus Movie Fest (CMF), with her short film SCRIPT. CMF is the world’s largest student film festival.

The festival holds a short film competition where college students across the United States have exactly one week to complete a five-minute film. Jury awards are given to the top four movies that succeed in content, technical proficiency, and overall quality. These top films can then compete for national top honors at CMF Terminus in Hollywood, California. This year’s competition sponsors and judges include executives from Panasonic, Disney+, The Elfenworks Foundation, and more.

SCRIPT is based on the aftermath of Clark Atlanta student, Alexis Crawford’s recent death. Instead of focusing on the disappearance and death of Crawford, Merriweather’s film exposes the reactions of her peers on campus via their use of modern technology.

FILM IMPACT GEORGIA ANNOUNCES “ASK A PRO ANYTHING” SERIES

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uring COVID-19, Film impact Georgia (FIG) began a series called “Ask A Pro Anything” (AAPA), connecting established filmmakers with indie creators in the state and beyond. The series takes place over Zoom, a popular video chat service, and offers an opportunity for screenwriters, directors, producers and more to discuss how they broke into the industry, got their feature films and other projects off the ground, and anything else on the participating viewers’ mind.

The first two editions of the series featured directors David Bruckner and Angela Barnes Gomes. “Filmmaking is a team sport, and part of what I love about being on set are the personal connections I make with the cast and crew,” Gomes said.

“Because of ‘shelter at home,’ a lot of us are feeling isolated. I love the idea of AAPA because it helps keep our film community connected.”

“How to transition into being a full-time director is the magical question that so many people in Georgia have,” FIG creative director and co-founder, Molly Coffee said. “Having access to people like Angela who wouldn’t normally have the time to be so giving like this, is exactly what is exciting about this frustrating time that we currently live in.”

July / August 2020

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OzCetera Derrion Elmore photograph courtesy of Hawks Talon Gaming Club

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HAWKS TALON GAMING CLUB DRAFTS ATLANTA’S DERRION ELMORE

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awks Talon Gaming Club (GC), the affiliate team of the Atlanta Hawks, made four picks in the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft, rounding out their selections with Atlanta-raised and based gamer and actor, Derrion Elmore, known in the gaming world as Arkele.

Prior to being drafted, Elmore served as a member of the Hawks Talon GC practice squad last season. “It definitely helped me get ready for another atmosphere of the game,” Elmore commented on starting off on the practice squad.

Elmore feels great about playing for the home team. “I’ve got my immediate family here,” Elmore told Oz. “Being a part of the Atlanta Hawks organization is a blessing.”

“Both gaming and acting are 1A and 1B,” Elmore said when asked which career took precedence: gaming or acting. “My passion for both of those is intense. I can’t really see myself not doing both. Of course, right now my acting career has taken a backseat for gaming, but I have a couple of things coming up as soon as the off-season hits.”

VERTISYS NOW SERVING GEORGIA FILM INDUSTRY

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tlanta-based company, Vertisys, has been helping clients maximize their productivity and protect their data by humanizing technology and making it work for their unique circumstances. The company offers a broad range of IT services to a handful of industries and professions, including legal, engineering and construction. Their skill set lends itself well to the needs of both film and gaming.

Recently, the company has shifted to assisting clients within the film industry. “Vertisys is excited to offer our products and services to the Georgia film and gaming industries,” Vertisys co-founder Matt Baldwin told Oz. “We have been providing technology solutions to Georgia businesses of all sizes for over 28 years.”

Vertisys provides traditional IT support services, managed services, hardware and software sales, equipment rentals, infrastructure, backup and DR along with security audits and remediation.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

July / August 2020

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OzCetera

ATLANTA TALENT AGENT OPENS UP TO ACTORS IN ASK AN AGENT

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ason Lockhart, the head of the film and television division at Atlanta Models and Talent, Inc. released his book, Ask an Agent: Brutally Answered Questions for Actors of All Stages on Amazon. Lockhart’s mission was to utilize this unique industry slowdown during the pandemic to give actors some brutally honest knowledge. The goal is to inform actors of all ranks on how to be more powerful and successful within the industry.

The book is divided into three sections: “Getting an Agent,” “Working with Your Agent,” and “Thriving with Your Agent.” The publication is in Q&A format in order to address questions that actors may have throughout the evolution of their careers.

Lockhart started his career in the Los Angeles market and relocated to Atlanta in 2017 to work for Atlanta Models and Talent, Inc. He grew up as a child actor and therefore has over twenty years of experience and education in the entertainment industry.

While Lockhart has worn many hats, e.g. feature film writer, director and actor, he personally finds being an agent to be the most rewarding and impactful career yet.

ATLANTA MOVIE TOURS IS BRINGING THE #GEORGIAFILM FUN TO YOU!

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tlanta Movie Tours, the leading movie location tour company in Metro Atlanta, is hosting Georgia Film & Chill tours, virtual fan-based tours featuring all the great movies and TV shows filmed across the state. The 70-75 minute tour covers it all: Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Marvel hits like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, The Hunger Games, and more.

Since 2012, Atlanta Movie Tours has toured more than 70,000 people and established a top position for Best Tours in Atlanta.

Tours will include an Atlanta Movie Tours Insider live on the video chat platform Zoom with fun stories and trivia, interactive chats, and Q&As. 20

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

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KEVIN EASTMAN AND PAUL JENKINS CHAT ALL THINGS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ON NEW WEEKLY YOUTUBE SERIES

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles photograph courtesy of META Studios

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evin Eastman, co - creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, joined forces with Paul Jenkins, Mar vel writer and founder of META Studios, for a weekly live YouTube series where they talk all things Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello. Jenkins said the two had been chatting a lot recently and had the idea to bring one of their threehour-long chats to Ninja Turtles fans.

“It’s a great opportunity to really tell some fantastic stories,” Eastman said.

The series revealed more about the time Eastman and Jenkins spent working together, including details on how they met and began work on the first Ninja Turtles movie. The series was started in the wake of the 30th anniversary of the film, which came out on March 30, 1990.

According to Jenkins, Eastman gave him his first job in the business.

In the first episode, Eastman and Jenkins talked a lot about the struggles of taking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen. By the time the first movie premiered, the cartoon Ninja Turtles series had run for two years and the franchise had a blossoming toy line.

“How can you pull off a movie and make this work with something that’s so fantastical? It was amazing it worked as a comic book, because that’s a different medium and a different format. The fact that it could transition to animation, which is also drawn media, that made a lot of

Atkins Estimond

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ESTIMOND TO RETURN ON STARZ SERIES HIGHTOWN FOR SEASON TWO

tlanta-based actor Atkins Estimond is quickly making a name for himself in the entertainment industr y by playing an array of roles. From doctor, to hacker, to laid-back optimist, Estimond’s most recent role is a gangster in the new STARZ drama series Hightown, which was mostly filmed in New York.

“There is a different vibe here in Atlanta,” Estimond said of the difference bet ween shooting Hightown in New York and his past roles in Atlanta. “We're a smaller market, and that, I feel, has created a more supportive environment amongst the actors here. Everyone is rooting for everyone else; I've always felt very supported by the community.

I've had many great mentors, and I feel like people here are willing to share their wisdom and experience with you. That’s not the case everywhere.”

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

sense,” Eastman said. “But how do you pull off a live-action movie?”

Jenkins talked about how new they were to the movie industr y and the learning curve to working on Ninja Turtles.

“We found out to our cost at times how crazy the movie industry is. That kind of gave us the bug to do movies,” Jenkins said. “But it also drove us crazy.”

Also in the first episode, Eastman and Jenkins talk about the rapturous response to the first turtles movie, their comic book idol Jack Kirby and so much more.

Estimond was raised in Atlanta, born to Haitian immigrants. He hopes that his increased visibility on screen will inspire more Haitians to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and, ultimately, be able to tell stories about Haiti and its rich culture.

After a successful launch of Hightown’s first episodes, STARZ renewed the drama for a second season. “This is my passion, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting back in the saddle,” Estimond told Oz when asked what he’s looking forward to after the pandemic. “What excites me most about getting back to work is being in that creative space again. As an artist I crave that outlet.”

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LARONDA SUTTON FROM WIFTA JOINS #GEORGIAPRODUCTIONTALKS FOR ITS SIXTH WEEK

...for Grip, lighting and CREWS!

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ecently on #GEORGIAPRODUCTIONTALKS, a weekly Instagram Live series hosted by Oz Magazine and Atlanta Film Chat, Chuck Thomas spoke with LaRonda Sutton, the president of Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA), about virtual programming in the face of COVID-19.

Viewers tuned in and sent questions for Sutton as the live stream went on. The talk focused on the rapid changes occurring within the industry due to COVID-19 and how organizations like WIFTA can help foster community support during such a strange, tough time.

“WIFTA is a frontline organization, a place where you can go for resources and information to find out what the status of the industry is in Georgia,” Sutton said. “If you’re new to Georgia and you’re in the film business, WIFTA is a great organization that you can join so you can learn quickly what the Georgia film industry is all about.”

Sutton spoke more specifically about the type of virtual programming that WIFTA has been putting out since the pandemic began. “We’ve done monthly meetups where we introduce our new board members to our general body membership,” Sutton said. “We talk about relevant topics, but we also get into their careers and why they are WIFTA board members.”

