Today we’d like to introduce you to Gloria Stella.
Gloria, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
That can be a very lengthy and multi-faceted answer. Lol. But I’ll try to stick with the basics:
I started off as an actor in 2003 in Augusta, GA, when I was 18. My dad noticed that a local car dealership commercial was no longer using the on-camera spokeswoman they typically used, so he encouraged me to ask if I could do it. Prior to this, I was pursuing a degree in marketing with a minor in psychology and had no interest in the entertainment industry. I called the general dealership line and inquired about the position and subsequently met the owner who quickly put together an audition with several other girls and I booked the job. Over the next several years, I worked a full-time day job in administrative positions, went to school full-time on-site in the evenings (after I changed my major to TV & Cinema) and made several trips to Atlanta, NC and SC for auditions (this was before taped auditions became the norm) while I pursued a career in acting.
In 2007, my husband’s job moved us to Atlanta and I continued to pursue acting and was represented by JPervis Talent (film/commercial) and Real People Models & Talent (print). I did OK and became SAG-eligible and actually had a pretty good booking ratio but mostly in industrials and I never got that “big break.”
In 2011, I had just had my first baby and was getting back into the swing of things and I booked a job for an AMC “Walking Dead” commercial and met a guy who was a studio producer at a local Christian TV station in Atlanta. He had just interviewed a woman who had a compelling story and wanted to make it into a movie. By that point, I had been in the industry based in Atlanta for almost ten years so I had several cast and crew connections and told him I’d be happy to help connect him with whatever people he needed for his project. At this same time I had started a film small group at my church and I was producing some small promo videos with the team and posting behind-the-scenes pictures on Facebook. The studio producer saw those pictures and asked me if I would step in as a 1st AD on the film. I explained to him that I had never been in that role before but felt I could learn and if he was OK with that, then I would be willing to take that opportunity even though I didn’t feel qualified.
A few months later, one of the largest independent production studios in Georgia at that time got a hold of the project and cautiously allowed me to continue to 1st AD for the first few days to give me a chance, despite my lack of experience. The first week was pretty rocky but I got the hang of it, thanks mostly to a highly experienced and supportive crew, and I was allowed to finish ADing the film and finished out the 4-week shoot successfully. I joke that the crew taught me how to 1st AD – and that’s very true! Afterwards, the studio brought me on as an Associate Producer for post-production and distribution.
After that experience, I realized two things: that I didn’t really want to act anymore (it’s fun, but it wasn’t a driving passion for me) and that I needed to get on a lot more sets and observe how things are supposed to be done. I didn’t know how to get on set as a Production Assistant, so I started applying for jobs as an “extra” on big-budget sets in the area to see if I could make some connections (because as an actor, I knew how to get on as an extra). I was on “Single Ladies”, some Tyler Perry shows and “Necessary Roughness“. A couple of months later, a connection I had made on “Necessary Roughness” called me and asked if I could be a lock-up PA on an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. After that, getting PA work was pretty easy – as your network grows and you do a good job, so do the opportunities. I got to work on several sets on set and in the office – the most recognizable set being “The Walking Dead.” That lasted for a couple of years before I started booking more 1st AD, Associate and Co-Producer jobs on various independent and industrial projects and transitioned out of PAing.
Back in 2012/2013, I had put together a pitch, budget, breakdowns, ppm for a film titled, “Streiker.” After my second child was born, I decided to start trying to pitch the movie (my sister wrote the screenplay adaptation) to a couple of producer friends. Nothing came of that, but a couple of months later, they introduced me to Scott Pryor, who was looking for a line producer for his next film (he previously did “The List”). I had never filled the Line Producer role before but had done all facets of the job on various other productions. I let him know that my experience was really in producing and not in line producing, but if I could take the lead as the p.g.a. Producer, I’d line produce it as well. He was fine with that and “the rest his history,” so they say. That film, “Blackbear” is now streaming on Netflix and available on digital pretty much everywhere.
After my third child was born in 2015, Scott, his wife, Laura, and I partnered again to make his most recent film, “Tulsa.” For “Tulsa,” Scott really wanted to direct, but he was also the lead actor in 99% of all the scenes, so we decided that we could co-direct so that he would have the opportunity to shape the vision of the film on a director-level. At that time, it was a logistical decision, but it didn’t take long for me to get really excited about directing. I had freelanced in graphic design for about a decade, along with my admin/design day jobs and acting, so I definitely have a strong creative side.
