Today we’d like to introduce you to Lillian Lee.
Lillian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I got my start in Atlanta, GA acting in several stage plays and working as a stand-in on several Will Packer and Tyler Perry produced films. It was then that I discovered I wanted to learn the craft of script supervising. I used this experience to achieve my ultimate goal, becoming a writer, director and producer. Working on many short films, features and TV shows as a script supervisor has prepared me for the next level in my career – 8 episodes of The Walking Dead, feature film American Satan, short-film Freedom H.U.D and feature film Grapes on a Vine are just a few of her filmography credits. I’ve written and directed several short films and music videos through my production company L. Lee Productions. My latest project is an original drama TV series titled Sweethearts. The passion, ambition and love for the art of visual storytelling aligns me in the category of being a fierce female writer and director in the TV and film industry to watch.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
By far has it been a smooth road. The first struggle would be to just tell the story. This is not the usual story told about women. It’s told from the perspective of woman sharing their own stories of sexual affairs, hardships & triumphs in their chosen environment which happens to be the strip club. It took a lot of courage to tell these true stories of what really goes on in the milieu of the strip club & beyond.
The main struggle has been a lack of finances to put the production together. I begin to save as much of my own money as I could. That was not easy to do being a single parent and head of the household trying to survive in a very expensive city, Los Angeles. I finally found an investor that was excited and very supportive of the project. A week before filming the investor decided to pull out on the project and invest his money elsewhere. The investor made many empty promises and that was heartbreaking. At that point, I wanted to give up. It was as if the project itself refuse to give up and I decided to shoot the project off the money I had saved up myself. As I moved forward in pre-production, I received a phone call that changed it all. I had an interested investor just based on reading the script. He believed in the show and within three mos, my team was in full production.
Please tell us about Sweethearts TV Series.
Sweethearts is a one-hour drama series set in the underworld of Atlanta and inspired by real-life experiences and fictionalized events from the milieu of the strip club industry. Our story chronicles the journey of four women from different walks of life that create a bond while working in a strip club. When an injustice rears its ugly head, the effects begin to ripple throughout the crew. Surrounded by an environment of darkness and violence, it won’t be that easy to escape the atrocities of what appears to be their exotic lives.
The full production of Sweethearts is expected to shoot in Atlanta, GA 2020.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
No luck, just persistence and sustaining good working relationships with peers in the same industry. Believing in yourself, keeping the faith and never giving up is what I live by and hope to share with others to give them hope and encouragement as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sweetheartsseries.com
- Instagram: @empresslilee
Image Credit:
Karim Saafir Photography
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