Sutton also spoke about the Women in Production Summit, which was held on June 27th in partnership with a number of film organizations, including Alliance of Women Directors, Film Fatales, the Producers Guild of America’s Women’s Impact Network and Black Women Film Network. The summit included information on how the industry is moving forward from the pandemic.

“Safety-on-set policies and procedures were addressed,” Sutton said. “There’s a lot to discuss, a lot to go over and a lot to digest to keep yourself safe and continue to do the job that you love.”

Sutton said WIFTA would like to continue having virtual events even after the pandemic ends. “We’ve had a larger turnout virtually to our meetups and mixers than we actually do to our physical events. That was a little odd to me, but it actually worked out because it’s easier for people to tune in from home and relax.”

While virtual events may be easier to attend, Sutton said she doesn’t think the social networking aspect of the business can go away. “[Networking] is a huge part of entertainment. It’s a part of who we are.”

A COMPANY OF ATLANTA FILMS, INC.

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OzCetera

NEW EAST RENTAL OFFERS SAFETY AND VALUE FOR FILM INDUSTRY New East Rental, a camera rental company featuring largeformat camera systems, will be offering mobile cameraprep services.

As a startup, New East is focused on providing solutions to productions when the health and safety of cast and crew members is a key concern.

With services like mobile cameraprep, the company hand delivers decontaminated camera packages to the space of a production’s choosing.

In the safety of their decontaminated environment, such as a production office or soundstage, productions are free to shoot productions on their terms without the worry of any increased exposure to COVID-19. New East has nicknamed this service “pop-up prep,” in light of many businesses following a pop-up storefront model prior to the pandemic.

“While some productions may still decide to prep camera in a traditional rental house, New East’s goal is to streamline the prep process for many productions where it would be easier to prep in an area that’s already part of their ecosystem,” New East's founder, Conn Pannell said, “The goal of this service is to make life more simple prior to principal photography.”

POLICE OFFICER IN GEORGIA FILM COMMUNITY INJURED AT PROTEST

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aximilian Brewer, an officer with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), was seriously injured in May after being struck by an ATV in downtown Atlanta during the second night of the cit y ’s protes t s. O f f icer Brewer had emergency surgery the same evening of the incident and is currently recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital. He is praised by the Atlanta film community for his hard work securing film and television sets.

Officer Brewer told Oz that he was proud of the work he did to secure action film scenes with car races and car crashes alongside other officers in the APD motor unit. “The doctors are saying it looks like 24

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

New East Rental equipment ready for rental

I’m making good progress, but at this time, it’s way too early to tell,” Brewer told Oz when asked if he’ll be able to return to sets after his recovery.

“Over the years, we have had the pleasure of working with a number of excellent police officers, including Max Brewer, who provided professional safety and security for our film sets,” founder of VanDerKloot Film & Television, Bill VanDerKloot, said . “Our hearts go out to Officer Brewer and his family with hopes for a speedy recovery.”

Of f icer Brewer is originally from Brownsville in Brooklyn, New York, and he relocated to Atlanta to become a police officer. “He always wanted to be a police officer,” Samaris Payne, Officer Brewer’s daughter, told Oz. “He’s one of the great ones. He’s great at what he does and everyone in his community can attest to that.”

Of f icer Brewer’s gofundme page is devoted to sustaining him through recovery and can be visited at www. gofundme.com/f/apd-max-brewer.

Officer Max Brewer

The #1 Podcast about the Atlanta film industry since 2014 OVER 200 EPISODES INCLUDING 3 SPINOFFS!

Hear from the cast & crew of all of your favorites:

Also filmmakers from countless indie films from the tiniest short films to festival winners!

Trying to break into the industry? Learn from the masters themselves and hear what agents are looking for....straight from the agents themselves!

Find all episodes on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Peachflicks & Spotify, or wherever you download podcasts.

July / August 2020

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OzCetera Still from Counter Histories

TAYLOR’S COUNTER HISTORIES: ROCK HILL TO SCREEN AT CANNES tlanta-based documentarian, Frederick Taylor, produced and directed the film Counter Histories: Rock Hill. In 2015, the f ilm aired on Public Broadcast Service (PBS) stations in its original format: a 30-minute TV documentary. Five years later, Taylor has extended his documentary to run for over 50 minutes.

A

International buyers had their first opportunity to view the extended version of Counter Histories at this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s virtual market screening.

The documentary provides an intimate glimpse at a historical moment of the Southern civil rights movement. The film follows the story of the Friendship 9, who made a stand in January of 1961 at the

AMERICAN ACTOR / ENTERTAINER BECOMES FIRST 2020 AIRPLAY DIRECT EVOLUTION GRANT ARTIST

AirPlay Direct, said AirPlay Direct created the grant program to create positive opportunities to inspire its professional colleagues to evolve, prosper and thrive during these challenging times.

"Our new 2020 Evolution Grants program was created to support, educate and enrich the global music community, both artists and small businesses alike,” Weingar t z said. “ We believe in the determination of our industry to not only survive this tragic time, but to evolve, learn and grow during the process.”

Franks said that the grant is aptly titled, because that is exactly how he sees his future, in a state of evolution. “Hearing the news that I am the first recipient of the 2020 Evolution Grant provided an uplifting revelation that the future is not dictated by the bleak forecast of what we see around us,” Franks said. “Grants such as these can help a musician or singer strive each day not to waste a single opportunity to forge new music, appeal to new audience members, build relationships that open future doors, and strive to draw new listeners to the creations of their heart.”

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eorgia-based, multiple music hall of fame member Randall Franks, a former NBC and CBS actor, who appeared as Officer Randy Goode from TV’s In the Heat of the Night, received a recent lifeline when he was chosen as the first 2020 AirPlay Direct Evolution Grant recipient.

AirPlay Direct is the premiere digital delivery/distribution company, brand and platform for engaging radio and airplay worldwide. Linda Weingar tz, CEO of

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

segregated counter top of a Five and Dime in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“This film is an emotional reminder that we must look to our past to change our future,” senior vice president of distribution for Counter Histories, Monique White, told Oz.

Randall Franks

FILM DIRECTOR TAYLOR RI’CHARD ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HIS LATEST FILM, ‘HALLOWED BE THY NAME ’

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ravitas Ventures and 3rd Fathom Films partnered together to release Taylor Ri'chard's latest work, Hallowed Be Thy Name. In this Georgia-lensed film, superstition, magic, and bad decisions drive the audience down a road into a small rural town where the protagonist must find a way to save himself and his friends after disturbing the rest of an ancient demon which becomes more deadly with every passing minute.

Ri’chard is an Atlanta-based f ilm director who shows his loyalty to the state of Georgia by filming scenes in local locations while featuring a crew of dedicated locals well acquainted with the haunted history of the South. The film is available on several primary interactive video on demand platforms, as well as video on demand platforms like Amazon Prime, Hulu, and iTunes.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

NINE MILE CIRCLE RECEIVES 2020 BEST OF ATLANTA AWARD

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ine Mile Circle was selected for the 2020 Best of Atlanta Award in the Media Production category by the Atlanta Award Program, an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Atlanta area.

Each year, the Atlanta Award Program identifies companies that are believed to have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business categor y. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and the community.

The 2020 Atlanta Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners were determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Atlanta Award Program and data provided by third parties.

Nine Mile Circle BOA Award

Nine Mile Circle BOA Award

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OzCetera

GEORGIA FILM, TV, STREAMING PRODUCTION INDUSTRY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Actors feature in #FilmFestivalDay

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ollowing the “COVID-19: Georgia Best Practices for Film and Television” production guide for studios provided by the Georgia Film Office, Governor Brian Kemp announced in June that the major motion picture, television, and streaming companies plan to bring back and hire an estimated 40,000 production workers, who will be employed on an expected 75 production projects that will invest over $2 billion into the Georgia economy during the next 18 months.

The major production companies, which are members of MPA-America in clu d e The Wa l t D i sn ey C o m p a ny, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Sony Pic tures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros.

“Georgia is ready once again to resume the state’s thriving movie, TV, and streaming production industry,” chairman and CEO of Motion Picture Association, Charles Rivkin, said . “The terrific collaboration between the Georgia Film Office, local studios, produc tion companies, and industr y stakeholders to create these important guidelines will ensure a safe return to work for Georgians in our industry and play an important role in helping restart Georgia’s economy.”

G overnor Kemp also recognized Georgia’s film industry workforce, which has used talents off the set to provide p a n d e m i c- re l a te d c r i t i c a l h e l p a n d resources to essential businesses and workers.

SOUTH GEORGIA FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES #FILMFESTIVALDAY

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he South Georgia Film Festival (SGFF) celebrated #FilmFestivalDay with a digital screening event and fundraiser for Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc. The mission of Second Harvest is to end hunger in south Georgia by serving 30 counties through 400 partner agencies.

“As people are home, we believed this was a way for us to reach our local audience and allow them to support our community in a fun way,” festival director of SGFF, Jason Brown, said.

SGFF donated all of the proceeds received to Second Harvest to support those locally hardest hit by the COVID-19 closure.

Fortunately, SGFF was one of the last festivals that was able to be held before the widespread quarantine took place. More than 175 film festivals have been hit with cancellations and postponements since the virus began spreading across the country.

