We were lucky to catch up with B. Danielle Watkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, B. Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

It is essential to work on projects that are meaningful to you. So many times, we find ourselves engulfed in the mundane routine of work that we forget that we started this journey on passion. My passion for art pushes me to make it a point to mix in the meaningful with the hustle and bustle, so I never lose the heart of what I am doing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m known mostly for making black lesbian films and web series and being a best-selling author, award-winning director, and screenwriter. As a writer and as a woman, my reality is that there are not many people in the rooms who look like me. Being a black woman in a cisgender white man’s world is hard, and adding the LGBTQ+ component adds flare, but another strike against me when I walk into a room. I am a part of a unique sorority of women with scarlet letters on their backs who are often overlooked and underappreciated. As a writer, it is my job to ensure that not only can our stories be told, but they can be told from an authentic point of view and a space where other women can see themselves and not be ashamed. Mainstream media has taken the “black lesbian” story and muddled it into what cisgender white men (and women sometimes) believe to be true. I live this life, and I have for almost twenty years, and I yearn to see what myself and my friends look like on the screen, yet there is nothing. Nothing authentic, nothing that doesn’t sexualize and romanticize what it means to be anything Queer. In my experiences, I have learned that many of us (if given a choice) would be normal because walking in your truth daily isn’t easy, and Hollywood has yet to depict what that means accurately. I hope my wiring career places me in rooms to tell stories that make people uncomfortable and alert at the same time, just as my writing has done in the past. I am a walking billboard for the underserved community, and my goal is to bring it to the forefront one story at a time.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the notion that no matter what, your potential will not be seen. This was not only hard to unlearn but also hard to face in the moment. Years ago, I had a show on a streaming service, and I felt like I was being unfairly treated, so there were several email threads happening with many questions left unanswered. It wasn’t that I was an inexperienced filmmaker; at this point, I had been working for about five years and would be a little green in the areas that obviously needed help. Suddenly, an email that is intended for someone other than me but talking about my show comes through. The comments were demeaning, disheartening, and, even worse, did not offer any solution to the problem. I responded that I received the email, and of course, they tried to clean it up, but the damage was already done. What they honestly thought of me and my work had been revealed, and the lack of a plan to cultivate whether than dog out was also evident.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being a creative is the opportunity to give others a chance to shine. As a filmmaker, I have so many positions at my fingertips, where all I need is to say yes, and someone gets an opportunity they may have otherwise not gotten. I love seeing actors I gave their first role to on TV and in Tyler Perry movies. While their talent speaks for itself, I think that my “Yes” gave them the extra push to pursue their dreams and live their lives to the fullest.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bdaniellewatkins.com
• Instagram: @blacbutterflii
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=73901069
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-danielle-watkins/
• Twitter: @blacbutterflii
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BDanielleWatkins/featured

Image Credits
Michele Dearing