Ciera Thompson: Writer/Producer with Co-Host Sanaa Wilkins

Episode Description:

Ciera Thompson’s journey from silence to power as a Black, queer, writer has made her a rising voice in the fight for intersectional equality. Her commitment to radical honesty and authentic storytelling sets her apart from the rest. Ciera has a track record of success and dedication, from leading a local North Carolina TV station to national recognition as the Best College Station in the Nation in 2020, to mentoring young filmmakers through Girls Rock Film Camp. 

In addition to her love of writing, Ciera has always been drawn to physical pursuits. She's a trained Krav Maga practitioner and played college rugby, embracing the mentality that comes with being part of a team effort. For Ciera, writing is not just a solitary pursuit - it's a way to connect with others. Ciera brings a much-needed perspective to the world of screenwriting and directing. In 2020 Ciera was awarded 2nd place for Best Original Pilot by the Broadcasting Educators Association. She’s produced multiple Golden Telly Award-winning projects and directed It All Media’s marketing content at Sundance 2023.

 No matter her role, her mission to tell impactful stories stays the same.

TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00:00] Fanshen: Hello, Sista and siblings, you amazing [00:00:10] storytellers who either love or know someone who loves or are even curious about Black women and gender expansive people making film TV [00:00:20] and media that reflect all the beauty and the pain and the joy and the resilience of all of our experiences. Today we are joined again by [00:00:30] by another co host from Black Girls Film Camp.

[00:00:33] Now, you may have heard her on our episode from the 2023 Essence Film Festival, and she is back with [00:00:40] us, and we're so grateful. Welcome, Sanaa Wilkins. 

[00:00:43] Sanaa: Hello. How are you? 

[00:00:44] Fanshen: I'm good. How are you doing? 

[00:00:46] Sanaa: I'm good. Thanks for asking. 

[00:00:48] Fanshen: Good. So, Sanaa, [00:00:50] tell us about Black Girls Film Camp and tell us about your experience, uh, making your film.

[00:00:56] Sanaa: Yeah. So, Black Girls Film Camp, um, is an organization, it's a [00:01:00] non profit that helps, um, Black girls turn their dream into screen. And I had the opportunity of being a part of the first cohort to do it. Um, I [00:01:10] feel like it was a great opportunity for me. It opened so many doors for me. I learned so many new techniques.

[00:01:15] I learned how to network. Um, I just learned how to really carry myself in the film industry. [00:01:20] And I feel like. It's a great space of support. You have so many people you can lean on for support. And I feel like it's just not a regret at all. 

[00:01:28] Fanshen: I love it. And tell [00:01:30] us about the film that you made. 

[00:01:31] Sanaa: So the film that I made is called Beauty Mark.

[00:01:33] It's about me and my scoliosis journey. And, um, it's about how I had a passion for [00:01:40] dance and through that trial and tribulation, I had to stop dance and get surgery. And basically at the end, I come back, I come together and I pursue my dream of dance again. [00:01:50] 

[00:01:51] Fanshen: I love it. And, and, uh, you're, you're applying to festivals now with the film, right?

[00:01:55] Are you been in some festivals? Yes, I am. I've actually 

[00:01:57] Sanaa: have been to some festivals. I have. [00:02:00] Um, I've been at the Essence Film Festival. I've had festivals at UNC Charlotte, um, the All American Film Festival, the International Film Festival, and plenty more I'm looking [00:02:10] forward to. 

[00:02:11] Fanshen: I love it. Okay. So this is why I'm so glad to have you on and our guests today.

[00:02:16] Because we've got some, you know, we try to mix it up. We have [00:02:20] intergenerational, we've got, you know, people who do different roles in, in film, TV and media, but I am so excited that the two of you are here with us to bring on, bring on this [00:02:30] like young, energetic perspective. So, so now will you please introduce our guests for today?

[00:02:36] Sanaa: Yes, I am so happy to introduce our new guests on the Sista bunch podcast. [00:02:40] Her first sentence in her bio says so much about her, so let's read it. Ciera Thompson's journey from silence to power as a Black queer writer has made her a [00:02:50] rising voice in the fight for intersectional equality. Ciera has helped lead a local North Carolina TV station to the best college station in the nation.

[00:02:59] In [00:03:00] 2020. She's also a dedicated mentor guiding young filmmakers through Girls Rock Film Camp. She's not just a filmmaker. She's also has a passion for [00:03:10] her physical pursuits like Krav Maga and rugby. Thank you so much for being here, Ciera. 

[00:03:16] Fanshen: Thanks for having me. Welcome, Ciera. I just [00:03:20] have to quickly comment.