Wilson Cruz

OUT ON FILM HONORS WILSON CRUZ WITH TRAILBLAZER AWARD

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ut On Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival, honored actor and producer Wilson Cruz with it s Trailblazer Award after a special virtual screening of a powerful episode of the critically acclaimed docuseries Visible: Out On Television. In the five-part docuseries, which Cruz served as executive producer on, Visible explores the history of the American LGBTQ movement through the lens of TV. Combining archival footage with new interviews, the series looks at 28

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homophobia, the evolution of LGBTQ characters and coming out in the TV world.

Cruz, who originally became known for his role as Enrique “Rickie” Vasquez in the acclaimed TV series My So-Called Life, was the first openly gay actor to play

an openly gay character in a leading role in an American TV series. Cruz was later seen in the landmark LGBTQ series Noah’s Arc. The producer and actor is currently part of the ensemble of the animated series The Bravest Knight.

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COVER STORY

Lecrae, artist and owner of Reach Records and co-founder of 3 Strand Films, A.T. "Lumkile" director and co-founder of 3 Strand Films, Caleb Natale, VFX specialist known for his work with Will Smith, and Reach Intern

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B Y :

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C A M E R O N

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'm a catalyzer. I'm a forward thinker. I'm looking at how to disrupt and create waves,” Lecrae said.

The whole world is experiencing serious disruption right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here in Atlanta, right as people were forced indoors during a time of isolation and social distancing, the weather largely decided to buck the old “April showers” tradition and become almost devastatingly sunny. All this time indoors and not spent in traffic, at the gas station, in line at a restaurant or on our way to appointments might provide a respite from our until-recently busy lives, but are there different ways we are being productive?

How are the creatives of our industry responding to this disruption? As soon as we can start working again, will we see more finished screenplays? Richer stories with more polished writing? Will ultra-low-budget, home-grown indie film have a resurgence?

Two Atlantans who are using this disruption to make some moves are two-time Grammy Award-winner Lecrae Devaughn Moore (better known simply as Lecrae) and his business partner Adam Thomason (also known as A.T. “Lumkile”). Together, they have created 3 Strand Films, a new production company intent on driving the perspective of society.

You’ve no doubt heard of Lecrae. Since releasing his first album in 2004, the mononymous star has been pushing boundaries in the hip-hop, gospel, Christian and indie music scenes, blurring the genre lines to degrees previously unseen. He first conquered the Billboard Gospel Albums chart in 2008 with Rebel, conquered the Billboard Christian Albums and Independent Albums charts in 2010 with Rehab and earned his first Billboard

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COVER STORY

Rap Albums #1 two years later with Gravity. Dubbed by some critics as the most important album in the history of Christian hip-hop, Gravity went on to win Lecrae his first Grammy Award. It was his follow-up, however, that earned the now-mainstream artist his first ever #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and a gold-certified record from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Lecrae did all of this through Reach Records, a label he co-founded in 2004 and where he still serves as the president.

To date, Lecrae has released nine studio albums and three mixtapes, with his tenth album set for release this summer.

He also produces much of his own music and many of the releases of other artists on the Reach roster. The new album will be released solely on his label, which also reissued the Set Me Free single independently this spring, following a break with Columbia Records.

In 2012, Lecrae made his film debut in A Cross to Bear, an Atlanta-lensed television production. Since then, he has appeared in Believe Me (2014), SuperFly

(2018) and Breakthrough (2019), a film that grossed more than $50 million worldwide and garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

While music has been Lecrae’s bread and butter for the better part of two decades, his foray into film shouldn’t come as a surprise. He first attended the University of North Texas to study theatre.

It wasn’t long, however, before the musical culture ingrained at UNT began to lure him over. With famed alumni like Roy Orbison, Don Henley and Norah Jones, it’s easy to see why Lecrae speaks so fondly of his time at his alma mater.

“I was there on a full theatre scholarship, and I had a spiritual transformation and got involved with a group of students who were very adamant about expressing their faith and culture simultaneously. It drew, probably because of the leadership, a lot of artistic expression,” Lecrae said.

It was there that Lecrae met Thomason at one of the campus meetings of the UNT Plumbline Ministry in 2003.

Thomason had recently moved to Texas after earning a degree in fashion/apparel design and marketing and a minor in architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design.

ADAM THOMASON, A.T. "LUMKILE"

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A.T. "Lumkile" director and cofounder of 3 Strand Films, Lara Aqel DP/Cinematographer, Lecrae on the set of Wheels Up

“Adam, being a SCAD graduate, found a place where he could kind of express his culture, his faith and his artistic leanings as well,” Lecrae said. “We had stage performances. We had skits. We had music. So, if you were a young, Black person of faith, it was probably the place you wanted to be, especially if you were creative.”

While their careers quickly went in different directions, the two friends stayed close over the years. Lecrae founded Reach Records and released his first album in 2004 and rather quickly became a hip-hop superstar. Thomason earned two Master’s degrees, worked for Collision Records, preached and taught as a professor before making his way into film.

“As you get older and progress through certain subcultures and God gives you favor, you start to ask the question, ‘Okay, what can we pivot into that can create a lasting change?’” said Thomason.

As he began to contemplate steering towards a full-time career as a filmmaker, Thomason also took note of the rise in popularity of streaming content.

When asked about why he started with documentaries, Thomason credited the advice of an expert.

“I'll tell you the reason why I started there,” he said without any hesitation.

“Ava Duvernay said if you want to learn film and know how to maximize budgets

to where people can trust you, she said to start in documentary work. It's such an unknown and if you can get your hands around that, then when you get into scripted, you are in more sterile places where you can control the places that you're shooting, you can control the budgets and then people will tend to trust you because they'll see that you can control this volatile work.”

In 2016 and 2017, Thomason was commissioned to make several documentaries, travelling to France, Ghana, Italy, Malta, Nepal, and along the Colombia and Venezuela border.

“Because of the success there, God opened up doors,” he added. “Obviously we’re friends, so I'm sharing those stories with Lecrae. You know, he's killing it in the music scene, and just as people are wanting him to be involved in film for his name and stature, not knowing he actually has a theatre background, and not wanting to be taken advantage of, we just started having conversations. And so it was like, why not make this pivot together?”

“Both of us have been storytellers,” Thomason said. He lists a number of Lecrae’s music videos as very cinematic stories, but he also laments that often many of the narratives that are distributed through entertainment aren’t always truthful.

“Fashion was always about selling a story, telling a story, but most of the

time the story wasn't honest,” he added.

“I think being in the music industry, fashion, and entertainment always preps you and gives you that poise to come into film.”

For Lecrae, it was a relational move as well. “I just kind of got tired of walking the entertainment road alone and my friends not being able to kind of breathe some of that air. So, I just thought it would be great to get my friends involved,” he explained. “You know, I did that in music and as I was trying to transition into film and television, it's just always better to have your friends involved. Partnering with Adam was relational and just a part of making sure that I stay authentic because I think when you do stuff with your friends, you can't fake it. You won't put out terrible work because the friends won't let you!”

As these two men found themselves looking in new directions career-wise and for opportunities to partner together, 3 Strand Films was born. “There is a need for honest narratives that deal with vices and virtues and don’t over-glamorize or sanitize,” Thomason said. “I feel like we've always been studiers of that. This is an unmet need in the film and television space. That’s what 3 Strand is going to be. We never tire from seeing the great virtues and vices get recycled in stories, and that's something that speaks to the soul of who we are as humans.”

Once Lecrae and Thomason decided

to set up shop together, the next logical move was to get in the same place. For Lecrae, Atlanta has been home for over a decade, and it doesn’t sound like he’s got his sights on anywhere else. “My cousin went to school at Spelman in the ‘90s and she would come back and tell us stories of Atlanta and I just was itching to be here,” Lecrae said. “I was like, ‘I've got to get to this city. I got to live here,’ and it ended up being able to be a reality ten years later.”

After moving here in 2009, Lecrae quickly became a prominent fixture of the community and a frequent sight at Atlanta Hawks games. “Atlanta is like having the girlfriend you always wanted,” he added. “It's the place I've always wanted to be. I’m an Atlanta Hawks fan.

I’m an Atlanta Falcons fan. I love Atlanta, you know, and I'm not one of those kind of opportunistic people who just said let me get what I can get out of the city and get up out of here. I am an Atlantan.”

“A Tribe Called Quest talk about how their great albums came from when they were living in the same city, and then when they weren’t in the same city, they just weren’t as good,” Thomason explained. “We both felt like being in the same city would help with what we were trying to do.”

While the tax credits that spurred the exponential growth of the state’s film industry were passed right before Lecrae made Atlanta his home over a decade ago, there’s still a lot of undeveloped resources.

“If you remember back to the wild, wild west, that's when you could just stake your claim on land and establish yourself.

Atlanta is that for film,” Thomason said.

Still aglow with love for his city, Lecrae goes on even further. “The city has shown me such great love and has adopted me in so many ways that if there wasn't a thriving film industry here, I think we would be fighting to make it thriving.

That's what we were doing in Texas.

There was nothing special about Denton, Texas, but we made it our place and we created something there for us. Atlanta, we're here together, all of our closest friends that we grew up with moved here. We call it the ‘Texodus’ because we all moved from Texas to Atlanta. We love it here. We're thriving and it's just a great opportunity for us to add to all the elements that the city already has.”

