We are here with Courtney Locke, the founder of Actor Mommy Productions today. Read below to hear all about her and her company!
Courtney, thank you for interviewing with Black Girl Screenwriters. For starters, could you tell us a little about your origin story and how you came to be involved in the entertainment industry?
Thank you so much for having me! This community is so supportive and such a great resource for women of color in the industry. I started my career as a teenager writing and performing pop music and doing musical theater. I eventually started pursuing commercial and film work. I have always been a writer, I published my first poetry book at 16, but I have only had the confidence in the last few years to fully take the stories from my head to the paper and then produce them.
I completely understand that! It took me a while to share my stories with the world too. What's your favorite thing that you have done so far?
I wrote a pilot about a Broadway dancer turned stay-at-home mom due to a pandemic that I am producing in November. It’s literally a dream come true and very terrifying.
In addition to being a screenwriter, you're also the founder of the company, Actor Mommy Productions. How did Actor Mommy come to be, and what can you tell us about it?
Actor Mommy Productions is a mixed-media company that is all about creating content and resources for actor moms by actor moms. When I found out I was pregnant before my big break, I was terrified that my career was over, and the online resources showed me nothing to the contrary. I wanted to create a space of support and produce my own stories on the schedule I needed having a young child. I have my kid on set, in rehearsals, or the audience at my shows, and that means the world to me.
Honestly, that sounds amazing. Mothers need to know that their dreams don't have to stop once they have children. How can fans and other screenwriters help support Actor Mommy Productions?
Hire us! Haha, but seriously like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, check out www.actormommy.com and follow us on Instagram. Or share us with the actor mommy in your life! We have a crowdsourcing campaign right now that people can donate to for us to keep creating content and resources for actor moms.
Actor Mommy Productions is currently in the process of producing a stage show and your first scripted pilot, congratulations! What can you tell us about these and any other projects you’ll be doing? Also, how can viewers access them?
Thank you! It’s really exciting and just a wee bit ridiculously stressful. Both projects will actually take place within two weeks of one another with the stage show on November 6th. Our pilot, Stay-at-Homes, is being filmed the following weekend. We are in the process of selling it and will keep you posted. BGS readers can check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes content and clips from the show.
Actor Mommy Productions also has a podcast! What sort of topics do you discuss, and where can listeners tune in?
We do, and I have been able to interview people I never thought I would. You can find the Actor Mommy Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Our guests have ranged from Broadway stars to Atlanta favorites and even a Wild-n-Out legend. I knew to do this, I needed to talk to moms like myself: the average working actor mom for lack of a better term. Those of us who have Beyonce-sized ambitions without the Beyonce budget, and then it escalated to parents all over the spectrum. We talk about everything from how to literally get self-tapes done while our kid sleeps in the next room to our favorite mom movies and misconceptions about pregnancy and babies in this industry.
Do you wear any other hats in the Entertainment industry or plan to in the future?
I am definitely a multi-hyphenate performer. I grew up watching musicals, so all I ever knew was you sang, acted, and danced, so that’s what I do. I am also a choreographer for musicals and a competition dance team and even dipped my hand in a bit of directing. I definitely want to do more of that. I loved seeing a vision come to life and drawing more out from the actors.
What do you do outside of the entertainment industry for fun?
Between a baby and a pandemic, I am not sure I remember. When I feel motivated, I love working out, binge-reading a Jasmine Guillory book, and eating. I love food! I am also learning Spanish and working with a tutor once a week.
Last question, what was the last movie and television show that you watched, and what is your favorite of all time?
The last movie I watched was Elizabeth Bank’s Charlie’s Angels. I love a good action movie, and one lead by women makes it all the better. The last tv show was the British Baking Show. It is the most relaxing and stressful thing that I can’t live without. My favorite movie is Auntie Mama with Rosalind Russel. If you haven’t seen it…you must!
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