[00:03:21] I love it. I was talking to Sanaa before the show, just in the, in the little, uh, virtual green room. And, and Sanaa's like, I'm gonna be a neurosurgeon, I'm gonna be a [00:03:30] dermatologist, I'm gonna be a filmmaker. And I have to say, just from the way you've just introduced Ciera, I hope that, uh, journalist and host is on, is on that list as well, because that was beautiful.[00:03:40] 

[00:03:40] Ciera, we're so glad to have you here. Welcome, welcome. Thank 

[00:03:45] Ciera: you. Glad to be here. 

[00:03:46] Fanshen: And, uh, our, our first question, um, we love [00:03:50] to explore with our guests is their journey. So you could take it back as far back as like our ancestors in, in Africa, right? Like as far [00:04:00] back as you'd like to, but what, what brought you to where you are today?

[00:04:04] Ciera: Love. What's that? I mean, I honestly, I love that question because I'm [00:04:10] not too far from where I started at this point. Um, so it's easy to recollect. I pretty much, I took a creative writing class in high [00:04:20] school. I had an incredible teacher. His name is Mr. Albright. And in that class, he was like reading one of my short stories or something, which I really [00:04:30] enjoyed doing.

[00:04:30] I loved, as soon as I was writing. One of our first assignments, I was like, okay, this is fun, like just getting to make stuff up like, and it's, you can't really be [00:04:40] right or wrong. Like, I never really, like, was the smartest kid in school, like, with math or science or even like English, but like, with creative writing, it loads [00:04:50] so easily.

[00:04:50] And, uh, one day he was reading some of my work and he was like, it feels like I'm watching a movie or something. I was like, 

[00:04:57] Fanshen: huh. 

[00:04:58] Ciera: I also love [00:05:00] TV. And after that, I went down the road of pursuing screenwriting. I started reading scripts and just became pretty self taught around it. [00:05:10] Um, I had no idea like what I was going to do with it, but I was like, I think I need to go in this direction.

[00:05:16] I was just writing for fun. Cause It was just where [00:05:20] my heart was at the time. Um, I went to school at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Um 

[00:05:27] Fanshen: Yes. I want to know how you ended up in [00:05:30] North Carolina, and Sanaa is in North Carolina. 

[00:05:33] Ciera: Awesome. I, yeah, I heard Charlotte, and I was like, all right.

[00:05:36] I'm from, born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. So [00:05:40] I, I grew up there. Um, and, um And then, you know, parents were like, go to an in state school. We got you. If you go out of state, you know, you're on your own. So I [00:05:50] was like, let me pick an in state school. And at the time, like. Film school was not in my radar.

[00:05:56] I don't know why, but it was like not, didn't feel like an option [00:06:00] to me. Um, so I was for sure going to go to a public school and I toured Apple action state and I was like, I don't know what I want to do, so I might as well be somewhere beautiful while [00:06:10] I'm learning and trying to figure it out. And so that's how I landed there in the mountains and getting to go chase waterfalls on the weekends and all of that stuff, and I just got incredibly [00:06:20] lucky that app state has an awesome.

[00:06:22] Broadcasting and production program. Um, it completely changed my life. We had awesome [00:06:30] classes, but we also had an out of school program called AppTV where the students were creating content to sustain the station that [00:06:40] ran around the high country. So, you know, getting to be 18 and collaborating with other, you know, young and hungry people who just wanted to create, like, we didn't have a lot of, like, [00:06:50] People saying you need to do this or that, as far as the TV station went, it was like, you know, BPG and the rest, you know, fill your 15 minute time slot.

[00:06:58] And so, [00:07:00] every week, I What 

[00:07:00] Fanshen: a gift! What a gift! A 

[00:07:02] Ciera: total gift. I, like, we had the school's equipment, we had, like, just the creative freedom. [00:07:10] I You know, I, I look back and I'm like, we were so lucky to have that to be able to like the low stakes of just creating and creating and creating and like [00:07:20] having to turn around stuff and all of that, um, was, yeah, I learned a lot there.

[00:07:26] So I was a producer for a web series and. [00:07:30] Then, you know, I became operations manager of this overall station. So I was overseeing all the shows and I learned that I was really good at managing things and people and all of that. So [00:07:40] I was still writing on the side, but in school, I dove into producing. I was like, okay, I'm going to be a producer.

