Today we’d like to introduce you to Iesha Price.
Iesha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a veteran and a mother of three, born and raised in a small town called Yatesville, GA. Shout out to my wonderful parents that did an amazing job raising me – Helen & Archie Holston Sr.
My journey to being an aspiring Producer/Production Designer in the film industry sort of came about by accident. I have always been a driven individual but never really had anything I was passionate about. I left for the military the night of my high school graduation in 2001 and completed four years in the Army at Fort Hood, TX as a Food Service Specialist (which is ironic because the one thing I was passionate about was how much I didn’t like cooking). When I served my term, I returned home to Georgia – still didn’t have a clue of what I wanted to do but knew I had responsibilities and that I didn’t want to live with my parents forever. I started searching for something stable and realistic to my lifestyle. I moved to Atlanta in 2005 and went to school for massage therapy, worked various temp jobs and finally ended up working for a homeowner’s association in 2008. I worked eight years as manager’s assistant and realized I was miserable because I didn’t feel like I was living up to my full potential and I didn’t want to be a massage therapist. I would confide in my “work mom” Laura Larrabee daily about things I’ve accomplished or haven’t accomplished, feeling lost parenting and what direction my life was going, etc. She always gave great advice and helped me realize that ultimately; I had to make a change and do what was best for myself and my family. I did some soul searching and when an opportunity to return to school presented itself again; I had to quit my job in order to do so. I enrolled at American Intercontinental University for a BFA in Audio Recording & Sound Design in 2014. As a kid I remember singing, dancing and writing poems in my step-dad’s car shop; so I gathered that what I was seeking had to be somewhere in the music industry.
This particular program required that you also take some film classes in order to graduate. My first film class was with cinematographer and program chair of the media production department at AIU, Professor Jason Rodgers or “The Rodge”. A point he made during the lecture was that; don’t think you’re going to gain all you need just by attending class. You have to also get out there, network, get on film sets, network, make your own projects and network. His words really resonated with me and peeked my interest about working in film. Though I was still trying to pursue audio, his lecture is what made me want to get on a real film set. I began doing some background acting to see what “set life” was like. I remember, always watching the crew to see if I could determine what their titles were based on what I had learned in school. I loved the experience and continued to do background acting while completing the 4-year program. I met classmate Kris Hubert, who was interested in editing. We would produce shorts that she had written to edit. Our first project was a mini web series called Interviews from the Lair that we posted to YouTube. I was so excited that we had put this project together and wanted to learn all that I could about filming and audio. In the meantime, I started to try out other roles by helping my film friends with their projects. I dabbled in writing, directing, audio mixing, set dressing, prop handling and script supervising. I had gotten very good at “scripty” work so I thought maybe this would be a position I could aim at being in the industry. I ended up “scripting” and helping set dress for classmates and director Vashmere Valentine on his short that is now sweeping the film circuit called The Wish & The Wisp. As I stood in the hallway of AIU staring at the one-sheet with Iesha Price listed next to Production Designer; it was this moment that solidified that I should be working in the film industry. By that time, I was mostly done with my program and it was too late to switch from audio major to film. I went to Professor Rodgers and expressed my situation and for my final semester, was allowed to complete my thesis as a film student. I was voted lead producer for the short thesis Geezers and discovered that I really had a niche for organizing, finding resources and getting people connected with each other. I got a chance to also be in charge of the Art Department which I loved. Another requirement to graduate was an internship; which I found in Vid T Yo Artists- an indie film company founded by Darrell Coleman and Jeffrey Liu here in Atlanta, GA. I still dabbled in the audio world by helping my alum buddy & music artist Tiye Cochran, with her company 9 Matic and produced a few live events for her as well.
I graduated in 2017 and wondered what my next step would be. I didn’t have to wait long because I landed my first official paid production assistant gig on the feature film Summer Night directed by Joseph Cross. I learned so much during this production while working under producer Tara Ansley, known for her work on Tragedy Girls, directed by Tyler McIntyre and with production coordinator Sara Sometti Michaels, who produced the feature St. Agatha, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. These ladies (whom I consider my mentors) inspired me even more and made me realize that I wanted to take my film career to the next level. With all the experience and knowledge I had gained, I set out to establish my company Merry Price Productions in 2018. I decided to submit a project to the NBC Universal Short Film Festival. My friends & I thought it would be cool to have an all-female cast & crew. In a male-dominated industry; it was important to us, to show that women can work together in a positive and professional environment so we got to work right away; but I’ll return to the festival shortly.
The inspiration behind Merry Price Productions came about from a combination of things like trying to find a title that fit my personality and really because of my love for the 1964 Fantasy/Musical classic – Mary Poppins. It was one of my favorite childhood movies and one that I still love and feel such a strong connection to – I mean, who doesn’t love the magical nanny that flies in out of nowhere to put a broken home back together again and disappears when the job is all done? She embodies the very meaning of being kind to one another; which is exactly what I’m all about. I relate the underlying tone of the film to how Merry Price Productions should operate; like Mary Poppins — who was positive, professional, got things done yet never acknowledged her uniquely strange and magical powers — I pride myself in being genuine, organized and professional so that things run smoothly during production; movie making magic and all!
