Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Diane Anderson.
Alisa Diane, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
At an early age, I showed signs that I would indeed become a star. Entertaining was something that I loved to do. At family reunions, my cousins and I would sing and dance, and at home, I was always writing poetry and short stories of which I would have anyone who would participate in performing them. In school, I was always in a show choir or drama class and relished in my competitive ability to consistently win and stand out as an amazing athlete. So it wasn’t a surprise to my family when I would call home and invite them to plays and productions that I was putting together while a student at the University of Cincinnati.
However, what was a surprise, was when I made the decision to enter into the entertainment field as my chosen career. After spending five years earning a degree that my family thought would secure me a stable future, in 2005, with a few small productions under my belt, I set out to create a production that could be compared to the likes of my role model Tyler Perry. I used everything I had to secure a prestigious well-respected venue, generated a script, composed and wrote five original songs, and put together a stellar band and cast.
For nine months, I began shaping and molding what would later be known as the stage play, “Go Get Your Life Back.” In 2006, “Go Get Your Life Back” graced the stage of the prestigious Aronoff Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio to a nearly sold-out audience, and a few years later I followed it up with, “Secrets… What’s Swept Under The Rug?”, which traveled with rave reviews. The later pushed me to make a move that I felt would help me further my career in the entertainment industry. In the spring of 2008, I relocated from Cincinnati, Ohio to Atlanta, Georgia.
In a city dubbed as the “Black Hollywood,” I was sure that I would advance myself, I just had to find my way. While trying to find my niche, I began to network, and found myself on the set of Hattie Lemon’s “Atlanta Homicide” and Tyler Perry’s “Why did I get Married Too.” Though acting takes a back seat to my love for writing and directing, I knew that I had to start somewhere and that is what I did. Continuing to network, in 2011, I brought my stellar play “Secrets… What’s Swept Under The Rug?” to Atlanta, and once again it was a huge success.
Though theater plays are where I got my start, being exposed to the film and production side of entertainment started my hand in writing screenplays and film scripts. So, in addition to the four stage plays I have written directed and produced, “Go Get Your Life Back (2006-2008) “Tomorrow’s Not Promised” (2007-2009), “Secrets… What’s Swept Under the Rug”(2009-2011), and “Nia’s Journey” (2016), I have also written three inspirational faith-based screenplays “Fighting Destiny,” “My Redemption” and “Caught Up,” and a made for TV pilot entitled “Love-Jones.”
Currently, I am in the post-production phase of my first original series “Saved in the City,” which is slated to be released October 27, 2018. Presently, I reside in Atlanta, Georgia, with my husband Darnell, and two children Jameel and La’Shay where I continue to write, adding to my library of completed works and laying the foundation of my business entity, which she appropriately named ASILA Production Company (pronounced Ah-Si-Lay) which is my name spelled backward.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. In addition to working through the process of operating with minimal resources, the hardest thing for me is being away from my family. When you are doing independent projects, all that you have is typically tied up in your projects. So making travel plans to go out of town isn’t always in the budget. So missing milestones and just watching your family getting older from afar is hard. That sacrifice for me is harder than any obstacle I face pursuing my dreams.
ASILA Production Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
ASILA Production Company, founded in 2009 is the home to all of the productions that I have created from 2006 to the present. Those productions would include my stage plays and the series that I have coming out October 27. In 2018, I decided to expand my business horizons and assist other filmmakers and actors in their journey, by providing headshots, demo reels and video auctions services, as well as collaborative writing and directing.
I am a writer, director, and filmmaker and I specialize in telling stories that most would overlook. I have a unique ability to take my audience on an emotional, yet entertaining journey exposes them to different issues and solutions that they may not otherwise understand or receive. I would have to say that this is also what I am known for.
I am most proud of the company’s ability to produce quality productions. The thing that sets me apart from others is that my perspective on the stories I choose to tell has made a meaningful impact on those who are privy to experience them.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as never giving up. I have always been told that “nothing beats a failure, but a TRY.” I feel that as long as you are actively pursuing what it is, you are passionate about, or that thing that is driving you, success is inevitable. You will achieve what you are seeking/pursuing, and to me, that is success.
My criteria for achieving success is reminding myself of what I was put on this earth to do. Constantly encouraging myself through the hard times and praising my achievements when I’ve hit my marks. I remind myself that when I do feel like I’m failing, that the “failure” is a part of the process, and that I have to trust the process.
Pricing:
- Red Carpet Premiere For The Series Saved In The City – Tickets 10.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alisadiane.com
- Phone: 614-266-6595
- Email: alisadiane@gmail.com
- Instagram: @msasila
- Facebook: @asila2u
- Twitter: @msasila
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