Lecrae and Thomason know that

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COVER STORY

Lecrae on the set of Wheels Up

even with a strong partnership and a great community already in place, their work is cut out for them. “I think my music background has prepared me for the consistent inconsistency of the entertainment industry,” Lecrae said.

“It has prepared me for the opportunists and the sharks and the consistent disappointments and the ‘nos’ that you hear consistently. We know it’s going to be a road of perseverance and hard work.”

While Thomason has built up a lot of experience in different roles behind the camera, Lecrae’s film work thus far has mostly been in an acting capacity. He sees that changing, however, and shifting more towards writing and producing. “I'm a sociologist, so it's important for me to find stories, to champion stories that are genuine pictures of what's happening in society, and also what needs to be said in culture,” Lecrae stated.

Many creatives might be encouraged to know that Lecrae, even with all his successes, doesn’t see himself as a technically-minded person. “Even in the music industry, I have never been the technical person. I've always been

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creative and keeping the technical people on the side of me and saying, ‘How do we flesh this out?’” he said before going on to champion Thomason’s technical strengths. It’s clear that the two have very complementary abilities. “That’s the beauty of the diversity.”

This is indicative of their general outlook on filmmaking: it’s all about partnership.

“One of my mentors early on said that you have to have the ability to write great stories and also partner with people who have written great stories to bring those stories to life,” Thomason said. “God has gifted us to know what a good story is and know how to write it. So, we have original IP (intellectual property) but at the same time we have favor to connect with others to bring their IP to life.”

One exciting partnership that 3 Strand Films already has in place is with Pinewood Atlanta Studios. “We have some very close connections with the Pinewood community and they are fighting to not just make it this major motion picture playground, but to find ways to make it a landing place for younger, smaller

creatives in film,” Lecrae explained.

“That's the type of stuff we love.”

While his love for Atlanta is no secret, it’s still encouraging to hear that Lecrae seeks to invest in creatives and storytellers right here in his community.

“I think the way I feel about it, the light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home. So, you want to shine bright locally and then be able to expand globally,” Lecrae said. “You don't want to neglect your own backyard in your pursuit of global work. You want the world to see what you're doing locally so that they want to get involved.”

“We think Atlanta is a hot-bed for creatives and storytellers. We [also] think the financing is here,” Thomason added.

“A lot of people talk about how things still get financed from California. We think a lot of these things are here. It's just a matter of people just coming together, bringing it together.”

While Lecrae and Thomason have already specified a desire to tell authentic stories and showcase vices and virtues realistically, the question is posed as to whether their content will fit under the label of “Christian.” Despite the industry’s insistence, Lecrae has consistently rejected the label of “Christian” for his music, deeming the word a much better noun than it is a descriptor. He credits visual artist Makoto Fujimura, who helped advise Martin Scorsese on his Oscar-nominated film Silence (2016), with assisting him in developing his viewpoint. “‘Christian’ has always been a terrible adjective because, what does that mean it entails?” Lecrae asked. “Nobody wants to go to a movie to get a message. We want to go to a movie to see a story and if there's a message within the story, that's great.

But if it's all about a message, if you're trying to force a message on somebody then you can just post that message across the screen and they can walk out. The goal is to tell phenomenal stories and if there's a message within the story, so be it. Christianity is ultimately a story and so it's not a message as much as it is a story of creation, of redemption, of reconciliation and of brokenness. Those are human stories. What we want to do is to tell the human story.”

“You’ve got to be able to tell a story to be a great communicator,” Thomason added. “People always want a good story.

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Atlanta residents, A.T. "Lumkile" of 3 Strand Films, Lecrae of 3 Strand Films and Reach Records, Bj Thompson

Those things are never going to go away.

Though we want to be relevant in the moment, what's the long game? We think about the story.”

With Thomason’s filmography so far filled with mostly documentary work, that seemed to be a good place for 3 Strand Films to start, but not to get too comfortable. “The plan has always been to get into scripted and non-scripted,” Thomason said. In fact, 3 Strand already has a pretty stacked slate of projects in the works.

“We have a feature documentary that we're working on. We have a feature film. We have a music video that addresses mental health. We also have another documentary that we partnered with Reach Records for Lecrae’s story,” Thomason explained.

“Even down to producing YouTube content,” Lecrae added.

“We have a pilot that we’re trying to bring to life. It’s already written. So we were actually in the process of that when the whole COVID thing hit. Literally, we were about to shoot the actual full pilot,” Thomason said.

When asked about how COVID-19 has impacted their plans beyond just the delay of shooting the pilot, Lecrae held his hand open. “Here’s our plan,” he said before bringing his other hand crashing down. “Here’s the pandemic.” Thomason shared, “We were actually getting ready for a pitch meeting for one of these feature

documentaries. We were supposed to start production in the summer or fall, so that technically could still happen, but we don't know.”

“It was more so that some of the screenings we had coming up were for the documentary. Those things are kind of out the window,” Lecrae said. But he is remaining optimistic. “There’s still a lot of momentum. One of my buddies who is in prison, I always tell his story because it's inspiring to me; he got to a place where he realized he couldn't change the situation, but he could be changed in the midst of his situation. I think that's what it challenges us to do.”

They both seem to be keeping busy.

“I've seen Adam sit at home during the pandemic and learn animation, which is something he didn't do prior to this,” Lecrae said. “I just feel like [the pandemic] has tons of negatives, but you know, there are some positives that can come out of it.”

Regardless of when exactly the world will get back to work, it is obvious that Lecrae and Thomason are getting ready to create waves in the Atlanta film community and beyond. “Like Lecrae said, letting that brightness shine from here,” Thomason said. “There’s still that allure of California and other places, but I think the ingredients and the recipe are here in Atlanta.”

his article was initially planned for the May/June issue of Oz Magazine, but publication has been delayed until now due to COVID-19. A lot has happened in the two-and-a-half months since I interviewed Lecrae and Adam. On May 25th, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis and by May 26th, protests had been sparked across the globe. Atlanta was no exception. In fact, the leadership of figures like Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Congressman John Lewis combined with our city’s pivotal role in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s put an extra spotlight on Atlanta during this time. The June 12th killing of Rayshard Brooks, just a couple of miles from the Atlanta University Center, catapulted Atlanta back into the center of attention.

Lecrae and Adam are not only artists and entrepreneurs, they are also leaders— community leaders and spiritual leaders both in Atlanta and beyond. Both of them have been very outspoken in the days since May 25th. On June 18th, 3 Strand Films hosted "For Your Soul: A Rally Celebrating Blackness" at Liberty Plaza in front of the Georgia State Capitol building.

While our conversation back in April is still very relevant to the future of 3 Strand Films in Atlanta’s film scene, life has changed for many people in the last few months.

Conversations had two months ago might be—and perhaps should be—different now.

Priorities change and change happens. I encourage everyone reading to follow 3 Stand Films (@3strandfilms), Lecrae (@lecrae), and Adam (@redrev) on Instagram or whatever social media platforms you are active on.

These men have powerful, important things to say and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with them.

-Cameron McAllister

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Stephen Beehler founded RoleCall in 2018 as a crowd-sourcing option for filmmakers looking for props, crew members, and more

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ON FRIDAY THE 13TH, OWNER OF ATLANTA’S PLAZA THEATRE, CHRIS ESCOBAR, HAD A FUNNY FEELING.

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hat night, Escobar attended a pop-up art show at the theatre. The event was hosted in part with Videodrome and the Chicago-based Deadly Prey Gallery.

Hand-painted movie posters from Ghana covered every square inch of wall space.

This was Plaza’s second year hosting the

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event; last year was so successful with so many paintings sold that Escobar expected a huge turnout this time, hopefully, around 350 people.

But, the event also marked one of the first nights Plaza enforced new social distancing guidelines in light of the new

coronavirus. Instead of the animated crowd expected, the actual turnout was lackluster. Escobar noticed how people kept apart, how friends didn’t touch when they greeted each other or get too close when admiring the bright paintings.

“What’s really awesome about independent filmmakers is that they’re extreme risk takers and usually can defy some pretty daunting odds.”

- STEPHEN BEEHLER “We only had, like, 80 people there,” Escobar said. “I could see the change in everyone.”

Across the city, filmmaker Chris Hunt had the same funny feeling. At the studio where he worked, a steady anxiety had been growing among crew members all week. They had just finished working on three shows and were slammed with the work of prepping for two more shows in just a few days. As they worked, signs of the virus started to creep in. People had stopped shaking hands when they saw each other in the hallway; instead, they’d greet one another with friendly, albeit odd, elbow bumps.

That same Friday the 13th, the studio Hunt worked for announced it was shutting down. Just six days after that fateful Friday, everything changed for good.

On March 19th, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued two executive orders, including one that mandated the closure of all movie theatres, effectively closing Plaza’s doors until further notice.

Months after the studio shut down, Hunt said that while the studio effectively communicated with workers about what might happen in the future, the spike in cases in places like New York City left him on edge. “Just the nature of what we all know about [COVID-19] is so abstract: a horrifying thing that floats in the air,” he said. “That type of [expletive] doesn't go away very quickly.”

Escobar’s days at the office and the nights of events, screenings and premieres have been replaced by endless emails and phone calls from home; all while keeping his four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter occupied. His days have become devoted to keeping his family and Atlanta’s oldest independent theatre afloat.

