Today we’d like to introduce you to Lacie Doll.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Unclassified Media began as a simple YouTube series about a group of black, lesbian friends living in the Florida Keys. In 2016, I was facing deep depression and I desperately needed to find a purpose in order to save myself from myself. I explained everything I was feeling to my partner at the time and one thing she asked me was, “what is it that you want to do and how can I help?” that question meant so much to me. No one had ever asked me that kind of thing before. I spent the next few days afterwards really thinking about what would help me and one day, while I was lying in bed, it just hit me. I wanted to finally write something I’d let the world know about. I called one of my friends on the island and presented the idea to her and though she wasn’t an actress, she agreed to be a part of the cast and then, the rest of my friends hopped on board as well. Everyone just wanted to help me be okay, it was amazing to receive that kind of support. I wrote season one and started filming Unclassified the Series like two months later. Once we started releasing episodes, the show just took off which showed me, first hand, what the power of a good story could do. From there on, I just started honing in on my craft and believing in myself and my skills as a writer.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been fairly easy to get people to audition and sign up to help with Unclassified the Series. The toughest part about creating a series with your friends as the cast and your partner as the crew is having to separate the friendships from the work relationships. I lost a few friends along the way and I lost my partner as well. When I moved to Atlanta last year, I told myself I’d do things differently as far as separating business from personal relationships. I filmed season two before I moved with the intention of releasing the season in 2019. My ex was my video editor and had all copies of the footage. She ended up losing it somehow and it was impossible to recover or reshoot what we needed. I began releasing season two of the show but never got the opportunity to finish the series. That was the hardest struggle I faced. My character on the show wrote a series of books about her friends (other characters) and the entire second season was written around that storyline. I actually wrote and released the first of the book series in reality. The real release of that book and its success relied heavily on its connection to the characters millions of people have grown to love. I almost didn’t release Unclassified the Book because of the demise of the show. Ultimately, I had to realize that things in life don’t always go the way you want them to but that doesn’t mean you stop or give up. I chose to release the first of the three-book series even though it didn’t tie into the on-screen storyline the way I initially wanted it too.
Please tell us about Unclassified Media – what should we know?
Unclassified Media is a growing media company that started from one web series called Unclassified the Series. Under the Unclassified umbrella, I released a book about the characters from the show told from the perspective of the characters. The book will be a three-part series. I am writing movies, I’m releasing a spin-off show called Icon that’ll release in 2020 and in the fall of 2019, I will be starting an audio and visual podcast where I talk about all kinds of unclassified things called Talk that Talk with Lacie. My overall goal is to learn as much about media and entertainment as I can and become well versed in all facets of production. Unclassified Media will grow to be its own brand. I will use my VA loan to own and operate my own production company and continue to produce content in ATL. I’m most proud of the fact that I started. I battle with bipolar depression so some days, I genuinely struggle to feel anything or even get out of bed and when I do get out of bed, I don’t feel like a person. I’m just a shell and I feel like the whole world is moving but I’m not. I want to but I genuinely can’t make myself. Writing and creating gives me a purpose. The thing that sets me apart from other writers is my style. I like for everything to tie into each other. I sprinkle a little bit of the last story into every new one. To my knowledge, I’m also the first person to write an LGBT YouTube series and a book series based off my show. I think people have tried to do it the other way around before but I’m the first to do it the way I have.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My ex and my friends definitely played a big role in my success. The entire cast of Unclassified the Series is made up of active-duty servicewomen. None of which had ever acted prior to the show. They genuinely did what they did in order to help me. My ex had no prior experience editing video but she spent so much time learning how to in order to edit my show. Those women saved my life and never demanded anything from me in return. Another person who I always credit is Steven Davis, the creator of Lipstick the Series on YouTube. Even if he didn’t always agree with my style or vision, he agreed to be my mentor and help me in any way he could. I learned so much about how to be a producer from him. There are a lot of things we have to learn first hand in order to grow as bosses, but it helps a great deal to have someone who has been there and done that to take you under their wing and give you genuine guidance. He gave that to me and I appreciate him.
Pricing:
- Unclassified the Series is free to watch on YouTube
- Unclassified the Book is sold on Amazon. the paperback copies are $10.99 and the kindle version is $4.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Unclassified-Book-Angels-Lacie-Doll/dp/1099476097/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2V4L1ZLLSY6Z6&keywords=unclassified+the+book&qid=1563859352&s=gateway&sprefix=unclassi%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1
- Email: unclassifiedtheseries@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/itsme_lacie | instagram.com/unclassified_media
- Other: Youtube.com/c/unclassifiedtheseries
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