[00:07:46] And I also like realized I love TV. And that's when I was like, okay. [00:07:50] Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, maybe show running. That's the path I want to go down. So I, uh, yeah, I kept going. I graduated into the [00:08:00] pandemic in 2020. So that's kind of like, you know, scared and afraid, like as I would have been if it wasn't the pandemic, but like in the pandemic, [00:08:10] 

[00:08:10] Fanshen: times a hundred.

[00:08:11] Cause of the times, a hundred, 

[00:08:12] Ciera: you know, like I had no experience. You're fresh out of school. Like the adults in your 

[00:08:17] Fanshen: life had no idea what to tell you. Cause [00:08:20] we didn't 

[00:08:20] Ciera: know we had like, 

[00:08:24] Fanshen: yeah, 

[00:08:24] Ciera: I got lucky, uh, a alumni at my school. Was working on a reality [00:08:30] TV show. And she was like, we need some production assistance.

[00:08:33] And I remember I didn't get it the first time I interviewed and then something happened to that PA. And then I got it the [00:08:40] second time I interviewed and. Then I, then I was on a roll then. So then I became a production assistant for, uh, my big fat fabulous life on TLC. [00:08:50] And that was, um, that was interesting.

[00:08:53] That was a very interesting time. Um, you know, you're, you're picking up the trash, you're getting the [00:09:00] talent, their hair extensions of my favorite Starbucks order and all of those things. But it, it taught me about, uh, What's needed on a [00:09:10] production. Like, you don't think about how, like, you, you know, the crew needs their lunch and their lunch order to be correct and on time.

[00:09:16] And, like, there's these certain things that Somebody 

[00:09:18] Fanshen: has to do that. I'm not sure [00:09:20] I do it. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully, you only have to do it Two or three times. And then you move into the next role and you tell someone else to go do that. Exactly. And 

[00:09:29] Ciera: [00:09:30] then after you get to do it, you know, you hope people come with some kindness.

[00:09:33] Like now with my PAs, it's like, you know, they're, they're people. They're not just, you know, the garbage man. You got to have some [00:09:40] respect with people coming up. And, um, so I did that PA on a feature and then. Got a job as a commercial producer in Atlanta. So that's [00:09:50] how I left North Carolina, landed here, and I've been a commercial producer for the last, um, last two, going on three years now, [00:10:00] um, and after I'm working, 

[00:10:02] Fanshen: working pretty steadily.

[00:10:04] Ciera: Steadily. Yes. I was working with a company and they would kind of bring bring the clients through to our [00:10:10] studio. Um, and so, yeah, full time, like, had the safety of that and then getting to practice again, like, just produce, produce, produce over [00:10:20] and over and over. And, um, it was actually, you know, Finch and I know, you know, Robin.

[00:10:24] So, yeah. At the top of this year, at the top of this year, I went [00:10:30] to Sundance and I, I met Robin, I met a ton of incredible people, and I got so inspired by, like, the art and the talent, and I was [00:10:40] like, at this point, I know how to produce. I need to, I need to bring my writing to life. Like, I need to, like, it felt like I hit that point where I had done, made other [00:10:50] people's dreams come true.

[00:10:50] Turn 

[00:10:50] Sanaa: your dream to screen. 

[00:10:51] Ciera: Turn Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, it's a screen. So 

[00:10:56] Fanshen: that's come on what a perfect promo for black girls film [00:11:00] camp. We didn't even know that we would come up with these gems for black girls film camp. But truly that I see all of these similarities, right? Is like to your point, Ciera, [00:11:10] having the opportunity to just play.

[00:11:12] And that's something I love about black girls film camp is that they allow these girls to like, it is all, it's Every film [00:11:20] they make is from their own head. Nobody's there saying, no, you need to, you need to tell this story, this story. They're just there to say, what story do you want to tell? All right.

[00:11:29] We're going to [00:11:30] help you tell it. 

[00:11:31] Ciera: It's incredible. Yeah. 

[00:11:34] Fanshen: So, okay. It's 

[00:11:35] Ciera: so important. Like I, especially when you're young, like. And [00:11:40] when you're just a creative, you have to get it out, like you have to like getting it out and making it is like half the whole battle of doing it. And so I think the repetition, [00:11:50] I think I was surprised at how necessary that that was to get me to where I am right now.

[00:11:56] It's like, Do it again. Okay, make it again. Just, you know, over and [00:12:00] over. So. 

[00:12:02] Sanaa: Hi, it's Sanaa Wilkins from Black Girls Film Camp, and you're listening to Sista Brunch. We'll be right back. And [00:12:10] during this quick break, if you haven't already, go follow Sista Brunch podcast on Instagram, at Sista Brunch and go follow Black Girls Film Camp at Black Girls Film Camp.[00:12:20] 

[00:12:23] Fanshen: We are back and we are so excited to share more of our conversation with writer, filmmaker, and rugby player, [00:12:30] Ciera Thompson. 