“I’m endlessly scanning through websites, loan programs and grant programs,” he said. “[I am] constantly reworking projections.”

Escobar’s focus right now is keeping the theatre in business, and Hunt’s is figuring out how on earth he’ll promote the projects he recently finished up.

Throughout the Atlanta film industry, anxiety is rampant about what the longterm effects of a pandemic will be. As video-on-demand (VOD) and streaming platforms experience a spike in already booming popularity, the independent film community in Atlanta and across the United States faces increasing uncertainty about when people will feel comfortable enough to gather in a movie theatre again, and whether the demand and output will be the same.

THE RISE OF STREAMING IN THE FACE OF COVID-19 One Saturday in April, after Plaza closed, Escobar and his two children headed to the theatre. Some core employees were there, but otherwise the place was empty; perfect for a private screening.

After firing up one of the projectors, Escobar presented Trolls World Tour for his children and streamed the film for them on their very own big screen. The Universal animated feature is the first major studio release to be pushed straight to VOD and marks a big test for theatrical releases going forward. The Monday after the movie’s April 10 release, Universal announced Trolls World Tour had the biggest digital debut ever for one of its films, performing ten times as well as the previous record holder Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

This move didn’t come without backlash. John Fithian, chief of the National Association of Theatre Owners,

told the Hollywood Reporter in March that cinema owners were counting on studios to push back the release of big movies, signaling to movie-goers that theatrical release still held importance. The decision to move Trolls World Tour directly to streaming was a big blow.

Since the pandemic hit the United States, many studios have heeded the advice of cinema owners, pushing back releases of big-budget films. The new James Bond film, the live-action remake of Mulan, and the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise were all delayed.

At the time, Universal was the only studio that elected to bypass theatrical release entirely, but some movies like Emma and The Invisible Man had their theatrical runs cut short so that more audiences would have a chance to view them from their homes.

This isn’t the first time the film industry has had to make tough decisions in the face of a global health crisis. When the Spanish flu hit the United States in 1918, theatres in many parts of the country closed. “Embargo on Releases of Moving Pictures,” read a headline in the October 10, 1918, issue of the Atlanta Constitution. The story reported that the National Association of Motion Picture Industries had decided to discontinue all motion picture releases after October 15th.

“Proprietors of motion picture theatres seemed to be divided in their opinion as to the purpose of the drastic action proposed,” read the article. “Some of them asserted that it was a move on the part of the producers to hold back their feature pictures until attendance at the theatres seemed normal and they thus are enabled to obtain higher prices for their release.”

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While the two pandemics share uncanny similarities, studios back then didn’t have the option of pushing new releases straight to VOD. But, regardless of what studios choose to do now, streaming platforms aren’t always accessible for indie filmmakers and their films.

In an interview with the Observer on March 27th, Kyle Greenberg, the president of the New York-based distribution and marketing firm Circle Collective, said while streaming platforms will speed up the distribution process for big studios, indie filmmakers don’t have a direct, quick pipeline to digital streaming.

There’s also the issue of getting someone from that platform to watch your film in the first place.

“Some of these platforms are much more heavily gated than others,” the founder of RoleCall, an Atlanta-based virtual film studio for independent filmmakers, Stephen Beehler said.

RoleCall started out in 2018 as a crowdsourcing option for filmmakers looking for casting, props, crew members, and anything else filmmakers would

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need. Now, the company has its own independent theatre at Ponce City Market, but it was only open for 31 days before the city forced its closure.

In response to COVID-19 and the lockdown that followed, Beehler launched RoleCall Watch, a subscription streaming service that gives back 50% of its profits to the filmmakers themselves. Unlike Netflix or Hulu, anyone can submit a film through the website, which Beehler vets before streaming.

“I’ve literally watched nearly 1,000 films in the last two months,” Beehler stated. Beehler, who is a filmmaker himself, said even when independent filmmakers do get access to distributors, they’re often taken advantage of in the negotiating process. In 2015, the Writer’s Guild of America East surveyed 100 active indie filmmakers and found that more than 60% reported they’ve had issues receiving compensation for their movies.

Two-thirds of those surveyed had a project that had been released digitally.

According to Beehler, decades of the “wait your turn” mentality, velvet ropes and ambiguous contracts have

plagued the film industry. In short, the entertainment industry has normalized a culture that has a lack of respect for indie filmmakers. “What can be so hard about being a filmmaker is the product takes so many people to make and is so comparatively expensive,” Beehler explained. “For every one person who got a good distribution deal, there’s a thousand people that never saw a penny.”

The top-down culture of the film industry doesn’t just affect filmmakers, but everyone who could be considered “the little guy” in the film industry. “It can be scary, because we don’t know when we'll be back to work,” co-founder of the Atlanta Actors Collective, Kevon Pryce, stated. “If you’re a grip, you don’t know when this will all start back out to normal, where you can just go back to work.”

Tiauna Jackson, founder of the LA and Atlanta-based Jackson Agency, spoke specifically about how actors, writers, and filmmakers of color have been affected by the pandemic, especially those just getting started. When there are events that are recession-esque, she said, the people at the top will be looking out for those they

Hopefully in the process of being [educational], that humanizes the struggle that everyone is going through.

People who we see as incredibly successful are going through the same human struggles that we are.”

Molly Coffee, the creative director of Film Impact Georgia, said the organization had to put their mentorship program on hold due to COVID-19

already have relationships with. “We’re already seeing that,” Jackson told Oz. “We’re already bracing ourselves for the reality that continuing to introduce new writers of color will be hard.”

RE-OPENING GUIDELINES BRING MORE STRIFE At a time when the future seems so uncertain, many Atlanta filmmakers and those in the industry are putting the brakes on promoting projects they worked so hard to complete. Now that Georgia has released a set of guidelines for getting back to work, they also have to worry about keeping sets safe.

Fortunately for Hunt, the pandemic didn’t interrupt any personal ongoing projects, only his work at the commercial studio where he’s employed. However, he’s currently sitting on unreleased projects with no plan in sight.

One of the last pieces he finished was called The Instrument, a short film that ironically focuses on a detective investigating the origins of a global, biological disaster. Hunt worries about when it will be the right time to release a

- MOLLY COFFEE project that hits so close to home. He notes that the film festival circuit has been completely interrupted this year.

For example, the Atlanta Film Festival would have taken place from April 30th - May 10th but has been postponed to September. “I’ve got all of this content, all of these projects,” Hunt said. “How do I think about giving them lives, finding an audience?”

For some, the issue is not when to release, but when to get back to work.

Suzan Satterfield, the managing partner of Picture Window Productions, and a writer, director and producer, talked to Oz about how the pandemic affected the shooting of her environmental docuseries EcoSense for Living. This year, their small crew had planned to start shooting in April, about a month earlier than normal.

Their shoot was delayed, and now Satterfield is concerned with safely returning to business. She’d ideally like to begin filming in July, but the need to travel out west to shoot raises many questions. “What is the safest way to travel? Do we risk flying out with all our

equipment? If we’re in multiple locations, do we risk multiple flights? We’ll have people handling our gear; when we get our gear back do we wipe it all down,” Satterfield asked. “The ways in which we are used to working are going to have to change.”

Now that Georgia has released some guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID19 while shooting, the industry does have something to work with. However, the guidelines make it clear that the list of best practices is not mandatory, and that “guilds, unions, production companies, and studios may also have their own regulations.”

Atlanta filmmaker Asad Farooqui thinks that in some ways, the postCOVID world will be better suited to the independent film industry. As filming starts back up in the state, there’s a lot of anxiety over having large crews and what precautions need to be taken. Farooqui, who has made many short films and is working on a feature, has always worked on small sets and thinks the familiarity that indie filmmakers have with that environment will help them in a postCOVID world.

“I think what will happen is that it will benefit independent filmmakers because they know how to work on stringent budgets, which means smaller sets. When you have bigger movies, like a Marvel movie for example, you’re talking about 1,000 people on set,” Farooqui said. “I’m used to [a smaller set]. I’m more comfortable with it.”

The resilience of the community doesn’t only extend to its creators; Atlanta’s actors have been making names for themselves and grinding their way through the pandemic just the same.

Hannah Fierman, an Atlanta-based actor known for her work in horror films like V/H/S, was supposed to do a feature in April, part of which was set to shoot in Ohio. When the governor shut Ohio down in early March, the feature shut down as well. “I think there was wisdom in that,” Fierman told Oz. “But it was very disappointing. You know, we don’t get paid in advance, even though it was union, so we took a hit financially.”

Fierman and Bethany Anne Lind, another Atlanta-based actress known for her work in Georgia-lensed film and

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Director Chris Hunt's new project, The Instrument focuses on a detective investigating the origins of a global, biological disaster

television shows including Doctor Sleep, Ozark and Stranger Things, both spoke about how the community has stepped up and rallied around each other. “That’s been one of the most encouraging things, is seeing people really sticking up for each other and helping each other out,” Lind praised. “SAG-AFTRA is working tirelessly.” Lind continued to explain how she and her husband have their health insurance through SAG-AFTRA and that the union has been offering leeway to members who might be in a financial bind. The union has also held countless webinars to help members navigate things like unemployment.

