We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carol Eisom. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carol below.
Alright, Carol thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
Providing access to more wholesome family oriented entertainment geared at enhancing the viewing pleasure in an effort to restore standards of integrity in general…with overall acceptable content.
Storylines can be humorous and still void of sugarcoated fairytale endings that seldom convey accurate occurrences.
However the narrative of no fluff content must also be based on real experiences where life’s good is taken with the bad…While still maintaining a standard of principles morally relevant to society…particularly in times of uncertainty.
Carol, 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?
I am founder, Author and Director of Greater Love Productions.
Born: Carol Duhart Eisom as a Inspirational Filmmaker/Director I am a native of Akron, Ohio…And formerly a veteran actor of 22 years.
Upon a private mentorship, I soon put my training and writing skills to work as founder of Greater Love Productions in the fall of 1994.
Recent screenplays include, “Breathe”, “Mr. Robinson”, “Called, The Chosen” (3 Episode Trilogy), “The Kingdom Of The Twenty Fifth Dynasty”, “We Did What?!”, “Forgiveness Without Repentance”, “The Good Samaritan Spiritual Law”, “Will You Marry Me?”, “Out Of The Mouth Of Babes”, “Past Life Progression”, “Blackstar Warlords”, “Lifestyles Of The Ghetto Fabulous” “Bad Ass: In A House Divided” and the manuscript “The Enemy Of My Enemy Is Their Friend”.
And as Author & Theatrical Director Greater Love Productions’ company of actors performed numerous stage plays penned under my direction. Those include, “God’s Greatest Gift to Man…Woman”, “Ties That Bind”, “Takin’ Back The ‘Hood”, “Too Much Woman For One Man”, “Juneteenth Jubilee Rising”, “Going Through The Fire”, “More Than Beautiful”, “Lord, I Won’t Complain”, “Julian’s Hair Affair” and “Player Haters”.
Other scripted works include “Giving Him Something He Can Feel”, “Preying Mantis”, “Tempting Fate”, “From Houston To Hollywood: The Mathew Knowles Story”, “Playing The Race Card” and the film short “Sex Sells”, the sitcoms “Alter Ego’s Rule!”, “Moral Dilemmas” and six episodes including the pilot for television, “Chitlin’ Circuit” now titled “It’s A God Thing”.
…Including reality shows “Triple Threat” and Video Vixen” in addition to the creation of “In My Own Defense” to name a few. My previous writings have consisted of various adaptions, as well as poems and sonnets also to my credit.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
There’s a saying… and I’m paraphrasing… “When you make plans, God laughs.”
…I began writing close to 30 years ago. And throughout those years, I kept asking God…Why He had blessed me with such a rare gift and yet so often I felt like a vessel…which had been molded from clay…And then seemingly placed on a very high shelf…out of view.
However, so many realities have surfaced within this industry since then… especially in recent years.
Still, I kept making plans. And I clung feverishly to the scripture of “your gift making room for you…”
I clearly thought that as long as I kept pressing (one way or another) something was going to have to give. However, what I failed to understand was “God’s Divine Timing”…And that my life was not my own…
…But along with this epiphany and in the light of day…came many lessons which I’ve had to unlearn, and some only recently…which was…
…What I saw as failure, was in essence God’s protection. God was keeping me… And now looking back, I can recall countless times hitting what what I thought was seemingly brick wall, after brick wall, after brick wall…
However God’s plan and His assignment for my life was never so much about me at all… At least not in the way I had envisioned…
Often our Godgiven Destiny is about being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves…
And do I still sometimes get anxious and impatient? …Well, I’d be lying if I answered “no”… But now within moments I somehow manage to snap back to the reality of the truths I’ve come to understand and now comprehend…
…With the Revelation Knowledge of what I realize presently… And one of the many assurances that we as believers can take comfort in knowing is that…
…When the walls are seemingly closing in on us from each side and likewise at every angle we’re feeling under constant attack … Hold on to the undeniable truth that…
“…The Only Direction Left To Go Is Up!”
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
For myself personally, the most rewarding aspect of being creative has always been…Seeing my work come to life!
In all honesty, I never actually dreamed I’d become a writer. In fact my college English Composition Professor adamantly stated, that “I” in fact would never become a writer. Lol…
No biggie…My love was for acting anyway… I had even signed up for a drama class in high school and performed in our senior class play!
I believe that’s when I was hit with the “acting bug”.
Naturally, there was no way my parents back then would ever consider allowing me pursue something so frivolous.
However, when I met my husband and shared my dream…His response was… ‘You’re a grown adult and you can do whatever you want…’ And I thought, “You’re right!”
…But there weren’t a lot of theatrical opportunities in Ohio. So, after we were married and relocated to Texas, a friend informed me of a local theater in the area.
I’d say the rest was sort of history…but actually it’s an exhaustingly long story which I choose not to delve into…
However, one day while at work I was inspired to write a sonnet of sorts…for a friend.
And after reading it he said… You’re a writer… And I said “no”, I’m an actor… So I continued to pursue acting for a number of years. And in time, even became part of a touring company for a brief stint.
…While on the tour bus listening through my Walkman I always indulged in Christian music.
And this one particular night while enjoying my usual selections after boarding…I heard the audible words, “Greater Love”.
And what had resonated within my spirit was…that I would have a production company entitled “Greater Love”…
So I thought… “Alright, if I start a production company it will be called Greater Love Productions.”
…And now to “really” make a long story short… Some months later, this director from California relocated to Texas and was holding auditions…
However, they were vocal auditions for his upcoming musical stage play. And even though I could hold a tune…It wasn’t in a sense…the way these vocalists could literally blow the roof off the place…
So as a way to get my foot in the door (so to speak)… I somehow managed to slip the director a note, stating that I was a writer! And before long he had become my mentor…
Even still, I never thought I’d ever give up acting… Not until the first time I heard my words being performed and actually saw my first script come to life during my auditions…
There was nothing like it! And I’ve never regretted it or even looked back since…
Contact information:
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/carol.eisom.3