[00:12:31] Sanaa: I feel like your story really reminds me of, um, you know the movie, um, The Devil Wears Prada? You remind me of her, [00:12:40] what part of it, what 

[00:12:41] Fanshen: part of it is giving you those vibes when 

[00:12:45] Sanaa: she first got there, you know, she had to be the person who got the coffee, the, the [00:12:50] direct order 

[00:12:51] Fanshen: and then 

[00:12:52] Sanaa: she got promoted like more and more my way up.

[00:12:54] Yeah. 

[00:12:55] Fanshen: That's what we do. Hopefully your boss has never been that bad in any of [00:13:00] these situations, but they might come haven't been in Hollywood for too long now. And I might be there, 

[00:13:07] Ciera: you know, people like that are in every, [00:13:10] every industry, unfortunately. Yeah. And again, like I've, I've been really lucky to now have made something that is from my heart and a passion of mine.

[00:13:19] [00:13:20] And, um, talk to us about 

[00:13:21] Fanshen: that. Talk to us about the, the thing that you made. Yeah. So when, when you said, you know what, I'm gonna be, I'm a, I already know how to produce now I'm gonna write it, I'm gonna [00:13:30] Yeah, yeah. Tell my own story. So I, um, 

[00:13:32] Ciera: luckily being a writer, I was always writing, so I had a script. That in my mind, I was like, I need someone to [00:13:40] make it like I couldn't fathom that I was going to make my own script.

[00:13:44] So I was like, you know, for a while I was like pitching it. I was like talking to people, [00:13:50] like seeing if there was some like easy way, almost like looking back. I'm like, okay, maybe there's just somebody who's going to be like, yeah, we'll make your film or we'll make your script. And then, you know, after Sundance, I was like.[00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] It's actually true when people say you have to make your own stuff to like get it out there. Like I was like, Oh God, it's, this is really the only way to do it. [00:14:10] So I crowdfunded, I use Seed& Spark, incredible platform. Um, and I put together a team [00:14:20] of producers. I talked to my family, made a budget, and it was ambitious.

[00:14:26] I tried to raise 15, [00:14:30] 000 and I needed probably 20, 000 to get the quality that I wanted for this. Um, but anyway, all that to say that this was a script, uh, at the [00:14:40] time that I wrote it, I was desperately wanting something positive for queer representation. I just, you know, [00:14:50] Personally, politically, I felt like there was so much negativity out there that I was seeing whenever I would watch something gay, I was like, uh, it's sad or they're dying or like [00:15:00] something.

[00:15:00] There's some, some kind of trauma attached to it. And so I wanted to, uh, Take I didn't want to [00:15:10] dismiss the trauma, you know, my film take no, it's about a queer teacher who watches a couple of students start passing notes to each other. She realizes they have a [00:15:20] crush and then the teacher by the end of the film, she comes out to her class so that her students then feel comfortable coming out and, you know, being being themselves.

[00:15:28] So [00:15:30] I wanted, you know, that was important to me because I've had so many people in my life. Be their authentic self and inspire me to be more of who I am. And I was like, [00:15:40] that feeling is magic in a bottle. That feeling of when you see someone step out and you're like, Oh, we can do that? Oh my gosh. Okay.

[00:15:47] Okay. But I was like, I want to [00:15:50] capture that in a film. And so that, that was Take No. And that, that was what I was pitching for a whole half of this year. And I. [00:16:00] I got really lucky that I had an incredible support system down here in Atlanta. So again, like to taking the time to learn how to produce, to build my network.

[00:16:09] I did [00:16:10] all these things before I finally felt the confidence to be like, okay, let me do my own thing. Um, and then I ended up winning a grant. So that was [00:16:20] also super helpful. The film impact Georgia grant. They're great. Any like young filmmakers who are any filmmakers in Georgia, like they're an incredible, [00:16:30] uh, Group and they really work hard to promote diverse stories.

[00:16:34] So that came through the crowdfunding people really resonated with the story. And [00:16:40] it was then I think, end of July, we raised the funds and we filmed end of August. And that was, and then I was also directing. I'd never directed. [00:16:50] Yes. Right. So it was just a going from producing to writing, directing. was very interesting and I [00:17:00] loved it.

[00:17:00] It was a fun challenge, but it was definitely like stepping out of my comfort zone. 

