Khaliah Neal- Part 2
Picking up where we left off with part 2 of my chat with the cool, calm, and collected producer Khaliah Neal.
If you missed part 1, please take a moment to check that out first and then come back.
As I mentioned in last week’s post, at the time of this recording, she was finishing up THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO alongside Plan B and A24 which premiered in competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The film won the Grand Jury Awards for Best Direction and Best Creative Collaboration and is in theaters now.
Director Joe Talbot also got nominated for a well-deserved DGA award last week!
It was one of my favorite films of 2019. Oh, and Barack Obama’s too. it is still one of the best pitch deck’s for a feature I’ve ever seen.
You’ll hear me sing it’s praises and also we talk a ton about the short, AMERICAN PARADISE, which was an incredible sample for the feature which had a kickass festival run in 2017.
We do get super real and raw this week…we talk about the hardships of the producer lifestyle, the never-ending imposter syndrome, and not always feeling supported because mentorship is hard to come by. It’s tricky to reveal where you are still growing, but that is the only way we can blossom. Khaliah found safe space to grow in friends like Alana Mayo, who help her navigate the growing pains of this business.
We also explore how do we prioritize our personal vs. professional goals? Can we have it all?
Producers are well equipped to handle the inevitable curve balls life throws at us…but what happens when we have to reckon with our own mortality? When we have to question if we are happy, if the path we’ve chosen is the right one, on what feels like a monthly basis?
Sometimes, it can seem as those who have “made it” have never faced this problem. The truth is, they have, they have just kept going.
So, if you feel alone or isolated in your journey, I’m here to remind you that you are not. It’s hard for all of us, no matter what discipline of the business you choose and no matter how seamless Instagram can make someone else’s path seem.
Stay the course, friends!
And while you are doing so, subscribe on iTunes! Tell a friend! Give me a 5 star review if you like the show! Write me a review! Show yourself!
Let’s build this community and get through the caca….together.
