Local StoriesAugust 4, 2022

Conversations with Antoinette Dormer Whitman

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antoinette Dormer Whitman.

Hi Antoinette, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I wear my untraditional film student title produly. I feel like at times working in the industry it’s hard because we get caught up in the shoulda coulda woulda’s of the game, you know, comparison being the thief of joy. The way I see it is traditional students come on set with technical knowledge and little to no hands on experience and non traditional students get it the opposite way- hands on that grows into technical knowledge. I got started working in TV/Film as Talent- background acting if you will- I did a short film and a stage play as well. My first time back in front of the camera, I knew this was where I was supposed to be. I saw the rest of my life play out on set that day- playing a secretary on the CBS show INSTINCT. Things moved quickly, but so did my need for more. I was at a point in my life where I needed to be fulfilled wholly when it came to work. I wanted more control over my roles, and quite frankly, I wanted to be SAG. Regardless of the narrative I told myself or the actual disparities I saw on sets in regards to casting, I knew entertainment was where I was supposed to be so I stayed committed… I stayed in the magic. Late Spring of 2018, I attended a woman in tv networking event in Brooklyn, held by The Light Leaks. This Is where I met Amanda Cowper, one of the panelists and a Producer at Late Night at Seth Myers. We chatted about fashion, the industry and exchanged information.

A month later she sent me a DM on IG and asked me to be a part of a short film she was directing and co-producing. She asked if I’d be interested in acting as well as being a PA (production assistant). I jumped at the acting opportunity as well as the PA position, even though I didn’t know what a PA was. I replied, “of course I will but… I’ve never been a PA before, I am always open to learning new things and I’m a quick learner”. I also threw in my best friend’s name in there because he and I were both grinding at that time (put ya friends on!) . On the set of this Short film, my life became even more clear as far as my entertainment goals were concerned. The way I describe it is, before I walked on the set of that film my career was a cloudy day, on the set of ‘Thirdy’, the clouds cleared, the sun came out and I knew exactly what I needed to do to move my career forward. That day I decided I was going to work my way up in production and circle back to acting. I worked as a PA for about two months before that need for more kicked in again. I knew I had more to offer my team and I saw that they were unable to value my opinion while I was in that position. The next thing for me was becoming an AD- Assistant Director. I admired the AD I worked with, he carried himself in a slightly different way than other AD’s I had worked with. He was calm and very respectful, he was a teacher and most importantly a leader. I called him up and asked him to teach me how to be an AD.

The call took about an hour, it was a great call. I learned something so important that day. He said to me on our call, “I never thought of you in that way, I just know having by my side as a key PA , I know things are going to get done.” At that moment all I heard was him saying yes he was going to teach me but a little while after what he actually said fully sunk in. No matter how good I was he wasn’t going to ever see me as anything more than a really good PA- not gate keeping, putting me in a box! Two weeks later he booked me as 2nd 2nd AD, and soon after I transitioned into working as an AD full-time. I ended the year workign as 1st AD on a shoot for Fox Bet Sorts with a small crew. The next month I took a leap of faith and moved to LA. A couple of months in, I got my first AP (associate Producer) gig and began my journey to becoming a producer. A year after that I started my own Production company with my business partner Nanichi Oliva. I wrote, produced, and acted in our first short film under Divine & Align Media, our production company.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was and is not smooth. It has moments where I get to sail, feel the air, and bask in the breeze but every now and again, turbulence and rain hit. I consider myself a late bloomer. I spent 10 years being a stay-at-home mom and wife. Naturally, finding myself here happily in purpose, I felt like I had to make up for lost time. Once it all aligned, I didn’t want to waste another minute of my life doing ANYTHING that I wasn’t passionate about. This is when things got very real. One of the biggest struggles came with managing motherhood and my very demanding career. Without a doubt, the hardest part was and still is having my daughter stay back in New Jersey while I moved to LA to progress my career. On top of finding the working mother balance, fist fighting with self-doubt almost every day has proven to be very exhausting. It gets easier to manage but self-doubt is a pesky B word. One of the things no one tells you about healing and evolving is that it is not a one-time fix. Healing, it is a lifestyle change that takes extreme commitment to accountability, introspection and being intentional about not sleeping on yourself. Whew, and don’t forget the grace. Remembering to offer myself grace all while simultaneously pushing myself towards greatness is the new daily fight. It’s giving… every entrepreneur and creative should receive free therapy from the govt. Nothing is perfect and the journey getting here sure wasn’t pretty but when you love what you do and you walk in purpose, it’s all in divine alignment.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as a freelance producer. I am currently working in the unscripted space as a talent producer. I started working in unscripted on a Facebook watch and Shaderoom reality show titled “love Locked”. Since I’ve worked with VH1 and with Bravo. At the same time, I am an independent producer and free from creative. I have my own production company- Divine & Align media. I run this company with my Co-founder Nanichi Oliva. We’ve completed and have won laurels for our 1st short film ‘Loud Triumphs’ and we are currently in post-production with our 2nd short, titled ‘Sauced’. We have 1 short currently in pre-production filming in LA and are in the final stages of development for a psychological thriller set still film in Savannah, GA in 2023. We have also produced other short-form content and creative photo shoots both here in Atlanta as well as in LA.

I specialize in development. At Divine & Align Media, we consider ourselves a full-service media company which means we’re committed to taking all media from a thought, a working concept/idea to creation. We’re known for running positive, collaborative, and empowering sets. We are 100% committed to art and amplifying black/brown + Queer voices in story telling. We take care of our cast AND our crews. After working with us our clients + collaborators see that what we do is on divine time so therefore, it’s all in alignment.

I’m most proud of doing everything I said I was going to do and making my daughter proud at the same time. What sets me apart, I’m approachable, I’m real, I’m dedicated to holding space and empowering my class of creatives.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a wild kid, I lived outside in the dirt- I have the scars to prove it. I used to call myself a tomboy but I’m starting to think that was never true. That label came from one year my dad picked out all my school clothes- AND 1, BOSS, and those big Junco jeans ruled my life that 4th grade year. Looking back, I see I was always tapped into my divinity. I was the class clown, the family comedian, and obviously talented! I was always called in to retell stories. My Jamaican accent is pretty weak these days but I’m getting my impersonation game up as we speak, lol. When I was younger, I did a little modeling and a pageant or two. I’ve always wanted to be on TV or “in the tv” as I used to say as a kid. Fashion and entertainment have always ruled my life.

Contact Info:

Website: https://www.divineandalign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divineandalign_media/ | https://www.instagram.com/bitchstayevolving/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antoinette.dormer/
Other: https://vimeo.com/user149548763

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