[00:17:04] Fanshen: So, Ciera, amazing. Uh, you, you, you've made it clear that [00:17:10] one of the things that you have in Sanaa is the same way as initiative. Like, I think, and I think that's really, but you, you, you, you were like, I was at Sundance. I know I had this [00:17:20] attitude, like, I'm not going to Sundance till I have a film in Sundance, 20 years later, and then I have a film in Sundance, right?

[00:17:26] So even when you didn't know how to do [00:17:30] everything and, and so now you, you applied to Black Girls Phone Camp, right? Like. Taking that initiative, I think is really important. So kudos to you on that. I [00:17:40] also want to ask a question. A lot of our guests have talked about this and we're talking about this in the industry around trauma because you talked about, especially for queer [00:17:50] stories, right?

[00:17:50] It's like, um, you do. We've had so much that is just like so heavy around our traumas. Same with blackness, right? Like, same with the black [00:18:00] experiences. Like, I'm sorry, but I find um, The white folks love to buy a script about enslavement. And we all needed those early on. Like we needed [00:18:10] to speak the truth of it.

[00:18:11] But, you know, we're at the point where like, we don't want to keep telling that story. We want to tell other stories. At the same time, it's the truth. So. [00:18:20] How do you go about, like, balancing both the, like, realities and the, and the, the challenges of being a black queer woman in your [00:18:30] storytelling while at the same time, like, infusing those with joy and resilience and lessons 

[00:18:36] Ciera: that I love.

[00:18:37] I love that question. Um, [00:18:40] you know, I, I think I'll talk about it in the frame of my writing, because that's what I've done the most of. And like, I. [00:18:50] I probably have to battle that the most when I'm writing because I, you know, every character I write, it's important to me that they're either queer, black, person of color, a woman [00:19:00] identifying, if they're one of my main characters, like those, that's where I'm interested.

[00:19:03] There's other people telling the other story. So I try and be like, this is my niche. Um, but how to not, [00:19:10] so when I'm, so people come with trauma, right? That's kind of how I frame it. So, Because my character is Black and queer, there's a lot of, um, [00:19:20] I would say assumed trauma that comes there that I assume as the writer that maybe, you know, non queer, non Black writers, maybe they need to write that down, [00:19:30] like, more literally, whereas I think, like, my magic and why, like, diverse storytellers are so important is because They can, I can write a [00:19:40] superhero film about a black queer superhero.

[00:19:42] And I feel as though the trauma of being black and clear can self infuse because that's truth. That's the authentic truth. And when it's [00:19:50] coming from someone who's experienced those things, they're going to naturally leak into a broader story that is maybe taking a different angle than focusing on the [00:20:00] trauma specifically of being clear and black.

[00:20:02] So that's how I try to approach it. When I am writing, I'm trying to take note. It was such a delicate line because [00:20:10] we're talking about teachers in public school systems who are battling, you know, don't say gay bills here in Georgia, um, whether they can be [00:20:20] out what parents want, what they want their kids to see, like, all of those things are very real, uh, issues.

[00:20:26] And when I wrote the script, I almost at times was like, is this even going to [00:20:30] resonate? Like, are teachers actually still dealing with this? And I, I made sure to go and talk to a lot of queer teachers, like that were actually in it to find out like, this [00:20:40] is real. So how do I tackle that trauma, that realness of it while keeping the film Light and um, I want to say [00:20:50] inspiring, but like hopeful, right?

[00:20:52] So like, yes, this is the word hopeful. 

[00:20:54] Fanshen: I feel like that's the word, isn't it? That's the word. Even, even with these truths, even with those [00:21:00] truths, that, that there is life after this and we, you know, and thriving and in, you know, exactly. I think, you know, 

[00:21:07] Ciera: there's power in Imagining [00:21:10] a better world. So there's power and say, and again, that comes with like the balancing act of like, yes, imagine a world where it doesn't matter if you're gay, straight, that, that, that, but [00:21:20] also that's not our real world.

[00:21:21] So where's the middle where we see hope, but we also acknowledge where we've been. And I think take note, did that beautifully. Cause you know, you [00:21:30] see the kids kind of, uh, struggle with being their full selves, but I never show. Their parents on screen. I never tried to [00:21:40] show this bad guy because it felt so implied to me like it was so the fact that they were nervous.

[00:21:48] The fact that [00:21:50] someone didn't know it was okay to be clear that a kid didn't understand that. That's the trauma. That's all you have to say. And so I think, um Yeah, going [00:22:00] back to your question. It's a delicate line for me. It really matters who the writer is and who is creating the product of it. And I think that's how [00:22:10] you reach the middle ground because that person is going to have more assumptions and natural, authentic things that leak into the project versus someone who's [00:22:20] trying to explicitly insert that diversity.

