We recently connected with Edwin Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Edwin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned through watching hours of YouTube online videos that involve cinematography, the latest cinema cameras, or editing. The acting classes I took taught me the importance of surrounding myself with people who truly wanted the best for me. At KD Conservatory, I encountered some of the most gifted individuals who have shaped me into who I am now: Phyllis Cicero, Linda K. Leonard, and Alfonso Davis III. Through their stories, I gained knowledge and aspirations that carried me through. Of course, having mentors keeps you held accountable; therefore, you continue on when you’re going through tough times.

The late Phyllis Cicero, who was like a second mother to me, was the first mentor at KD Conservatory to open the doors of opportunity in the entertainment world. Once she saw me taping my web series “Lights Up,” Ms. Phyllis hired me and Alfonso to produce a commercial. Thanks to her, I learned how to enhance my cinematography skills, especially during the pandemic when I created her web series “Front Porch Fables.” Because of her believing in me, I participated in filming plays at the Bishop Arts Theater along with being her sound engineer for her Voice Over classes. If it wasn’t for her giving me a chance, I wouldn’t have gained my first dollar bill doing a gig.

Linda K. Leonard, my acting instructor with thirty years of experience in stage, film, and television, continues to be a guiding light in my career. From the way I direct others along to the way I conduct, my photography can be attributed to her guidance. Linda and her company LKL Productions taught me how to market myself and my own production company. I’ve been able to participate in Hollywood-level acting workshops because she believes in my journey.

The most important reason for how I learned how to do anything is because of the actor, filmmaker, producer, comedian, and entertainer Alfonso Davis III. Alfonso is currently the co-creator and co-host of “The Why You…. Podcast” with Mikayla Lowe. We were acting students, and at the time, he had a YouTube series called “The Jamtastic Insomniac Show” in which I participated in it. I was completely in awe of meeting someone directly that was producing their own content. After we taped our skit, I sat in on his editing and creative brainstorm session. I asked questions and tried not to hinder his workflow too much. To Alfonso’s credit, he answered every question, pointed me in the right direction of some good online tutorial videos, and most importantly, took me under his wing to learn and produce my own content. I think having someone to learn from was the most invaluable essential skill I got.

Knowing what I know now, I think that having patience would’ve helped with speeding up my learning process. I wanted to have it down to science so fast that I was making mistakes that were unnecessary; thus making me the biggest obstacle I had to face along the way. Having patience equals slowing down because you want the project to be done right.

I firmly believe that critical thinking and problem solving are very essential skills to have in the entertainment world. The truth is, there will always be an obstacle while you’re filming, and you have to think on your feet to make sure you’re able to capture the needed shots or accommodate other actors’ needs.

I can be my own worst enemy. Self-sabotage is a real thing and sometimes I had moments of feeling like I wasn’t good enough to proceed forward. Also, there will be times when you’re editing you wish you had caught certain mistakes earlier when you were shooting, but you have to make the most out of it and carry on. The crucial thing about making mistakes is gaining experience along with carrying a positive perspective towards things. If you carry negativity in your heart, it will crush you.

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?

Hi, my name is Edwin L. Williams II, and I am what you would consider a “man of many hats”: actor, filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer, and whatever you want me to be (just kidding). Well, I’ve always had a passion for storytelling, entertainment, and being a bit over the top. It all started one night, while driving home from work, I saw a digital billboard promoting an acting college near Downtown Dallas. I had not acted in anything since high school, but something pulled me towards looking up the college and finding out more about it. So, I enrolled back in 2013, and before you knew it, I had my Associate in Applied Arts Degree (Performance Acting) from KD Conservatory. While I was there, I was given valuable advice from one of my instructors that I had to pave my own way. I don’t have a look as far as getting booked for a role on appearance alone. However, Alfonso, who I previously mentioned, let me participate in his YouTube skits. Of course, I took that opportunity and made the most of it by asking about his process, how he edited, and what I should do to get started. He was very accommodating and was my guide in my early years.

I developed my first web series, “Lights Up,” and during that time, I caught the attention of Phyllis Cicero. She hired Alfonso and me to produce a commercial (my first one). From there, book trailers, and original short films: “Choices,” “Skillman Files,” “Dallas Housewives,” and “Secede.” Photography happened during this time as well for me. With the help of my friend LaMildredetta Hudson, I started Digital ELW Photography in 2014. 100’s of shoots and 1000’s of pictures later, it is still going strong. I was asked to direct projects from other people and also be their cinematographer. I have a feature film titled “The Jesus Freak” that can be seen on Amazon. I mention these things because, as I said before, I wanted any chance I could get to be seen and have a shot at acting on camera, possibly. One agency finally saw enough of my content to offer me a spot on their roster. Core Talent Agency signed me in 2016. As an actor, I’ve performed in feature films, short films, commercials, network, and cable television shows. While being a filmmaker, I’ve earned awards for my short films “Destiny Deferred” and “Satan’s Square at Sunset Ave”.

As of lately, I’m finishing up the editing process for a TV pilot called “Chase N’ Jade” starring some amazing actors such as Alfonso Davis III, Elliot McEachern, and Shiloh Taylor. I’m really looking forward to finishing that project and pitching it to different production companies. In addition, I have an upcoming web series that was written by Ilyssa Williams called “Back to 1” that I will not only be filming but acting in it as well. “Back to 1” will feature multi talented performers Caren Waters, Chasidee Agouti, and Terry Bowers II. I’m really excited for what’s more to come in my marathon.

I’m a proud “One Man Band” and take pride in providing the best quality film work or photography towards anybody’s needs.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing that society can do to best support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem is to SHARE THE CONTENT. Sharing is caring. Sharing the artist’s work allows access to other people and spreading the words. One of the common mistakes is to watch a video and not comment on it. We live in a world where we have algorithms, and sharing the content leads to more exposure and making your videos viewable. The great part is that sharing a video isn’t hard, and it provides artists more opportunities to provide society with more content that they enjoy. How else are we supposed to know what keeps society entertained without them sharing the content? Another important thing that best supports artists and creatives is giving them credit when you share the content. There are so many cases of TikTok videos being made by various people and they’re not getting the credit that they deserve. People would steal someone else’s sounds or video ideas and get more views, which can be frustrating at times. So I’m all for people being the bigger person and giving credit to the original creators when they share videos.

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

“It’s about connecting with people you’ve never met before with something such as my creative art”. This paraphrased quote was told to me by Alfonso Davis III. I try to tell anyone that asks me for advice to do something you enjoy and do your best not to focus on the financial aspect of it. It’s really important to focus more on the enjoyment of it and the connection you have with your audience. Your audience is who is going to keep coming back for more and finding other ways they can see more of it. All in all, that connection with the audience is what we really live for and brings us joy as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: seoulofelw.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/babyboy3686
• Facebook: Facebook.com/actoredwinwilliams
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/digital-elw-productions-723a80a6
• Twitter: twitter.com/babyboy3686
• Youtube: YouTube.com/c/digitalelwproductions

Image Credits
Ilyssa Pettigrew, Terry Bowers II VibeHouse Pictures Digital ELW Photography