Before the best practices guide for filming in Georgia was released, Fierman and Lind also spoke about what precautions they’d heard whispers of: everything from quarantining actors for two weeks before shooting to reducing the number of extras, to a rumor about filming actors separately and inserting them into the same scene with CGI. The best practices the state released may not go as far as to ask filmmakers to film their actors separately, it does include recommendations to lessen the amount of background actors, considering alternate

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shot set-ups to keep as much distance as possible, and more. The document leaves testing protocol up to production companies.

While Lind is glad precautions will be taken once filming starts back up, she’s afraid the strictness will mean fewer opportunities for actors who aren’t movie stars. “If you’re going to shoot a three-person movie because that’s going to be the easiest thing to do, actors who live in Atlanta aren’t going to be top on those lists,” she said. “You’re not going to quarantine someone for two weeks for a one or two day role.”

Actors who make their livings off of small roles and shoots have anxiety about their profession, even as productions begin to open up. “The stories that we tell will be a little different for a while,” Atlanta Actors Collective’s Pryce said.

“It’s still becoming apparent to me that this thing will change how life will move forward.”

ATLANTA KEEPS THE MAGIC OF CINEMA ALIVE To keep above ground in the face of a pandemic, those in the indie film industry will do what they always have: get creative.

Ticket sales aren’t what keeps independent theatres like Plaza running.

In many cases these facilities are kept alive with special events, such as screenings with director Q&As afterward, and venue rentals. Escobar said rentals of the space are the biggest source of revenue for Plaza, and even if the theatre opens in the summer, he doesn’t expect

the rental economy to pick back up as quickly. In order to keep the magic of cinema alive, Plaza is streaming movies online with the help of indie distributors like Film Movement and Kino Marquee. A percentage of the ticket sales go to Plaza.

They’ve also started the Plaza Movie Club, a way to allow anyone who has ever contributed to the theatre to keep in touch through online screenings and other events, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, whose first virtual rendition was performed in April.

Sara Glassberg, a programming assistant for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and a frequent visitor of Plaza, recently enjoyed her first streaming experience through the theatre’s website.

She chose Bacurau, a Brazilian film, and tuned into a live Q&A session afterwards.

Glassberg doesn’t live as close to the theatre as she used to during her graduate school days at Emory University, so she appreciates the ability to stream something and fund the independent theatre without having to make the trek.

However, she explains that the streaming experience will never quite match that of a theatre. “It’s admirable,” she said of the way theatres and distributors try to re-create the live experience. “And it almost gets the job done, but you’re missing that community experience, the smells, the sights; especially in a theatre like the Plaza.”

Luckily, Plaza has found a way to rekindle that sense of community.

Following the decision to begin re-opening the state, Plaza began hosting drive-in movies in two pop-up locations.

Members of the Plaza staff test the video for the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the pop-up drive-in. The drive-in was started as a way for the theater to open back up while still allowing audience members to socially distance

Stephen Beehler, the founder of RoleCall, launched RoleCall Watch in response to COVID-19 and the pandemic that followed

The drive-in is contact-free and follows social distancing guidelines, allowing patrons to enjoy the nostalgic feeling of a summer drive-in guilt-free.

Of course, it’s not just indie theaters that have to deal with the fallout.

Towards the end of 2019, filmmakers Jono Mitchell and Madison Hatfield had already set a release date for their film Jenna Gets an Abortion in late April and were ready for the premiere at the Plaza.

The movie was based in part on Georgia’s “Heartbeat Bill,” and it was important to both Mitchell and Hatfield that the film premiere in Atlanta. The day they were forced to cancel their live premiere at the theatre was a dark one, but the power of the internet helped them reach a larger audience than they thought possible. The filmmakers kept their original premiere date, but moved everything online, using the streaming platform Twitch to set up a digital premiere. About 900 unique devices tuned in, allowing way more people to see the film on its opening night than could have fit into a Plaza screening.

“It doesn’t feel the same as being in a room with your community, hearing the laughter, feeling the emotion, watching people leap to their feet when the credits roll,” said Mitchell and Hatfield in a written statement. “[But] having that big of an audience all come together on one night to see one short film, felt like a real gift in a time when we all felt so isolated.”

Other creators and organizations haven’t had the luxury of putting all of their content online. Coffee, the creative director for Film Impact Georgia (FIG), had a mentorship program in the works

through FIG for Georgia filmmakers with plans to launch in October.

FIG wanted to create something like the Sundance Lab to offer pathways for Georgia filmmakers that didn’t exist before, but once the pandemic hit the U.S., their October launch date had to be pushed back and fundraising efforts came to a standstill.

“Most of the people who give to our organization are vendors and people who make money off of the film industry,” Coffee said. “We can’t really ask them to give us money for something like that.”

In the meantime, FIG has been getting creative with their virtual content.

Coffee has been directing her energy into facilitating networking opportunities for Georgia filmmakers. Funny enough, being stuck at home has given FIG access to industry professionals they normally wouldn't be able to schedule. They’ve been able to host virtual meet-ups with people like Brian J. Adams and LeeAnne H. Adams, the showrunners of Dwight in Shining Armor, as well as James Ponsoldt, the director of movies such as The Spectacular Now and The End of the Tour.

Coffee said FIG wanted to build on the plethora of free time that many have as a result of the pandemic. “If we shoot for the moon, who can we start approaching to really give people oneon-one conversations with people they wouldn’t normally have access to?” she asked. “That is a really personal thing, and hopefully in the process of being [educational], that humanizes the struggle

that everyone is going through. People who we see as incredibly successful are going through the same human struggles that we are.”

During a pandemic, services like RoleCall Watch, virtual programming, pop-up drive-ins, and the willingness of the community to help out is a lifeboat for filmmakers, actors, writers and more.

For those starting out, there’s anxiety over the future of projects that came to a screeching halt, but the Atlanta independent industry continues to show resilience.

“No matter how little money they have, somehow these independent filmmakers are able to make their film,” Beehler said. “What’s really awesome about independent filmmakers is that they’re extreme risk takers and usually can defy some pretty daunting odds.”

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DGA 2nd AD Jessie Sasser White explains the interview process and the importance of soft skills in getting hired

THE FIRE BEHIND ATLANTA’S PA ACADEMY Q&A WITH LINDA BURNS B Y :

T

he PA Academy has been an integral part of Georgia’s film industry since 2009. Now, 10 years later, it has grown to become the top production assistant training boot camp in the industry. None of this would have been possible without Linda Burns, the Atlanta-based producer, production manager, and line producer who sits on the executive board for the Atlanta Film Society and Georgia Production Partnership (GPP). She has done music videos for the likes of Ludacris and Outkast and has worked on (literally) hundreds of commercial, film, and television sets in various capacities, from producing the 2012 horror movie V/H/S to Adult Swim’s current running show, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell. Her 42

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production company, Plexus Pictures, has produced films that have screened at Sundance, South by Southwest, Tribeca, Telluride, and more. Oz recently sat down with Burns to discuss the PA Academy’s inception and how she has turned it into the world-renowned boot camp it is today.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, how would you describe the PA Academy?

LB: I would describe it as a two-day boot camp that allows you to experience parts of the industry as well as hear from industry experts to kind of allow you to figure out, if you’ve never been on set before, whether this is something you’d like to do or not. For somebody who has

no experience in the film business who thinks, “Oh, it’s so glamorous! I love movies! Jobs are falling off trees! Maybe this is something I should do!” I think it lets you know really quickly that it’s not glamorous. It’s really hard. It’s not for everybody. The idea is to scare everyone so they understand the commitment you need to have this career. I think for those who have experience on set, there’s an information lag when you first start out.

Especially on bigger shows, you’re told what to do and not why and how to do it. [The PA Academy] kind of fills in that information. “Here’s why you’re doing this stuff.” It’s the soft skills. Anybody can be trained to be a PA, but it’s those soft skills that make you more successful.

Ryan Amos of Set Supplies showcases some of the equipment and supplies that come on one of their production trucks

Former PA Academy student and current IATSE 479 grip "Smiles" Miles shows interested students what he carries on set and why Students learn how to do a task, then help to train others, building leadership skills

Linda Burns

When did you first realize there was a need for a PA Academy?

I would like to take credit for it. It was not me. A little over 10 years ago, Mark Wofford, who used to be a producer and is now general manager at PC&E (Production Consultants & Equipment), thought with the incentives coming down the line it might be interesting to have a panel discussion. I want to say there were maybe 35 people who attended, and I was one of the speakers. Other production managers and other producers and ADs (assistant directors) were speakers. Essentially, we all sat in different spaces throughout the complex, and we split [the students] into groups of seven or 10 people, and they moved around and listened. It was more, “Hi, I’m a production manager and here’s what that means.” It was more informational. I was invited to speak at the first one because I did so much independent film and trained people on set all the time, pretty much since I’d gotten trained. I saw a potential for what it could be, and I basically begged them to let me take it over. I was like, “Hey if we could have it over here that would be great,” and it’s slowly morphed in the first couple of years to what it’s become now.

It’s pretty much become the same general

workshop/boot camp for the last five to six years. I turned it into what it became, but somebody else had the idea.

How did things change from the first to second year?