[00:22:23] I think you can, you can tell. 

[00:22:25] Sanaa: So Ciera, how did you adjust to making your first film, [00:22:30] especially since it's your first time as a director? 

[00:22:33] Ciera: Yeah, that's a great question. I, I'm huge into prep and that's probably my producer brain. So it's [00:22:40] like prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare. That was like my safety net.

[00:22:45] And even though, you know, if you've been on set, you know, everything goes out the window and it doesn't [00:22:50] really matter. But like the prep was really important to me. I was talking to my lead actress while I was fundraising, like we had probably six. [00:23:00] Honestly, I told her about this script probably a year before I decided to actually make it and I was like, I have you in mind for this.

[00:23:07] I don't know if it's going to happen. As soon as I knew it was going to happen, we [00:23:10] started talking about her character. Um, and I think that was another thing that took a lot of pressure off of me as a director was surrounding myself with really talented people. [00:23:20] Um, that's my entire cast and then that's my crew.

[00:23:24] So I, I was able to say like, Aaliyah, my lead actress, like [00:23:30] this Miss Amato, I wrote her and now I want to give her to you and I need you to help me like make her more full and again to like, how do you balance that [00:23:40] line of like what's authentic? What's not? I, Miss Amato was originally, uh, Miss Albright and, uh, Aaliyah Vasquez is a Latina actress.

[00:23:48] And I was like, I, I [00:23:50] cannot, Infuse what you can into this character. And so I, I made that ask to her of like, okay, can you own this in a way that I'm not going to maybe understand, [00:24:00] but I'm going to trust you. And I'm gonna, you know, do what I can on the day of set to support you. And so I think for me as a director, I, Try to act as a support [00:24:10] to all the talented people around me.

[00:24:12] And, you know, directors, I like the saying of like, you're the tastemaker, like you, you kind of, you say you're supposed to have a lot of [00:24:20] opinions, but I also think it's supposed to support all the people who are giving you all those options. Right. And you want to surround yourself with people who even my DP, like who's going to show me an [00:24:30] option.

[00:24:30] That I either am like, yes, you nailed it, or like an option that I'm like, I like what you're doing there. This isn't what I was expecting. Let's take this, take that, and then go from there. So like, [00:24:40] I think that that's how I approached it, was preparing, surrounding myself with really talented people that I trusted.

[00:24:47] Um, especially with a project like [00:24:50] this. I really was like, I'm, I talked to every single person that was going to be on my set. Um, I, you know, met with my actresses, especially the kids. Um, I was [00:25:00] going to 

[00:25:00] Fanshen: ask, what was it like working with the kids and what do you have to do differently? 

[00:25:03] Ciera: Oh my gosh. I did not expect the challenges of working.

[00:25:07] I know. I'm like her first film. She worked with [00:25:10] young people. I never, I would not recommend it. They were incredible. Like the kids I worked with. Incredible. The additional logistical hoops you have to jump [00:25:20] through challenging. So parents on set. The, you know, the waivers, the having the, there was some kind of special person.

[00:25:27] I needed to be on set for the kids sake or something [00:25:30] like that, labor management, something like that. Okay. So, and then again, in fact, I have eight hours with the kids. I don't have a [00:25:40] 12 hour shoot day, you know, their schedules look different. So it was logistical challenges with them, but I could not have gotten luckier.

[00:25:49] Um, [00:25:50] the, they were incredible actors. They took their roles. So seriously. And they were who I imagined. I remember we went through a round of [00:26:00] casting and I couldn't find one of my leads and I was talking to my producer and I was like, please, can we do one more casting call, please, please. And that's when Isabella Gibbons, our lead Lexi came in [00:26:10] and she just was everything better than I could have imagined on the script.

[00:26:14] So Working with kids was hard, but I got, even with as lucky [00:26:20] as I got, it was a challenge. 

[00:26:23] Sanaa: This iSistaer Brunch, the podcast by and about Black women and gender expansive people thriving in [00:26:30] entertainment and media. Stay tuned for more of our conversation with our review guest, Ciera Thompson. And if you love what you're hearing, leave Sista Brunch a great [00:26:40] review.

[00:26:40] And listen on Apple, Spotify, or whenever you get your podcast. So now that you have had like the best of both worlds, both writing and [00:26:50] directing, which one do you find more stressful or difficult rather? And which one would you rather be able to want to continue long term? 

[00:26:59] Ciera: [00:27:00] So, first answer surely, writing is my love.

