We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aliyah Holmes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aliyah, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I was always open to new opportunities. I never wanted to limit myself to just production because I wanted to do a bit of everything. I love being creative and coming up with ideas from marketing plans to show concepts and collaborative projects. I knew what I wanted my career to be when I was thirteen. I took television production classes in high school and pursued them all through college. As passionate as I was, I had no idea how to achieve my goals. I lacked guidance; I wish I had the chance to be surrounded by more like-minded people in my career field sooner. Being teachable and resilient is a skill that has been essential to me. I sometimes tend to get in the way of myself by doubting my abilities. It has been hard for me to believe in myself sometimes because growing up, people doubted me. People laugh in my face and tell me I could never. I grew up in a single-parent home with my two brothers, where my mom struggled to make ends meet. We lived in a town where two of my cousins were tragically killed. Financially and emotionally, it was far from easy. My dreams were beyond me just being a product of my environment. I’ve shied away from opportunities because I felt I was not as capable or deserving as someone else. I have now been fortunate to be surrounded by supportive people that see beyond my potential, seeing something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself.
Aliyah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Aliyah Holmes, and I am from Amityville, New York. I started as a production assistant for a local talk show on WL-NY. I worked on set for over a year, assisting in all departments from wardrobe to lighting, building the set, and checking in guests. I was the first one there and the last to leave once we broke down the stage. It set the standard for how I wanted my work ethic going forward in the industry. In 2018, I started as an intern at Nasha Clark Inc, an entertainment PR company where I now serve as a junior publicist. I provide publicity services for RBRM 2018 tour, and AEG presents Martin Lawrence’s ‘LIT AF’ Tour. I also facilitated brand deals and press to YouTube stars Ava and Alexis McClure, Queen Naija, Blame it on Kway, and clothing brand Support Black Colleges under the direction of Nasha Clark. I have also assisted in producing Support Black Colleges: Virtual Homecoming and Madam Noire Artist Loft. What sets me apart is I love to be challenged and accept primary responsibilities because I thrive in chaos. I have always been big on paying attention, thinking ahead, and doing what is expected of me before it’s asked. Being so diverse in entertainment, I started Make it Top of The Line Inc to begin laying the stepping stones for the entertainment powerhouse I am creating revolving around the different aspects I am passionate about. From creating various genres of television shows and publicity services to web and game design. I am most proud of the drama series titled Lavish I developed. It is my first significant show idea that is of interest.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part about being creative is spending every day pursuing my passion. I see an idea I thought about in my head come to life. The art of storytelling and building an emotional connection with your audience through fictional characters fascinates me. My favorite part of storytelling is conveying stories by playing devil’s advocate, showing the audience that there are always two sides to storytelling and more than one way to be correct. Being introduced to new ways of thinking and seeing life is rewarding because I see how much my craft has progressed on and off camera over the years. I love seeing the impact my work has on others, especially when those whose work I admire think I have something to offer and have good ideas.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I do not allow myself to give up and I learned not to let ‘no’ discourage me; I take it as a sign to think bigger and do better. I know my potential, combined with my relentlessness, makes me unstoppable. I know I’m here to serve a bigger purpose. I’ve always dreamt about my sharing my ideas with the world. Even on the nights I wanted to give up, I would ask myself, “give up and do what?” I stopped giving myself options because there weren’t any. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else day in and day out for the rest of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.makeittopoftheline.com
- Instagram: __Topoftheline
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliyah-holmes-35375592
Image Credits
Tim Carver, Elijah Johnson