We were lucky to catch up with Byron Coolie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Byron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve written and directed a short film called TOBI. The film is about a traumatized black man that receives a strange doll from his estranged father. Shortly, Uncanny and terrifying events occur around him and he must find a way to stop it.

The film addresses generational abusive trauma that a bevy of black kids face in households. I grew up with a lot of kids, particularly black kids, that have been abused by their parents and/or guardians. “Getting whoopins” or getting “popped in the face” was a common thing as a form of discipline. We thought that was normal and as did our parents who did the whipping, because they received it from their parents. I hated how it affected us. I wanted to not only address generational trauma but end it’s infectious cycle. That when I thought, “I’d like to make a short movie about it.”

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?

My name is Byron Coolie. I’m an actor, filmmaker, and comedian born and raised in New Orleans. I lived in 10 different cities in the past 18 years. New York, Chicago, Atlanta, North Carolina, Louisville, KY are a few. I currently reside in Los Angeles. I tend to create stories that make people feel something genuine. Whether that be feelings of joy, laughter, sadness, empowerment, helplessness, understanding, etc. As long as you feel something honest that propels you to do something for the better, I’d say my mission is accomplished.

Most of my work tends to be black coming of age comedy/dramas or horrors that address that address blackness and/or black identity, As long as the story has a message the audience can take away. Whether it be a heavy, complex message about generational trauma or a light, simple message about acceptance. My stories may be about blackness and black people but it is meant to be seen/heard by people of all ethnic backgrounds.

I tell stories in the form of stage I.e. theatre and indie films.

As human beings, we all have different experiences with a bevy of different people. Therefore, we have a variety of experiences to pull from to implement into our crafts. My 10 city journey is a testament to my unique work. My experiences in those environments that I pull from.

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

If you want to do something, just do it! I was one of those filmmakers that was waiting on the “right” crew, the “right” equipment, and enough funding to get my projects started. I’d send my scripts to other writers for constructive criticism but nothing would get done. My work was getting nowhere. Routinely, I was encouraged by my peers to do it with my phone. I scoffed at the idea knowing the quality would not be there. But they’d tell me, “at least you’d get it done and have something to show.”

An experienced filmmaker once told me, “Make something short, simple, and shoot on your phone.” And…. I did it.

I wrote and directed 3 short films on my phone.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The 3 C’s!

I was living in Chicago. As you know, it’s casually 30 degrees or less year around and the sun was not as present as I’d like it to be. I was depressed and I had to get out of there. I grew up in New Orleans where it’s warm, tropical, and there’s always things to do. But as an actor, there’s a career ceiling in the Big Easy. I knew I wanted to move to a city that had 2 things: a place favorable for actors/filmmaking and great weather. LA is it!

But I needed to get my 3 C’s together: Car, Credit, Cali. I didn’t have a car, my credit wasn’t the best, and I need to get to California. I got a job at a local tech store and worked there for a few months to save money for the move. All the while I signed up for a credit program to improve my credit score and eventually bought a quality car. Within less than a year, I met that goal and drove to Cali in my new car. God is good! Don’t give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.byroncoolie.com
• Instagram: @byroncoolie8
• Facebook: bcoolie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byron-coolie-80343483
• Twitter: byroncoolie
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4952965/

Image Credits
Photo credits: Brooks Brantly Photography