Today we’d like to introduce you to B. Danielle Watkins
Hi B. Danielle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey sounds so crazy because it forces me to recognize that this journey has been going on for over 10 years. That is beyond crazy to me! My first poem was published when I was 15 years old, and honestly, at that point, I had no idea that my life would take the twists and turns that would turn into my career today. I am an international award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, television and film producer, director, and actress. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, alone (for all intents and purposes) during the winter months, you had to find something to do because going outside was not an option, so I chose writing. I used to take my friends and makeup stories, and at church, we would exchange notebooks, read the stories, and create new ones. Then, when I was in my first undergraduate program (HBCU STRONG WSSU!!) I was in a relationship, and for some reason, I started to create a fictional version of us. I used my friends, sorority sisters, and boyfriend and just made this world. Some years passed, and one of my childhood friends was getting into independent filmmaking, and we were talking, and I was like, oh yeah, I have a story. I sent him the story, and he sent it back to me and told me he needed me to publish the book first before he did anything with it. I was so MAD! I was like, no, this is not what I want, just take the damn story! He wouldn’t. I thought I was going to prove him wrong, so I sent it to a traditional publishing house. I got a letter in the mail a few months later offering a $8,000 advance for the book. I was completely floored. Ultimately, I did not take that offer, but I ended up getting a three-book deal, which turned me into an author. 2 years later, I got the opportunity to write my first script and, the next year, my first movie. Now today, I have more than six feature films spread across Peacock, Apple + TV, Tube, Prime Video, etc. I have become a best-selling author. I have traveled the world creating films. I produce for the number 1 true crime show on TV One. My career has been beyond my wildest dreams, and I am just getting started.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing worth having comes easy. No, my career has not been smooth. There have been long nights, tears, emotion, hopelessness, confusion, reworking, redirection, staleness, plateaus, and deep dark valleys. In the movie “The Five Heartbeats” (one of my faves), During the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame scene, Duck said, “Donald Matthews will become a great writer when he suffers more.” The thought process is that true artistry comes from true pain. The thought that you cannot be great without adversity. The phoenix rising. I wholeheartedly believe that sole artists will endure more pain than the general public because there are stories that evolve from pain and adversity that will touch the lives of those who do not have the strength we have.
I have dealt with losing money, needing money, people lying, people claiming copyright infringement, people backing out of large deals, people purposely sabotaging, people planting seeds of deceit, and I am still here.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I tell stories. All my titles and awards boil down to that. I am known for tackling difficult subjects, LGBTQIA+ content, women’s stories, stories of abuse, and stories of things that some are afraid to face head-on. In 2017, I created the first all-black lesbian sitcom that made me the first and only African American filmmaker to write, produce, and star in a REVRY original series. In 2022, my film Coming Home For Christmas became the first African American Lesbian Christmas film to stream on a major streaming platform, then in 2023, my film The Calling became the first African American Lesbian Religious film to be on a major streaming platform.
Those are the things I am proud of. I am proud of trailblazing from African American lesbian filmmakers and African American lesbian stories. To be clear, I tell all kinds of stories, but being an African American lesbian is such an underserved community and a community where the stories told are not authentic. That is where the need is, and I would be missing my platform if I didn’t use my God-given gifts to bring entertainment and shine a light on a community that I love so dearly.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
This is a good question. Google Calendar is my best friend. I use Final Draft for script creation and Microsoft Word for novel creation. Those are the things that are my lifelines in technology.
Pricing:
- Writing Coach – starting at $750
- Screenwriting – starting at $1000
- Novel Writing – starting at $1000
- Ghost Writing – starting at $1500
- Directing Coaching – starting at $2000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bdaniellewatkins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacbutterflii/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=73901069
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BDanielleWatkins
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6726958/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credits
Michele Dearing
Xavior
Maverick Entertainment
Halo International Publishing
