Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrew Lloyd Preston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrew Lloyd, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The story behind the mission for Gold Piece Films comes from a personal place of deep appreciation for the art and science of film and what it has done for me. During the pandemic I found that the only way to get to the place in my life where I, as an artist, was to focus on fully creating the art that I’ve always wanted to. In order to do that I have to control my art.

The business side of film is not a complicated concept, it just involves a consistent commitment to the practices that promote the brand as an essential product. The other side of the coin is that it is an enormous amount of work that people overlook, and underappreciated. Artists are grossly mismanaged often, and are used simply because they are willing to give themselves in many ways to break into the industry. But what happens after we give ourselves away? We often do a few gigs in hopes that it leads us to the next place, but there are so many things that influence how we really get inside the industry, not just gigs. “Getting on,” is only a piece of the puzzle. The branding and the individual image is something that we first first own and control for ourselves as artists. If we don’t take control of our own images then the only cliches to describe artists will always be the topic of “Struggling Artist.”, “Sellout,” or worse.

During the pandemic and over the last 2 years my emotional and mental health became a priority and I began to condition my mindset to embrace the concept that I, the artist, deserve a chance to build my brand and image my way. relaxation, and contentment in areas of relationships, career, social and family life. I began to envision creating a business concept that embodied my respect and admiration for the film industry.

I began to become comfortable with feeling good and I resisted the habit of making excuses for living under the place that I envisioned for myself. A lot of times we talk ourselves out of our greatness. I found myself thinking more about how I could change the quality of life for myself and others around me who subscribe to the belief that we offer no apologies for choosing a sound mind, plenty of rest, relaxation and choosing a healthy balanced lifestyle that consistent with pushing myself to the position that I have always seen for myself. No one else has or will give it to me, especially If I haven’t tried for myself first.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Andrew Lloyd Preston, CEO and Founder of Gold Piece Films. Originally created in New York. Did some work in Los Angeles and we are now located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Andrew has been a professional actor since 2007. He started out acting at my alma mater, The Alabama State University(HBCU). Started doing plays and really connected to it. He then started to compete and win, which then led to professional summer stock theater and regional theater auditions. After college he headed straight for Los Angeles, complete with a dollar and a dream , tunnel vision mentality. That’s where he began his higher level of education about how the industry is and how people lose themselves to be a part of the industry that tells you who you are, and for some, who they have to be. Andrew quickly learned who he did not want to be and who he wanted to become. So that is when he decided to create a company where he can make the art that he wants to make and make projects that show him in the light that he wants to be seen in.

Now, years later now living in Atlanta, The Voyage ATL CanvasRebel editor reached out to me for a feature. I thought this feels like divine timing for me to use this creative platform to not only talk about what work I’m doing but talk about the work that I want to do while here in ATL. During the pandemic I was challenged with facing my own plight as an African American man while having to make difficult and challenging decisions for not only me but for my family’s future. It was during this time that I began conceptualizing what sustainable work flow will work while building creativity. Trying to flush out a system that will inherently help me build the life that I want.

My creative vibes shifted into overdrive and I created a system for me and my team to follow that will generate more content than ever before. Starting out with Youtube and digital distribution for the short films, and eventually breaking into the feature film territories. We have a lot of plans for the next 3 years while here in ATL. Looking forward to building something that makes us and the community, fans, and supporters. can be proud of. The concept behind the creation ofGold Piece Films was to bring together artists and friends for meaningful conversations, socializing, and development of content that we can hopefully put effort and resources into to make a property of IP that we can eventually develop and put on the market.

The future plans for Gold Piece Films is to create high quality content with a focus on film and television distribution, while networking and collaborating with POC creatives and businesses.

My curiosity and research led me to the understanding that not only is it essential and critical that POC creative artists are front and center as we develop new content for this new landscape.. To go a step further Gold Piece Films believes in the importance of creating a platform where black voices are respected and given a seat at the table with working capital and access to resources and solutions for sustainable success. But we are not just dealing in black stories, we want to deal in REAL and GOOD stories. We aim to compete in the market, and with Atlanta being a new budding mecca for digital filmmaking, we really want to carve out a space for us. This movement is a bigger part of the conversation of inclusion for underrepresented independent filmmakers.

Gold Piece Films is here to provide a plethora of creative social media content, film production at a high quality level further pushing the narrative that we can compete in the market with other international filmmakers, distributors, and overall film production..

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I remember when I got the calls that all of the contracts that I fought for all got cancelled and that the government had shut down any projects that may try to film in Los Angeles for COVID. I was devasted. It took a few months to accept that I had basically failed my company before we had a chance to succeed. I lost everything. No more money, and at this point my savings where being drained to float My personal finances and the companies. That phone call to go home felt like a death sentence. I went into a deep depression. But when I got home I went to see a lot of the places I came from, and it reminded me of my humble beginnings. So I formulated a plan with my cousin to go to Nashville for a small gig to get me back on my feet. While there I visited Atlanta with my fraternity brothers and one of them was helping me breakdown my finances to find a budget that could get me back on my original plan with getting the business back up. 2 years later, after all of the grinding and now we are back and in Atlanta.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn a lot of habitats to rebuild my mental state after I lost everything. The thing that hit me the hardest was when I was talking with my best friend. he sat me down and noticed that I was in a dark place, and he reminded me about a time when we where in school. In the early years we use to proclaim early on the things we wanted to do in our lives so that we could hold each other accountable. The habitat that I fell into, that I didn’t notice, was that I was speaking very ill of myself and how I thought that I was a waste of potential and that I wasn’t where I wanted to be because I didn’t deserve it. He looked at me and reminded me of a moment when we started claiming the goals and he said, “Look back at that time 15 plus years ago and realize that you have done everything that you said that you wanted. It may not have been at the level but you have done everything that you said. If you really think about it, not many people do everything that they claim they will achieve. You have done that. So you can’t be a failure. You just have to do it repeatedly to make sure that get it right so that when you do reach the level that you desire you will have no doubt that you belong there.” They was a real emotional moment for me. And I am forever dedicated to him and a select few friends who have given me that kind of wisdom and love over the years. Those people I don’t see often but I cherish them more than they know, or could ever payback. They kept me lifted. They were a real support system for me. Without them I’m not sure that I could come back from so many losses.

Contact Info:

• Website: Currently rebranding and rebuilding.
• Instagram: @the_andrewlloyd, @goldpiecefilms
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/qU74ZUhPVB4

Image Credits
Contact Info: Website: Under Rebranding, will be available and running by June 23’ Instagram: @The_AndrewLloyd Facebook: @GoldPieceFilms and @Andrew Lloyd Preston Image Credits Photography- Content Creation- GoldPieceFilms Gold Piece Films Logo- Andrew Preston IG@The_andrewlloyd