We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anthony R Page. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anthony R below.
Alright, Anthony R thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
One of the current projects for my company, Blue Bistro Creative, is MEN IN MY BED. It’s a short film based on the autobiography of the same name by Mercuries Ryzen.
As I read the book there was so much detail in her life that resonated with me. And as we began to develop a part of her life story into a film, I realized how important this would be, not only for the author but for her family, and Black people overall.
I say this because for many decades others have controlled our narrative; which
has led to perceptions about Black people that are inaccurate, inauthentic, and incomplete.
Now that the barriers to entry to this form of storytelling are quite a bit lower, we can take more control of our identity and tell our stories from our point of view, There has been an explosion of Black storytelling over the last few decades, and it’s exciting to see.
There is now, and growing, a better sharing of the depth and breadth of our humanity with the world and that is an extraordinary shift in the paradigm. There is yet more work to be done, but we are moving steadily into a more complete view of our human experience.
This value is central to the types of stories we want to tell. As we did an analysis of the types of projects that we are most interested in, we recognized that many of them were/are centered around the Black identity. Who are we really? Who have we been and what can we be?
We are very concerned about communicating the truth about who we are in the world in a variety of ways.
Anthony R, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Anthony R. Page has worked on more than 300 productions across his career – operating under the moniker Blue Bistro Creative. He works primarily as a film producer, director, and writer; however, he has spent years learning various parts of the production process – including acting on stage and in front of the camera as well as set design, marketing, and editing, to name a few.
Current projects include “Remembering Momma,” a film about a woman whose identity begins to deteriorate due to early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease, and its life changing impact on her family. This dramatic short was nominated in the Best Short Film category during the 2021 HAPA Awards in Los Angeles; and Best Short Film and Best Director for the 2022 International Black and Diversity Film Festival in Toronto, Canada – Anthony wrote, directed, produced, and edited this film.
Other current projects include “Men In My Bed” – a short based on a book of the same name, – now in post-production. One of the many projects he has in development is “Mood” – an abstract drama about a young woman coming to terms with every part of herself. This short goes into production in fall of 2022. Page serves as writer, producer, and director on each of these projects.
Other recent activity includes producing and directing, two music videos: “You” by Neo-inspirational artist Moyani and “Amnesia” by R&B/Soul singer Rhonda Rich.
Anthony began his professional career as an actor. Recent works include co-starring roles in the films “P.I.G.S.” (Spellz Productions), “Angela” (a spec TV pilot by Cafe Negro con Limon), “A Train To Nowhere” (Nahor Films), “Summer” (StorytellHer Productions), “Vanity Vixens” (Sankofa One Entertainment), and “The Christians” (Thea Casey Media) – a TV series, distributed through SONY’s Pureflix streaming platform, now going into its second season.
Page, a 2019 Taurean Award nominee, has written several stage plays. Among them is “A Voice on The Winds of Change,” “Strugglin’,” “The Commitment” and “Somewhere in Summerville” — which was a runner-up for Best in Show at the 2018 Atlanta Black Theatre Festival.
A life-long student, Page earned an Associate’s Degree from Saint Leo University and later graduated from Georgia State University with four Bachelor’s Degrees — Accounting, Finance, Theater, and Film & Video Production.
He also completed an MBA at the University of Phoenix and a certificate program in Multimedia Arts from Sessions College of Professional Design. He has recently completed a certificate program in Film and Television at New York University and is taking leadership classes at Harvard University.
Anthony has partnered with the APEX Museum in Atlanta, GA. The institution has a 40-year legacy that is expanding into a streaming platform called the APEX Museum TV Network. As one of the program directors, Page will be helping the museum source and develop original content.
Awards and Accolades
Several of his produced films have been recognized. “The Conduit” won Best Short Film during the 2021 HAPA Awards and “Mommas,” a featurette released in 2021, was a finalist in the JARO Film Competition at the Peachtree Village International Film Festival.
The 2018 film “Body and Son” won Best Narrative Short in the Atlanta Underground Film Festival and “Armed and Dangerous” (2017) won the Gold Award at the LA Neo Noir Film Festival.
Other accolades include “Summer” which won Best Georgia Film during the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival and “Keep The Engine Running” which won Best Action Film during the Atlanta Shorts Festival. In both projects, Anthony was a part of the leading ensemble cast.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Financial independence drives my creative journey. Not just money for the sake of money, but developing a means to fund your own life. Jobs dictate so much of who we are and what we can become.
I didn’t like what my series of jobs were offering and decided to become a business owner. I was not ready. The idea of being an entrepreneur sounds sexy and appealing until you actually do the work, But here I am 14 years later, still standing.
In order to be a successful business owner, I had to change everything, literally everything. So much of my life was built around being a good employee and I knew how to do that very well. But being a business owner is an entire shift in lifestyle, thought process, literally everything.
As an example, when you are an employee, you have a set of tasks, most likely in one area. So your focus is on that one thing or set of things, but as a business owner, it’s all yours. You can no longer think in a silo. Your thoughts and actions and have to consider your operation from a 360-degree perspective.
And now that I have learned and am learning this I want to make sure my kids and grandkids learn this. I want to move my family from being employees to being employers, essentially a generational paradigm shift. This is my “why,” this is what drives me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Find your group – most people spend time with the people they have things in common with, and that makes sense.
But as a business owner, my greatest return comes from spending time understanding my customers, being where they are, and understanding their priorities. Essentially I found “my” audience. The people who value what I do, and are willing to patronize that. So when I give time to “my” group, it returns to me in the form of patronage.
There is a return on my investment of time and other resources. This was a very important lesson. I remember doing stage plays and had a huge database of other actors, directors, writers, and essentially all entertainment folks. So most of my marketing was to them. I assume they liked what I did and expected some of their support. Well most of them didn’t show, time after time.
It was regular main street folks who were the biggest supporters of my business in terms of ticket sales and then the light bulb went off…and I had an “ah-ha” moment. At that moment I realized that if my business is going to grow, it will not be so much by what my peers do or don’t do, but what my audience wants…this is where I spend my time and the fruits from these trees are continually blooming as long as I properly tend my fields. Know your audience/customers!!! Focus on them!!! Everything else is just a distraction to your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anthonyrpage.blogspot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthony.r.page/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyRPageActorDirectorWriterProducer
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/anthonyrpagefilmtvtheater
- Twitter: @RenaissanceNow
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb2NmPYdND7WUU1wlsOfL1g
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SEBlackArtsCultureCommerce
Image Credits
Terry Echols of Echo Photographix