I did commercial work to pay the bills and I did independent film six months out of the year, so I was constantly training people and bringing newbies on set and showing them how to do stuff. The first couple years we had about 35 people and that’s what I kept it to. We didn’t have a great way to have people sign up and we didn’t have a real marketing arm. PC&E and the board at GPP said, “Oh yeah, this is a great idea.” I said, “Hey let me run this thing, you just go about your daily work, I’ll take it over.” So, I had been teaching classes at Atlanta Film Society and they already had a marketing arm. I felt like they were hitting our audience and people new to the industry that were coming in.

They had an infrastructure to sell tickets … so I brought them on board.

We advertised through the [Atlanta] Film Festival and all of their yearly stuff.

In the beginning, I had them send me a letter, “Why do you want to be a PA,” and it was still stand-on-your-feet-the-wholetime, but there were probably less physical

“EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD KNOWS HOW WELL ATLANTA HAS DONE. THE MARKETING FOR GEORGIA IN THE FILM INDUSTRY IS UNPRECEDENTED.” LINDA BURNS

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We’ve had five people who’ve gotten into the DGA training program after taking the class, so that’s cool and I love that. Hopefully that helps them get in and prepares them. Having an understanding of how that program works helps them when they apply. The people who are the most successful don’t keep in touch as much as the people who are still trying to find work. If they’re successful, they don’t need to check the Facebook page. A lot of people didn’t subscribe so they’re not seeing a lot of the listings and a lot of those listings don’t apply to them anymore. But hopefully there’s been a mark. We’ll see at my funeral!

DGA 1st AD Jerry Pece discusses PA gear and life skills every freelancer needs to know

activities. I didn’t have the pop-up tent, I showed them apple boxes, C-stands, general equipment they would use and why. I still had guest speakers come in. In the beginning it was a lot more people in the industry, a few ADs, and I always sent someone from camera and grip/electric, an art department person. I tried to give [attendees] a well-rounded understanding of the industry and different departments they might want to join.

The PA Academy hosts a number of guest speakers from various film departments. Can you tell us about some of the speakers?

Jerry Pece was there the first time with me. He’s a DGA (Director’s Guild of America) first AD that does commercials.

He’s pretty much our first all-commercials AD in town. Victoria Warren has been doing it for a long time; she’s a second AC (assistant camera) and also an independent filmmaker DP (director of photography). [Other speakers include] Molly Coffee, who now runs Film Impact Georgia, and Raymond Carr and Alexandra West represented the art department. My husband JD Taylor (director, assistant director) has come in a lot. A lot of it depends on people’s work schedules, so generally I don’t know until Thursday or Friday who’s able to make it and how I’m going to design everything and ask them to speak about certain things. I have my stable of people I reach out to, but some of them are working on

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the weekends, some of them are doing overnights. Ronnie (Veronica) HodgeHampton is another first AD who’s a badass who comes in. Angela Barnes Gomes has come in for years, another first AD, who’s now directing a lot of stuff.

There are all these people who want to give back, who see all these lousy PAs getting hired and are tired of it and want there to be better people. I’m hoping, with the help of Oz and the listings I did this year, I can turn this into a staffing company. Just tell me you want PAs and I can send you résumés or send you a list of all the people who are looking for work and a general idea of what they’ve done in the past so you can reach out and get their résumés.

How has the Georgia film industry been affected by the PA Academy, besides having better trained production assistants?

There are so many people now who are in the union who have gone through it. I think they all probably had most of what it took to get there and [the PA Academy] was just an extra little boost to help them figure out a few things. The last Facebook page class that I can find is 2013, and I look at the faces in there and one is a location manager now, one is a best boy grip … some people decided to not get into the industry at all, but I think it’s a nice legacy. We’ve trained over 2,000 people. How many of those are still in the industry, I don’t know.

Upon completing the PA Academy, many students go on to build successful film and television careers. What “success stories” are you most proud to share?

Alexandra West was someone who literally started at 40 years old. She had all the technical skills but not an understanding of the film industry.

Seeing her succeed was very exciting.

She’s somebody who literally had no experience in the film industry and now she’s a production designer. There are a lot of people who came from out of nowhere who managed to do well. It’s rare for people who come from another industry who are a little bit older and don’t have any of the hard and soft skills that are easily applicable to make it because they don’t have that drive. You really have to love what you do, and Alex was really, really driven.

When I started out, I was the same way. I had somebody in my family die that left me $10,000. As a PA, my rent was super low. I had been given [the family member’s] car, a 1967 Cutlass Supreme; it was awesome, a total party-mobile, but I kept my overhead really low. I didn’t spend a lot of money. I decided I was going to say yes to everything. I was going to do every worthless job, all the jobs that I should have quit and never done. I was like, “[Expletive] it! I’m learning off of this because I’m surrounded by morons, so I’m going to step up and figure stuff out!” So, I just kind of stepped into a leadership role and tried to figure things out. I spent eight months busting my butt, working for free on all these different jobs. I could afford

Students are shocked to learn they will carry and erect a pop-up tent alone, so they each learn to carry one properly and build confidence along the way

to do that, but I also decided I was going to take every single job out there and do whatever I could to see if it was something I wanted to do, and it worked!

Being able to financially volunteer for stuff is very difficult for some people.

Atlanta is not as cheap as it used to be by any means. I pay less for my mortgage now than most people pay for a three-bedroom apartment that they share with two other people. Unfortunately, I think there are financial hindrances for jumping into the industry and everybody’s grabbing their brothers, nieces, cousins, friends, because they need a body on set and that person doesn’t necessarily belong there. Someone else does. I would guess, if I had to bet, maybe 10-15% of each class makes it.

How has the PA Academy changed from that first year (2009) to the most recent program in February 2020?

I was a speaker in 2009; I took over in 2010. I would say between 2010 and 2013 we generally had around 35 people, but then we started getting more people that wanted to attend and then I put it up to 50 people. Somewhere in between 2010 and 2013 I did an advanced PA Academy. So, if you’d already taken the PA Academy and you were working in the industry as a day player or core crew person, you had to get a recommendation letter and you had to

send me a résumé showing me you had credits, and it was kind of an advanced class. It was more AD-driven, more paperwork-driven. It was for people who wanted to be on the path to ADs. After 2013, that was the last class that was 50 [people]. Between 2013 and 2015, I ended up bumping it up to 100 people per class, and it was still once a year. The last two years it’s been four classes [per year]. It’s slowly gone from 35 people to 50 people to 100 people, to twice a year to three times a year to four times a year. I could literally do it every other month because I have over 100 people on the waitlist every time. It’s always generally sold out six to eight weeks in advance. We’ve moved from being more “let me tell you about the industry” to “let me show you about the industry.” Setting up tables and chairs, pop-up tents, learning how to fold director’s chairs, doing petty cash, seeing a little more paperwork … there’s so much information.

In the February 2020 class, you had students from California, Canada, and even the Middle East. What about the PA Academy do you think draws people from all over the world?

30% of the class flies in from different parts of the country. There are eight states that haven’t taken the class yet; 42 states

out of 50 is crazy. There used to be two or three other classes that stemmed out of New York and LA that travelled around the country and did PA boot camps. Over the years, we’ve put them out of business, or at least they haven’t come back here in ages! So there really isn’t a two-day, stand-on-your-feet, touch-the-equipmentboot camp that gives people access to this information. A lot of people want to work in film. Everybody in the country and around the world knows how well Atlanta has done. The marketing for Georgia in the film industry is unprecedented. Every time you watch a TV show or a movie you see a peach show up: “Made in Georgia.”

That’s been the marketing tool that tells everybody this is the place to go!

Having somebody tell you the unvarnished truth isn’t out there. Most classes want to give you a hug and cash your check and tell you, “You can do it!

Get out there and have a strong attitude!

You can be a PA too!” But that’s just not true. I think people need to hear, “This is difficult. It’s going to be a struggle.

You better love it.” This is the kind of lifestyle that, if you need 9-to-5, Monday through Friday structure with the weekly paycheck, this business may not be for you because that’s not how it works. If you can’t pivot to not seeing a paycheck for three months potentially, this may not be the place for you. I think there aren’t

July / August 2020

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Students learn how to wrap and unwrap directors chairs without setting them on the floor to get dirty

THE ADS ARE THE BRAIN AND THE PAS ARE THE BLOOD THAT RUNS THROUGH EVERY PART OF A MOVIE SET. THEY INTERACT WITH EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT. THEY SUPPORT EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT. WITHOUT THEM, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE THINGS WORK?” 46

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

other training opportunities out there for people other than a six-week or 12-week program that’s university-driven. Atlanta Film Festival’s reach really gets out there and I think it’s word-of-mouth.

Has creating the PA Academy changed your own film and television career in any way?

In the beginning I was doing a lot of independent film and it was a pipeline for me to find new people to bring in and train and to work on these films that needed volunteers. But even when I did commercial work, if I had a low-budget commercial and there wasn’t a lot of risk, I could bring in one really strong PA and four PA Academy kids and give them a $50 stipend to cover their gas. I could have four PAs for the price of one and train four people. For me, I could actually get them on set and get them in the pipeline.

I opened a door, they stepped in, did a good job, and that helped their career. I think that’ll be a legacy, that I’ve trained all these people that have careers in the industry.

What do you hope for the future of the PA Academy?

I would love to see more people out of the PA Academy get direct work. I’m going up against the Georgia Film Academy.