Now, back to the film festival – I saw the festival as an opportunity to see if I had what it takes to actually be a Producer. I asked my friend and actress Virginia Vogt if she would play the lead if I decided to produce this project and she agreed without hesitation. While working on a feature called Alice, I shared my ideas with film buddy and photographer, Boris Martin. Boris gave me a list of female filmmakers that he thought would be helpful towards the success of our project. One of those women ended up being director, Heather Hutton. She brought resources of her own to the table, to include her partners in crime Director of Photography/Camera Op, Angelica Perez-Castro and Production Designer, Vanessa Smith. With our resources combined, we ended up landing a Victorian House in Grant Park for our location thanks to homeowner, Melissa Smith and a total of 50 women, (cast and crew- plus one male on-set) that worked three overnight shoots to complete the script- Residence 906 written by Michele Olson. October 30, 2018 – we got a chance to screen our short film for The Return of the 50 Foot Film Festival at the Plaza Theatre. The fest was hosted by Debbie Hess & her son Ricky Hess – producers of the horror anthology series, Horror Hotel the Movie which also screened that night; along with The Wish & The Wisp. This was huge for all of us because it was a celebration of unique filmmakers right out of Atlanta, GA. So, what do you do as an aspiring Producer getting ready to screen your first ever film on Halloween Eve (best holiday ever) and your company name is Merry Price Productions? Well, you dress as Mary Poppins! So that’s exactly what I did. It was a magical night as the day began with an interview from Fox 5 News reporter Paul Milliken. I’ve never been so nervous in my entire life but I got a chance to interview with my alum family Vashmere Valentine, and at this point, it felt like the universe was letting me know that everything was coming full circle and that’s when I knew I had found my passion.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Struggles that I’ve had along the way have definitely been trying to find a healthy balance of pursuing my dreams and spiritual growth while raising my kids. As American television and film writer/producer Shonda Rhimes once said – whenever you see me succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means I’m failing in another area. I’ve always felt some level of guilt anytime I was out working, even before I got into the film industry; I felt in some way I was failing my kids as a parent. I would say of all my accomplishments, my greatest struggle hands down would be trying to ensure I raise kids that are decent human beings. Having a good support system in my parents, co-workers, siblings, family, and friends have definitely helped keep me grounded all these years. Also, no matter how cliché, I believe it’s more important for my kids to see that hard work does pay off! I pray that they understand the sacrifices I’ve made and continue to make; to ensure their well-being. I don’t know what the future holds for Merry Price Productions but I know that I’ve been so blessed to have been given a second chance at life with a career that I learn from all the time and love being in.
Please tell us about Merry Price Productions.
Merry Price Productions is a full-service film production company based in Atlanta, GA. Our Mission is to create content that consumers love by helping our customers bring their visions to life through various media platforms such as: film, television, commercials, branding content and live entertainment. We strive to create an environment where customers, consumers, and employees feel comfortable to learn and grow in a changing media industry. I work with a network of mostly female filmmakers whom are a diverse group of incredibly talented and professional women. My strengths are definitely in the Producer and Production Designer/Props arena. One day I hope to own my very own location and become a full out “one-stop” Production House for all media needs. Until then, I continue to work towards raising the bar and providing quality services. What I want people to take from their experience with Merry Price is the feeling that everything will happen that needs to happen. What makes me different as a Producer; is that I don’t like telling people what to do but love encouraging people in what they do. I’m happiest when I get to see those around me share their skills in a collective effort towards success. I’m passionate about the art of filmmaking and have grown to love every aspect of the process right from the beginning of pre-production straight through to post-production. Each and every film production is unique in its needs and challenges. Merry Price Productions caters our services to make sure all aspects of your project are taken care of correctly and efficiently. Contact us with your creative vision, and we will provide a service quote. We welcome budgets of all sizes.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I believe everything happens for a reason so I know everything I’ve done in my life has lead to this point; even the mistakes and failures but, I would say that I wish I had known what I wanted to be sooner because I might not have wasted so much time in the wrong program; furthermore, would have saved time and energy the first school enrollment. I also probably wouldn’t have worked as many free gigs as I did trying to find my way through this industry. Don’t get me wrong, working free gigs is the starting point for a lot of people; and an incredibly helpful way to gain experience, network and build on your portfolio but; had I realized that I wanted to be a Producer sooner, I would have had a better sense of direction to know which projects were good for me and which were not, but again, things happen the way they do, for a reason. If I had to leave any advice, it would definitely be to network as much as possible and don’t wait for other people to give you an opportunity…go out and make your own!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.merrypriceproductions.com
- Phone: 770-827-0469
- Email: merrypricepro@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iesha.price/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/residence906/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrypricepro1?lang=en
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8043730/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Image Credit:
Linda Sayseng, Angelica Perez- Castro, Nyaliah Price
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