We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charise Sowells. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charise below.
Charise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
At Unabashed Productions the motto is, “Don’t just think outside the box, live there.” It was inspired by my own experiences of not fitting within the mainstream confines of society. Because of that, my art typically does not either. And when people experience my creations in the form of film, theater, music, or otherwise – my hope is that it in turn encourages others to live outside of the box in some capacity too.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My youth was steeped in creativity – band, orchestra, choir, theater, dance, writing, and visual art. Having that foundation in storytelling in such an array of forms led me to being accepted into Orange County School of the Arts for Musical Theater and Creative Writing and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for Dramatic Writing and Vocal Performance. While studying at NYU, I interned at labels such as Universal, Mute, and Astralwerks; assisted artist managers and film producers, worked in my department for all 4 years as a TA, RA, and receptionist; and landed my first job in TV on Channel Thirteen’s Cyberchase.
Initially, I was a Reginald A. Lewis Production Fellow senior year. During that time, I also became a Featured Extra. And upon graduating college (with honors and awards), I was brought on as the Production Coordinator. Fast forward more years than I can believe and I have now worked in the entertainment industry with companies such as Nickelodeon, Spin Master, Procter & Gamble, Disney, Netflix, BBC, Moonbug, and HBO on shows like CoComelon, Vida the Vet, Wonder Pets: In the City, As the World Turns, Brick City, and movies such as For Neda and Bee Movie.
After years of people asking me to make things for them, I started Unabashed Productions, a platform for my writing, producing, and directing work – amongst other things. Unabashed Productions also hosts events and curates guests. Because I’m a songwriter and registered Grammy voting artist as well, Unabashed Productions functions as a music publishing company and record label. And, when I began working in children’s media as a Writer and Creative Consultant via Unabashed Productions my company then became a registered vendor for Disney.
Being multiracial and bisexual myself, diversity and representation have always innately been at the heart of everything I do: onstage, onscreen, and behind-the-scenes. I’m a fan of pushing the envelope, blending mediums, defying genres, working on projects for a good cause, and conveying a powerful message. And, since I write both scripts and songs, putting those two passions together in the form of musicals or music videos is always a treat.
So, whether you have a seed of an idea or a full fledged project you’d like guidance on, I’m here to help you see it through to fruition. I also have tons of my own IP – songs, plays, features, series ideas, pilots, shorts, immersive concepts, etc. And I recently signed with a literary agent for a children’s book I wrote.
At the end of the day, it’s all about telling a unique story for me. One that takes people on an emotional journey and maybe even makes people see the world a bit differently, including themselves. That’s where Unabashed Productions comes in.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
As a Midwesterner, tooting my own horn goes against the humility is king culture I was raised in. But, if people don’t know what you’re working on or what you’ve accomplished thus far, they won’t think of you when it comes time to hire. So, until you have someone to promote your work for you, it behooves you to do it yourself. No matter how cringey it may feel. When running a music blog years ago for indie musicians, I learned that if you’re trying to make your own way, self-promotion is a necessary evil of sorts. The sooner one embraces that the better.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
At the end of 2019, I produced a play of mine called AN OCEAN IN MY SOUL at the Santa Monica Playhouse. It had a sold out world premiere and received a standing ovation. Afterwards, the lobby was abuzz with people’s heartfelt stories about identity and belonging because the piece delves deep into many facets of the multiracial experience throughout time.
We were invited back for an encore run the following month. Some cast and crew members weren’t available so I had to find new people and get them up to speed in a condensed rehearsal schedule. My team and I managed to pull it all together again despite the time crunch and afterwards theaters in other states reached out to produce my play – an exciting first in my career. Then, COVID hit. Live entertainment came to a screeching halt. Especially, theater.
I had never had such momentum in my scriptwriting career. It was a long awaited moment. And suddenly, it was slipping through my fingers. How could I keep the momentum going?
Thankfully, a couple theaters opted for online productions. A UK radio show interviewed me and a few cast members about the play remotely. An educational company listed the play as an online resource. The world was changing and we were rolling with it. People suggested I try to get the play made into a TV show which inspired me to reach out to my network like never before. That led to months of meetings, a publishing offer, the writing of new TV pilots, and ultimately – landing a job on the story side of television where I was able to then pitch episode ideas and get them made. This took about 2 years of scrambling to pivot fast enough to not lose steam. And somehow, someway, it worked.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://unabashedproductions.com