Although they’re few and far between, they pay people to get these internships. I can’t compete with that. But I do have the reputation that at least gets people on sets when they need them, when professionals are like, “Hey, I need a wardrobe PA,” or, “Hey I need a set PA.” I would like to see more of that. I would like to literally be able to staff more. There are so many shoddy PAs out there, but if people come to town and they don’t hire local crew who know who the good people are, they don’t know where to turn. So they’re hiring people from off the street who are lazy, who don’t understand a lock-up, who have a bad attitude, or who don’t understand it’s a team sport. It hurts my feelings knowing there are all these lousy PAs who have jobs when there are all these amazing PAs that I’ve trained who are sitting at home trying to get a job as a day player. So that’s what I would love to see, more of a direct pipeline onto a set.

That’s something that I’ve worked hard

DGA 1st AD Ronnie Hodge-Hampton discusses the importance of training minorities, especially women, to work in the film business

Students work on building tents quickly and without getting the sides dirty

[with COVID-19], essential workers are risking their lives to bring us stuff and we expect them to get paid minimum wage?

A lot of people look down on those jobs, but those are the jobs that are saving your butt right now! PAs are like the essential workers. Without them, you can’t make movies. So yeah, I’d try not to punch them in the face. at, but not hard enough, and I’m hoping that I can make in-roads with the ADs and the DGA. I really need to go after the DGA and see if I can get my local DGA ADs behind it; put a proposal in with the DGA. I want to be a source for the ADs that come to town. The challenge is you still don’t hire people that you don’t know.

I can’t guarantee that the people I’ve trained are great. You can still have a bad attitude under stress. There’s that fine line in hiring people but I think when it’s a Baby Driver and they need 100 people just to stand on the street and they have one PA with experience for every 10 PAs who don’t have experience; those are the jobs I’m after. That’s what I’d really like to see: more job opportunities.

What do you say to those who might think PAs are an inconsequential part of a film or television production team?

For readers who might be interested in signing up for the PA Academy, what can they expect?

I would say they’re completely uneducated on the process and have no business making movies if they don’t understand why PAs are the lifeblood.

The ADs are the brain and the PAs are the blood that runs through every part of a movie set. They interact with every single department. They support every single department. Without them, how are you going to make things work? I hate when I hear people say, “I’m just a PA.” No! That’s the totem pole, the foundation! If that foundation isn’t strong, the whole thing falls apart! They’re the glue that holds everything together. It’s kind of like now

Wear comfortable shoes. Be prepared to be on your feet. Be prepared to sweat. Be prepared to lift. Come with an open mind, because I think if you’re there to learn and not to see what I can teach you, which are two different things, like, “I know a lot already so let’s see what you’ve got,” but if you come in with an open mind and you’re like a sponge and you just soak things up, I think you’re going to learn a lot. I think the PA Academy can definitely help jumpstart your career because it will give you a lot of information in a short amount of time and push you outside of your comfort zone. Be prepared for anything!

July / August 2020

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T A L E N T

THE INNER SOUL

C A R O L I N E B Y :

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

A S A D

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OUTER BANKS

A R A P O G L O U F A R O O Q U I

T A L E N T

I suppose the most important question is what made you get into acting? What was that magnet that pulled you closer to saying “Ok, I’m serious, I want to make this a full time profession?”

How would you describe your struggling days and what helped pull you out of a potential funk or destroy the doubter’s voice that can creep in and say, “You can’t do it”?

I started as a dancer at a very young age and I would do productions of The Nutcracker and other ballets. I always found my favorite parts of doing those ballets were the storytelling with the pantomime and the emotion and the expression. It was kind of a natural progression for me to transition into acting. I did school plays, community theatre, musicals and then I just never stopped.

I felt the most vulnerable not when I wasn’t booking, but when I wasn’t getting auditions. I had so many moments like that where I asked myself, “Should I be doing this?” What helped me was the network of friends who are actors because it’s such a weird, specific career. If you’re not in it, then it’s hard to understand it. So having a network of like-minded people around you and things in your life that you love that have nothing to do with the industry is very important.

You’ve explored both comedy and drama. Which one presents a greater challenge for you? Which one are you more interested in doing as you go further?

The approach to comedy and drama is really the same; it’s just about telling the truth. I think the main challenge is taking the words on the page and making them feel like they belong to a real person and how that real person would say them and what their truth is. I am very character driven, and my favorite characters do both drama and comedy. Finding a character that requires both is the dream.

Since you have worked on some very big television and film projects, if an up and coming director approaches you for a short film that doesn’t pay, would you consider the project, and what would be the determining factors?

Absolutely! If there is a short film that has an excellent script or a director that is up and coming and whose vision I really like, then I can learn and gain a lot from that experience even if it doesn’t pay. The other thing is that on a big television or film set you can’t stop production and ask questions, but in a short film you can learn so much more about the process and maybe collaborate more. So I would totally be open to that.

"Atlanta" is such a good show because of its voice and community driven content and shifts in tone. What was it like working with Donald Glover? Can you describe the set?

How difficult was it to get representation and what advice would you give to actors who are out there looking for agents?

What is the most challenging role that you have played?

How about the most fulfilling one and why?

I feel so charmed that it was my first television set. Donald was so down to earth and so collaborative. We would be filming and they would go to change the cameras, and Donald would go back to his trailer and write future episodes while we were filming. He’s just a genius.

Everyone was so nice and our director, Hiro Murai, was so wonderful to work with. It was a very diverse set!

It was hard, really hard. My agency now, People Store, came to see a play because there were other actors in the play that they repped, and that’s how I found representation. It’s hard to get repped if you don’t have great credits, but you can’t get great credits without representation. I would just say to keep submitting, take acting and improv classes and put on showcases and invite agents. It’s a different story for everyone, but it’s not easy. Don’t be discouraged though because it took me a minute to find an agent.

Keep submitting.

All of my roles have presented completely different challenges. My instinct is to say one of the bigger roles because there is more material to work through, but when you are starting out and you have these one liners or single scenes, I’d say those are harder because you’re not getting a ton of attention or artistic help from the people around you; it isn’t because they don’t want to, but because there just isn’t enough time.

I would say those smaller roles are harder than the bigger ones because your job in those roles is just to deliver information. You’re asked to just say a couple of words and you get in your head and you want to make them real, but you just don’t have that opportunity. My most fulfilling role would be in my new show Outer Banks. It has a lot of fun escapism.

I got to flesh out a character more than I have in the past and really be a part of the story and a part of the storytelling. I’m very excited for everyone to see the show.

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T A L E N T

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What if a director doesn’t really give you specific directions but lets you know that what you’re doing is not what they want?

If they’re telling you that it’s not what they’re looking for, then you have every right to get a feel of and ask what they are looking for just so you can do your job. So I would try to understand why. You have to be very flexible when you get to set so I try to stay calm and then try my best to deliver.

What advice do you have for some newer actors and people who have just decided to follow their passion for acting? How should they choose projects and what can they do on their end to gain maximum exposure?

I would say take classes, but if you aren’t in a position to pay for class or you’re not in a city that offers classes, do community theatre. If you’re first starting out, it’s just about acting as much as you can reading and watching great TV, doing everything you can to live in that world. When you’re first starting out doing shorts and student films, look into what the script is like and what other work the directors have done.

What is your personal connection with Atlanta and what made you decide on exploring and working in the industry here?

I was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, and I lived there until high school. I got really lucky that I got to move here right when the industry was booming. Initially, I wanted to go to New York and be on Broadway.

But when I graduated from Kennesaw State, there was so much work here in Atlanta. A lot of us now have representation in other cities as well but choose to keep Atlanta as our home because we love it here. Plus so much of the industry now is self-tape so location doesn’t matter as much.

Lastly, Atlanta kind of feels like a team. If a girlfriend of mine books a role here and I don’t, then it feels like a win for Atlanta more than anything else.

What do you see for the future of the Atlanta film and television industry? Will work trickle out or do you view the infrastructure to be robust enough to withstand potential challenges?

I think as we move away from in-person auditions and move towards self-tapes, it will matter less and less where you live. It will be more about your rep and body of work and less your address. I think that, hopefully, we can keep continuing in the direction where our industry gets more and more respect nationally. We have so many great projects and so many great actors that live here who are out there killing it that I feel good about the trajectory and the future of the Atlanta industry. We all have concerns about certain Bills, not just as an actor but as a human; nonetheless, I have hope for the industry here in Atlanta.

Who are some of your favorite actors and who is the one actor that you would love to work with in the future?

I love Laura Dern. Sometimes her choices are so theatrical and off the wall that you wouldn’t think they would work on the camera, but they’re so dynamic and wonderful. I love her. Bill Hader is great and I love everything Viola Davis does. You can just turn on TV and really watch a master class. We’re in this really fun era where there is so much good work happening.

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

“A LOT OF US

Outer Banks - courtesy of Netflix

NOW HAVE R E P R E S E N TAT I O N IN OTHER CITIES AS WELL, BUT CHOOSE TO KEEP AT L A N TA A S O U R HOME BECAUSE WE LOVE IT HERE.”

Outer Banks courtesy of Netflix

July / August 2020

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Black Women Film Network Summit Celebrating the work of women of color in film and television

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

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9. Alicia Daniels, (Scholarship Winner-Spelman Student) Alexis Jacobs, Sheryl Gripper 10. Jaunice McSwain * Photography courtesy of BWFN & Brandy Star Merriweather

July / August 2020

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