[00:27:03] I'm like, have a romantic affair with writing. Like, that is like my, you don't have to pay me to [00:27:10] write, you know? And then, directing is hard. Directing, I think, is I say it's hard because one, you have to be there. So you, you have to be on set. You have to [00:27:20] work those hours. You have to, if you're doing it in a way that's impactful, in my opinion, you're part of everything.

[00:27:27] You don't just leave, you know, budget to the [00:27:30] producer. You don't just leave fundraising to the producers. You don't just leave like set deck at that of that. I was, I think being a director is putting your print on every part of the [00:27:40] process, however way you can. And so it's a lot more, it was a lot more strenuous for me.

[00:27:45] Uh than writing which comes super easily to me whereas directing I had to [00:27:50] You have to learn how to craft collaborate with all these different people. So you're collaborating with set deck. You're collaborating with the DP on the shot list. Each different [00:28:00] department needs something different from you.

[00:28:02] And so that, that, that's a huge challenge, but all that to say. In order to get my writing made, I've learned I must [00:28:10] direct for a little bit. So, for me, it's, uh, an end to a means, kind of, I would say, is directing. 

[00:28:16] Fanshen: Until you start winning these awards for directing, and then you'll be like, You know 

[00:28:19] Ciera: what? [00:28:20] I kind of like this.

[00:28:21] Right, right, right. Ask me again in, like, 10 years. We'll see. 

[00:28:26] Fanshen: Amazing. What do you, what, what's next for you, [00:28:30] Ciera? What, do you have a new project that you're working on or, and, and what do you want to do as a writer? Like, do you, your first love was TV you mentioned. So is that [00:28:40] what you want to do? You want to do film?

[00:28:41] Yeah. 

[00:28:41] Ciera: I want to do episodic television. So writing on a network, streamer, that is, that's, that is the dream to [00:28:50] just be in the writer's room or to be, you know, You know, head writer, head showrunner, a show I've created. Um, that, that's, that's my dream, that's my end goal with, [00:29:00] uh, writing and with getting my writing out there.

[00:29:02] Um, yeah, but what was the other part of the question there? 

[00:29:05] Fanshen: Um, uh, I think that was it. What do you wanna do? Was it film or [00:29:10] is it film or tv? E also 

[00:29:11] Ciera: was just what was next generally? Um, I think I'm going. To try and make a feature in the next year and a [00:29:20] half or so, I wrote it. This was a feature that I wrote, um, in 2020 when I was, when I was actually a production assistant.

[00:29:29] And, [00:29:30] um, after doing Take Note, I was like, I think I'm ready for that. I'm just like, okay, what's next? What's the next challenge? It's after that. And, um, yeah, I want to try for a feature, [00:29:40] try and get the funding for all of that. Hopefully, uh, Take Note's going to do the festival run. Next year. So all of next year, I'll be hitting the festivals with that film.

[00:29:49] And so [00:29:50] you're in post 

[00:29:50] Fanshen: on it now, right? We are in 

[00:29:52] Ciera: post. We're like working, even like music scoring and color and all of that. Like fun. 

[00:29:58] Fanshen: It's like a whole new story, [00:30:00] right? What do they say? You write a, you make a movie three times, you make it in pre, you make it in, you know, shooting it and you make it in post.

[00:30:07] And you're working 

[00:30:08] Ciera: with different people, right? So like, [00:30:10] the people on set and now I have my crew in post and I have my crew in the festivals and. 

[00:30:15] Fanshen: Yeah. Look out for Ciera Thompson, everybody. This is, [00:30:20] yeah, we'll, we'll, we'll absolutely be watching and, and supporting and, um, you know, you'll, you'll do crowdfunding again, I'm presuming for, well, hopefully not.

[00:30:28] Hopefully for your feature, you're going to [00:30:30] do so well with your, yeah. Yeah. I'm going to take note that maybe 

[00:30:32] Ciera: you get a check or something like that. 

[00:30:36] Fanshen: I love it. I love it. 

[00:30:38] Sanaa: So we know that you've [00:30:40] mentored a young filmmakers, um, through Girls Rock Film Camp. And so your experience is perfect for our Sista Brunch question.

[00:30:47] So you're sitting down to a Sista Brunch [00:30:50] with your younger self. What are you both eating? What are you both drinking? And what do you tell her? 

[00:30:56] Ciera: I, I know what I'm, we're eating, 100%. We're eating [00:31:00] Bojangles chicken supreme box with french fries. We're drinking. Is this a North 

[00:31:06] Fanshen: Carolina thing? Because already this.

