Today we’d like to introduce you to Latasha Choe Johnson.
Hi Latasha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was little, my dad, my sister and I used to print out our favorite movie scripts and act out the scenes in our living room. My most vivid memory is reenacting the infamous Lt. Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise) and Col. Jessep (played by Jack Nicholson) courtroom showdown from “A Few Good Men.” I was Col. Jessep and my dad was Lt. Kaffee. My dad was berating me, trying to get me to admit to ordering the code red. My sister is playing Kevin Bacon’s role and objecting her ass off. My dad is getting in my face and finally, I explode and say it “YOU GOT DAMN RIGHT I ORDERED THE CODE RED!!!”.
Since then, movies have had my heart. My dad invented Netflix before Netflix was Netflix. We had a movie delivery service called “Fox’s Video Delivery,” and much to my teenage angst, we would drive that bright yellow van everywhere. I had the privilege to watch every movie that came out in the 90s and early 2000s.
I wrote my first play my senior year in high school. I had the most amazing teacher, Mrs. Roberson, who would encourage all of us to use our creative gifts. One day, I told her that the Spark Notes of Macbeth was super interesting, but when I read the story in Shakespeare’s prose, I would “lose” the story. I couldn’t enjoy it, because I couldn’t understand it. I told her it would be “better” if it was written in our current speech. She challenged me to rewrite Macbeth and that she would take her personal money and time to help me put on a play. I went home that night and wrote my first play, “Macbeth: A Hip Hopera”. I was inspired by Robert Townsend’s hip hop musical “Carmen”. She kept her word and our English class stayed late every day to rehearse this play that I wrote on yellow legal paper.
Since then, I’ve been creating. I signed to an acting agency in Atlanta and got frustrated at the lack of depth in the roles I was getting. There’s only so many times one can play a snotty girl, a hot girl or hot secretary. I met some other actresses in the city at the industry networking event put on by Producer Autumn Bailey “Get Connected” who were just as frustrated and they invited me to join the acting troupe “The Cinema Dolls.” We began filming our own projects and putting on our own screener events. Everyone would pitch in $50-$100 and we would take that $500 and create PSAs and short films trying to get the attention of “The Industry.” In 2013, we created our first short film, “Barry Simone,” written, starring and co-directed by me. Technically it’s “terrible,” but story-wise, it’s one of my favorite movies ever. I love dry, sarcastic comedy.
In 2016, I created my production company and shot another short film, “Pool.” I invested a couple thousand in it and hired a team. It was so important that I paid every person who collaborated with me. Technically I felt like it was another “disaster” as it was the first film I edited myself. But taking that leap of faith got the attention of my peers and folks started asking me to “shoot them.” I was getting asked to film birth documentaries, cover events and music videos. I did those projects and reinvested in my film company. I’m a filmmaker but most importantly, I’m a storyteller. Actor, Director, Producer, Writer, I’m whatever I gotta be to tell the story.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In hindsight, it feels hella smooth because I made it through…I’m making it through. I was able to move to Atlanta after doing three long days on set of the movie “The Three Stooges” as an extra. That $125/8 gave me just enough to put down a deposit for an apartment and I was able to study how a “real” set operated.
I worked every job that was available to me but three jobs that pay minimum wage still isn’t enough to live off of let alone pay for acting class. There were moments I had to chose between the light bill and acting class and I chose acting class. That may sound wholly irresponsible and my dad would flip his sh*t if he knew I did that, but at the time, I felt like the art was more important. The art was my light. I told myself, “I’m barely home from working so much; who needs lights or warm water.” Ha!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in telling stories. I love all the ways that a story can be told. From music videos, documentaries, scripts, short films, features and more. Stories is how we, as creatives, change the world. It is how we influence perception and inject empathy into our culture.
This year I closed my first network licensing deal with OutTV for the docuseries The Tranz Form. The Tranz Form was a project I did to help bring more awareness to the issues facing the Black Trans community. I’m an activist at heart and am always looking to share my gift to help bring awareness to issues facing our community. I had seen story after story about violence against Black Trans Womxn and wanted to help, but I wasn’t confident that as a Cis- Hetero- Black Womxn, I was the one to help these womxn tell their story. So I walked away from the project in the beginning. The creator, Octavia Yearwood, fought for me to stay on because she trusted my ability to tell an honest story.. and frankly no one else was available/willing to do the incredible amount of work for cheap/free. And that’s how I ended up filming, editing and producing all six episodes of The Tranz Form.
Three months after hitting YouTube, we began to receive calls from networks and publications all over the world wanting to license and cover the show. That was a shock at first. Sure, I’m confident in my gift, but my editing skills are intermediate at best and I wrestled with the “technical quality” of what I created. At times I didn’t even think it was good enough to be uploaded to Youtube. My ‘fear’ was “what if people see it and think it sucks because the sound is off in some spots?” So to hear that a major international network wanted to license and broadcast something I created in my bedroom to 23+ countries was like… DAMN. It’s proof that it’s not about the camera or gear you have. It’s about the story you create. If you put your all in something and keep your intentions pure, then the universe (God) will do the rest. Believe in yourself enough to PUT IT OUT THERE. Don’t just leave your work in a folder on a hard drive because it’s imperfect. Put it out there and give the universe something to grasp onto. You know the saying “If you build it, they will come.”
The feedback from The Tranz Form has been amazing and made every minute “worth” it. To have scholars at Stanford University view and discuss something I created is surreal. To have my work displayed in an Art Museum in Miami as ART alongside paintings and sculptures is WOW. To hear my stepmom, who I feel is fairly conservative, say that after watching the first episode, she has a completely different view on trans folks and wants to do outreach to help them find employment and housing really moved me. That is why I do what I do. To change the perspective and subsequent actions of real people.
As far as what’s next. I directed a short film, “MOMMAS,” that is coming out soon. I was able to work with an amazing production team Anthony R. Page of Blue Bistro Creative and writer, Leslie Black, in Atlanta, GA. The film is about four mothers who have had sons murdered by police and a District Attorney who refuses to press charges. The Mommas take justice into their own hands and pay the DA a “visit.”
I have a few scripts floating around so who knows, maybe you’ll hear about those soon.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I really want to stress how important it is to put your work out there. So many creatives I know create these beautiful works of art but never put it out in the world or send their script out because it’s not on the level of what we consider “official.” Your short film may have been filmed on a $300 camera, your script may have some formatting errors but in the grand scheme of things… those technical “faults” don’t matter. I’ve fallen asleep on many technically sound movies and can’t read through perfectly formatted 100-page scripts. The technical soundness that we all seek will come through doing. I’ve learned that it doesn’t just come from a studio or major corporation signing off on you… it comes from other artists investing their magic in your creation. The key of all this is collaboration. Nothing is done alone. What we do will always need collaboration. Put your work out there and find some people to practice and play make-believe with. One day your work will match your ambition… until then… press on!
Contact Info:
- Email: latasha@the1106story.com
- Website: www.1106story.com
- Instagram: @Latasha.Choe.johnson
- Twitter: @latashacjohnson
Image Credits
Feature photo credit: DJ VanCronkhite On set pics: Anthony Page (Blue Bistro Creative) Pic of me in red top in front of steps: Photographer: Quay Hu Yellow