Now that “Tulsa” is completed, I really feel like I’d like to direct more projects that I feel really connected to. As far as producing, my husband and I started the production company, “En’val Entertainment” back in 2013 (he handles the executive-level partnerships and investors) and we have several films in development including the original passion film, “Streiker” and another film titled, “Unforgivable” that we are currently fundraising for. In the long term, I’d love to have a team of producers under the En’val Entertainment banner that are producing different projects that they feel passionate about so that I’m not producing every film directly and I can focus on only films that I’m really passionate about or other projects outside of film entirely.
In addition to film, my husband and I also own a book publishing company, Edifi Publishing, that released our first non-fiction book, “CounterCulture Marriage,” and we are about to send our first children’s board book, “The Lord’s Prayer” to print in a couple weeks. We also speak at several faith-based functions and conferences throughout the year together on various topics.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t know that many people who have found success would say it’s been an easy road. For me, it was difficult in three major areas.
As a Christian, I believe in allowing God to open the doors of opportunity and simply walking in obedience. However, I’m naturally a very ambitious, career-minded, “make-it-happen” kind of person, so I was constantly checking myself to make sure that I wasn’t trying to make something happen for or by myself.
From a work ethics perspective, any drop of success comes from hard work and perseverance. I can’t even count how many times I wanted to quit and give up and get a “normal” job with a “normal” life because I didn’t see any results from endless hours of blood, sweat and tears. I’ve never had one minute in my adult life where I haven’t had a growing to-do list of what needs to be done next to prepare myself for the next project or opportunity. With three start-up companies, three children and being a pastor’s wife (my husband is the Pastor of Free Chapel Midtown that meets at the Woodruff Arts Center – shameless plug), I have had to sacrifice the idea of downtime. It’s only recently, after years of meltdowns being the norm, that I’ve learned to say “no”, set limits everywhere and have a truly healthy work-life balance.
And lastly, its been a challenge learning to be a good leader. I have experienced so many struggles that I’m literally about to write a book to detail the things I’ve learned from my decade of mistakes. I’ve got a naturally direct, “all business” personality and I’ve had to learn to be more relational (especially as a female in a male-dominated industry) because I have no desire to be “the best” (if I ever achieve that) in my own bubble. I absolutely love working with a team and I want people to love working with me and feel like I’m their biggest cheerleader in helping them achieve their own career goals apart from what they do for me. But even though that’s in my heart, it doesn’t always come out that way very naturally. I’m still a work in progress, I think everyone is, but I can tell you that every experience has taught me more than I could ever have researched on my own.
There are some things that you can only learn by struggling through the experience. So I love to encourage people to step out and say “yes” to every opportunity that presents itself (when you are young and still trying to find what you are doing with your life) because even if it’s not the opportunity you are specifically interested in, every opportunity can further shape your character and it’s those experiences that mold you so you can be prepared to step into the opportunities you are pursuing. Success is in the struggle.
En’val Entertainment – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
En’val handles the development, production and marketing strategy for feature films (and potentially TV in the near future). Although all our projects have a faith purpose, my desire is not to make “faith-based“ films. As in, I’d like to make films that can entertain mainstream audiences, but also give them something deeper and more spiritual to ponder without telling them directly what that is.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s difficult for me to stop long enough to celebrate any successes because I always see what’s next. LOL But I think seeing our book, “CounterCulture Marriage” in a physical Barnes & Noble store in Atlanta, was really exciting. And of course, we bought one, even though I’ve got about a thousand of them in my garage!
Being able to see the most recent movie, “Tulsa,” come to a completion and see the fingerprints of everyone involved and how it all came together is incredibly rewarding. My favorite part of that movie is the end credits. I literally cry physical tears when I watch those credits because it just reminds me how absolutely beautiful it is to have so many different people, with so many different skillsets and personalities, come together with a unified vision and be able to create something amazing together.
Lastly, and this is probably the little celebrity-stricken girl in me, one of the highlights of my career has been having the opportunity to sit-down in the office of one of the public figures that I look up to the most, Devon Franklin, and have a 30-minute conversation with him. It was surreal and I’m truly hoping it was not a one-time thing, but we’ll see what the future holds!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.gloriastella.com | http://www.envalentertainment.com
- Instagram: @thegloriastella | @envalentertainment
- Facebook: @thegloriastella | @envalentertainment
- Twitter: @thegloriastella | @enval_ent
Image Credit:
Headshot only – Amanda Hamlin photography
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