[00:31:07] Ciera: This is definitely. Bojangles, yeah. Okay, [00:31:10] I'm so sorry. Interrupted 

[00:31:11] Fanshen: the whole menu item. So it's Bojangles. Yeah. What is in the box? 

[00:31:16] Ciera: Chicken. Four chicken tenders. Honey mustard, [00:31:20] french fries, and a biscuit. I 

[00:31:22] Fanshen: love to eat 

[00:31:23] Ciera: it. 

[00:31:24] Fanshen: Good, you too. So now that's it. Nice buttered up biscuit. 

[00:31:27] Sanaa: Oh yeah. 

[00:31:27] Fanshen: Wow, I love it. Okay. Oh, [00:31:30] kind of hungry.

[00:31:30] I'm vegan and I'm still, that made me hungry. Okay. 

[00:31:34] Ciera: I, uh, I would tell her, I would tell her to relax. I would tell her like, [00:31:40] Everything's, you know, things are going to work out. Like you're going to do great. Like, that's what I even have to tell myself today is like, I think when you're creative and you're [00:31:50] young.

[00:31:51] You, you can't help but want, like, you want to get your work out there, which means you kind of want an award for it, you kind of want to be recognized, like, da da da, like, all these things, like, [00:32:00] come with the act of, like, creating, I think it's just natural, and I was a super, especially in college and, like, Uh, high school, just [00:32:10] when it came to creative stuff, I care so much and so intensely, and I would just tell myself to relax.

[00:32:19] It's [00:32:20] going to work out. You're going to make some good friends along the way. And like, I would just assure myself to have fun. I think when I look back and I have. [00:32:30] Any regrets. It's that, Oh, I took that a little too seriously. I could have skipped that meeting. I could have gone actually and hung out with my friends, you know?

[00:32:37] So I would tell myself, [00:32:40] chill, you know, work hard, but also it's, you're, you're right. When you take a lay down for a nap after school, that's actually okay. Like keep, keep doing that. 

[00:32:48] Fanshen: The little nap ministry, get the [00:32:50] nap ministry, uh, affirmations. And I love that. I love that. And we've heard that from our guests.

[00:32:57] We've heard that from our older guests [00:33:00] too. And I'm really glad to hear it from younger guests, right? It's like you, you already have that, that understanding, um, it's all about joy [00:33:10] and sleep and the naps and the rest. Ciera Thompson, thank you so much. I'm so glad to meet you. Yeah, good to meet you as well.

[00:33:19] [00:33:20] Yeah, I love how this happened, which is a mutual friend said, you've got to know this filmmaker. Um, and, and I was like, you know what? We're recording Sista Brunch, you sound like a perfect guest. So we didn't even get [00:33:30] to meet. This is our meeting. 

[00:33:31] Ciera: Yeah. I'd love to like hear more about YouTube. You got to do that.

[00:33:36] Fanshen: Absolutely. Absolutely. I will. I'll be sending [00:33:40] you an invite for that. And for both of you, Sanaa and Ciera, just so you know, like we are here for you moving forward. This is once you're on the Sista [00:33:50] brunch, we are, you know, you are surrounded by community that wants to support you in your journeys. Um, and so we're, we're.

[00:33:58] Honored to have you, [00:34:00] both of you. Sanaa, thank you for taking the time. This took quite a while too. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, thank you both and have a wonderful [00:34:10] rest of your week. And, um, I can't wait to share this with our listeners. Thanks so much.

[00:34:18] Thank you so much to our [00:34:20] beautiful community of Sanaa. Sistas and siblings for sharing your reviews, sending us questions and engaging with us on Instagram at Sista Brunch podcast. You can [00:34:30] read the transcript of every episode and find show notes on our website at Sistabrunch. com. If you love to see these beautiful faces [00:34:40] of our guests, you can also watch the full episode.

[00:34:41] Full video interviews on the TruJuLo YouTube channel, youtube. com slash TruJuLo Media. That's T R U J U L [00:34:50] O media. We deeply appreciate your support by subscribing to our podcast, leaving us a great review and sharing it with your friends, family, [00:35:00] colleagues, community, and on and on and on. 

[00:35:03] Sanaa: Our show co creators are Fanshen Cox, Anya Adams, Christabelle, and Sia [00:35:10] Bwadi.

[00:35:10] Brittany Turner. 

[00:35:11] Fanshen: Sista Brunch is a women make movies production assistance program project. 

[00:35:18]Sanaa: The land Miss Fanshen records this [00:35:20] podcast on is the original land of the Tongva and Chumash people. Can't wait to see you next time. Take [00:35:30][00:35:40] care.