We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amira Shaunice a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amira, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I have a particular talent for telling personal and emotional stories. In 2014, I made my directorial debut with New York Girls, a web series that reflected my circle of friends: lesbian women searching for love while establishing their careers in the big apple. It became the first lesbian web series filmed in NYC with an all-Black cast. To date it’s my most meaningful project because it redefines what it means to be young, black, and queer in America. With each project I create, I want to show that LGBTQ experiences are not a foreign thing because of our sexual preference.
Amira, 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?
Born in Detroit, I attended the Academy of Performing Arts for grade school where I fell in love with acting and joined the drama club. Later I attended high school at Cass Tech where I discovered my gift of storytelling. I am a graduate of Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media – TV/Film/Radio. I interned for CNN’s Nancy Grace in college and moved to New York City to pursue a career in filmmaking. I first garnered attention in 2014 for my YouTube web series, New York Girls TV. Since them I have independently produced one feature film and over 85 episodes of web series in the LGBT genre. My goal as a filmmaker is to make great, uncompromising films; films I can be proud of and that hold true to me as a creator. I’ve only had experience directing independently so far, but I hope in the upcoming years I’ll be able to work on larger budget projects. I’ve been highly praised for being a filmmaker who does it all- donning the hat of a director, producer, show-runner, editor, writer, and cinematographer.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the freedom. I have the freedom to control the narrative, my schedule and the type of content I want to create.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The year 2018 was a tough for me. I was homeless, sleeping in my car and struggling financially. I felt like a failure yet something in me told me to continue to push forward. Rather than walk away from a project I had started, I put all of my energy into writing and persisted. As a result, I was able to film the remaining season of a web series.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amirashaunice.com
- Instagram: @amirashaunice
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amira.shaunice.7
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirashaunice/
- Twitter: twitter.com/sick_writer_
- Youtube: youtube.com/newyorkgirlstv