Gotta have a dream
Getting on in the film industry is hard enough if you are a white, middle-class male. Harder if you are a white middle-class female. Harder still if you are a black middle-class male. And even harder if you are a black middle-class female.
Try being a white guy from the ghetto. Or a white girl from the ghetto. Tougher still for a black guy from the ghetto. And hardest of all being a black girl from the ghetto.
Meet Aysha Scott.
Deptford, where she grew up, was known as the Ghetto. And if you were smart and wanted to survive there, you were in a gang. But Aysha wanted to go to college, and to get there she had to get the bus through other gang territory.
So she gave up her gang.
And followed her dreams.
Which eventually took her into the film industry.
To make films about hard-hitting social issues.
Films that matter.
Films that make the fight up the long ladder through an industry of closed doors, worth the determination, tenacity and courage it takes to keep going.
You gotta have a dream. If you’re gonna have a dream, come true.
From Gangland to living the Dream
Filmmaker Aysha Scott is my guest this week on Brave New Girl podcast.
Aysha Scott is the founder & CEO of A Scott Productions. She embarked on her journey into filmmaking after discovering a gap in the market for black female characters during her career as an actress. During a difficult time in her life, when she was left to raise her 10 week old son alone, she took the plunge to become an independent filmmaker.
The Pandemic has been a big reset for her- the film industry stopped overnight, film festivals went online, but Aysha put Dismissed, her anti-bullying film on You tube, and it went viral.
Working creatively on message and issue based work finds its roots in her background in which she grew up as one of 6 children to a single mum, living in Deptford in what was called The Ghetto. She was in a gang until she realised she could choose another path, and she took herself off to college.
She set up a music and entertainment company Artistquik with a grant from The Prince’s Trust and won young entrepreneur of the year award from the Black Women in Business Awards. Then she retrained as an actress, working in film, TV & theatre as well as recitals of hard-hitting message-based poetry.
But time and again she found herself typecast in the same old roles. With a new baby and abandoned by the dad, she went back to college to do a creative writing degree and that's when she found her true voice.
She founded A Scott Productions to explore social impact, exploring topics and themes such as domestic violence, gun crime, absent fathers, anti-bullying, child abuse; reflecting stories on the screen of people's experiences who are normally underrepresented, & opening the lid on issues often hidden away.
She has many messages and stories to share with the world, and in any way that she can make a difference in the world, she will use the power of her words to do so. She believes in being your authentic self, doing what you love, and following your dreams no matter what hurdles you face.
Thanks so much Aysha, for sharing the challenges you have faced, and how you have turned them round to create work that reflects social issues that need bringing into the light so that others can see that there is always hope.
Also for showing us that even when your path is strewn with obstacles, with vision and determination, it is possible to change your circumstances and create a better way.
EMPOWERING INDIE FILMMAKERS WORLDWIDE
Filmmaking Planner is a dynamic start-up, powered by indie filmmaker Aysha Scott. She’s on a mission to shake things up with a range of cutting-edge filmmaking tools and tailor-made film and TV industry stationery. Her objective is straightforward yet profound: to inspire and empower indie filmmakers and creative minds alike.
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You can find out more about Aysha’s work on www.ascottproductions.com and follow her on Linkedin @ayshascott
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