We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arthur J. Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arthur J. , thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I recently took a risk with writing a short film as well as producing and acting in it. Originally the plan was to apply to as many grants as possible to help finance the film; I applied to over 40 grants without receiving a penny. When something like that happens it is a very hard pill to swallow. A reality check. It messes with your head and starts to make you question yourself, your vision, your creativity. All of it. Is the script good enough? Is this something people would want to see? Could I even execute this vision without grant money? If I have to pay out of my own pocket, would people work for little pay, so I could even have a cast and crew to put together? The answer to all of those was YES because I believed in the words I wrote on those papers. Because I believed in the vision I had for this script. And overall, I reminded myself of what brought me here to LA and the belief I have in myself in this industry. So, ultimately, the entire project has come out of my and my team’s pockets. I didn’t know where or how I was going to make this happen but I was determined to see it through. I’ve never been one to quit when things get difficult. This was a huge risk because there are no guarantees that the film will be successful. Not only are we financing the film ourselves but this includes paying the actors and entire crew, production insurance, music license and fees, sound, locations, make up, wardrobe, film gear, as well as feeding your actors and crew which I refused to do the standard Kraft services. Not to mention after filming and the post production process of editing, sound mixing, special effects etc all of which require hiring people in those fields. And last but not least, once the film is complete then we enter the film festival submission process where you are required to pay for each submission. We are currently at the stage of post production so I can’t say how it all turned out just yet. However, our hope is that we have a strong film festival run leading to streaming platforms. Another major risk, that is not often discussed, is assembling a team of people who have never worked together before and trusting that everyone will lead with professionalism, respect for each other and their roles, and that everyone is not only going to do their part but do it well. From a film with the biggest Hollywood budget to the lowest SAG Indie projects there is no guarantee that a film will even make it, many times, getting left on the cutting room floor. So you never know how it’s going to be received and truly have to trust your gut, vision, team and the hard work it takes in hopes that people will love what you made and it will resonate with them.

Arthur J. , 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?

I was born and raised in two small towns of Metropolis, Illinois (home of Superman) and Paducah, Kentucky. I would say that I have been entertaining all my life. Whether it be doing back flips and Michael Jackson dance routines at the high school basketball games, where my dad was the band director, or performing in the local church productions, I have always loved performing. I told my girlfriend while we were in Kentucky after I graduated college (Shout out to the University of Kentucky) that I was thinking about moving to California to pursue acting. With no experience or inclination as to what that entails, she believed in me, took a chance, and we moved out to California together. In 2012, I had been working at a bank in California for two years. I was not acting at that time and came across a groupon for an acting class. That was the change in my life that I needed. It allowed me to be around other artists and people who were not only beginners, like myself, but actors with experience who really guided me and gave me the tools I needed early on, to start this journey and I have been building my career ever since. In the last 8 years I have starred in shows such as Insecure, Bosch Legacy, Are You A Warrior, Night Court, and in 2020 was 1 of 12 actors out of 20,000 selected to be a part of the ABC Showcase. This showcase includes alumni such as Chadwick Boseman, Megan Markle, etc. In 2021 I produced my first short film, Super Dilemma, an action comedy fantasy sci-fi, making me an award-winning filmmaker winning over 15 awards. As a student of the industry, I look forward to continuing to grow and create prolific art. I’ve never really thought about what separates me from anyone else in the industry, and to be honest, I don’t really care. For me, I just want to continue to do my best work, trust my vision and put the time into my craft to maximize my talent, continuing in my daily practice and being the best storyteller I can possibly be. I wish the same for everyone else. I am most proud of my Resilience. This industry is tough. It is tough for everyone and I am sure you have heard this a million times, but you get more No’s then you will ever receive Yes’s. You will get dropped by agents and managers, you will audition thousands of times and not hear anything back. My fellow actors know, just even having the opportunity to audition for anything, is almost impossible. In order to have success in this business you have to be so mentally tough. To believe in what you bring to the table when it feels like progress will never happen. To be able to get through all of the storms, that is my proudest moment, knowing I will never give up.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My overall goal is to take my team and be able to provide jobs while creating content that I am passionate about, believe in and is relevant. I want to build my production company with my chosen team of people to create movies and television series that go on for years to come. I want an overall production deal with networks such as HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Disney that allows me to bring content to life, while working with the people who helped build this brand. Some examples of who have done what I am striving to do are, Issa Rae with her content deal at HBO and Donald Glover with his deal at Amazon, writing and creating content with his brother. I have a writing partner, Faviola Rivas, and a producing partner, TK Richardson. Together we have created one short film called, Super Dilemma, which I mentioned earlier. Super Dilemma has won over 15 awards from best Action to Best original score. My friend, Jessie Bouvier, composed our music and Lance Jackson created a song, “I get money”, which was nominated for best original song. My new film, “A Different Kind of Love”, which is in post production now, stars my good friends Jasmine Ashanti and Emie Nagata, with my long time friend Eryn Rea directing and Chelsea Blechman as my assistant camera operator. I’ve built this amazing team and the goal is to continue to create and produce with bigger and bigger budgets, and to find and make our way in this space. It keeps me up at night.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are two books that I listen to on repeat that have been life changing for me. The first one is Will Smith’s Audio book, Will. Due to my day job I spend a lot of time on the road. (Shout out to Aquahydrate for the support and care they have shown me over the years and our CEO, Jonathan Phillips, who allowed us to have placement of the brand in my latest film). I am constantly listening to podcasts and audiobooks and I must say, with 0 bias, that Will Smith’s book is the greatest audio book of all time. I am sure it is a good read, but you must give this book a listen. Will narrates the book himself and it has full A plus production values. Not only does this book have all of the golden nuggets regarding life, success, failures, and how to achieve in life, but it also has all of the feels. This book will make you laugh, cry and motivate you. It has everything you need. My second favorite book is Kevin Hart’s audiobook, The Decision. This book basically talks about his successes and the decisions he made along the way which helped him to achieve everything he has. It talks about people management, controlling one’s emotions, how to get out of situations and patience. Kevin uses comedy, of course, but he truly goes into depth about the choices he’s made along the way to be successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arthurjdavis1.onuniverse.com
• Instagram: theklarkkent
• Twitter: theklarkkent

Image Credits
Photos by Jamaal, Getty Images