We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gina Dobson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
In 1998, I was charged with murder due to a false report by my abuser about a miscarriage I had 5 years earlier. As a felon and a trauma victim, I felt like I needed to keep my experience private to protect my children. But hiding part of my life made me feel ashamed and lost–not a whole person.
When my daughter wanted me to audition for a stage play with her, something clicked. Somehow, pretending to be someone else made me feel closer to myself. Feeling vulnerable was something I had deprived myself of. But being vulnerable on a stage while pretending to be someone else—that was liberating.
When my daughter wanted to move into film, I followed. Loving every minute. And when she grew up and pursued a different career path, I couldn’t imagine not being part of the film industry.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an actor, a writer, co-producer with BAB on 3 Productions, an advocate for survivors of trauma. I am also a felon. I add that last part because I think it’s an important piece of who I am, the perspectives I have, and the priorities I keep. I also add it because I don’t think anyone should have to hide who they are or what they’ve been through just to make others comfortable.
I first got into acting with The Hurrah Players, a family theater in Norfolk, VA. It was a way to spend time with my children. Later, when my daughter wanted to work background in a film shooting locally, I accompanied her since she was underage. We were both captivated by the experience. We auditioned for other film projects and worked on sets together. I began making connections and learning about the industry. When my daughter’s interests shifted elsewhere, I realized I had fallen in love—not just with acting as a creative outlet, but with an industry rooted in the human experience.
After my children reached adulthood, I thought it was time to share my own story—one involving abuse, trauma, and profound failures within the legal system. Years earlier, in college, I experienced a miscarriage that I kept entirely to myself. It was a private and traumatic experience that I never shared with anyone, not even my own family. I later confided my secret to a man I was in a relationship with. After 3 years of his life-threatening abuse, I finally escaped him. In retaliation, he reported that the miscarriage I had (now 5 years earlier and before I had met him) was not a miscarriage at all. And I was arrested for murder.
It was in jail that I first understood my need for the support of others. Now, as I share my story through speaking engagements, articles, documentaries, and in the memoir I’m writing, I’ve learned something more powerful. When people tell me that my story gives them hope or the courage to share their own, I see how deeply we all need connection—and how many of us struggle to find it.
In 2022, I co-founded BAB on 3 Productions with fellow actors Jennifer Pyle and Carla Turner. Our mission is to bring underrepresented people into filmmaking, and to create content relevant to us. We were tired of women over (ahem) a certain age pegged into geriatric support roles while our graying male counterparts continued to dominate the screen. So, we wrote the roles we wanted to have.
Our first project as a trio was BAB on 3! A series of comedic shorts about 3 maturing actresses (ironically) battling for what they believe are their “dream roles” in an industry that is aging them out. A combination of Frankie and Grace and Bridesmaids (and some would argue an occasional splash of Benny Hill). We had no money or funding for filmmaking, but we had a lot of ideas and heart, and we tapped into our connections. We were determined to make this happen. While writing and filming season one, we welcomed both professionals and newcomers who shared our enthusiasm and celebrated our commitment to diversity. As we pursue film grants for season 2, local filmmakers and actors have said they love the message and the obvious fun we’re having, and they want to be a part of it.
Prior to BAB on 3, all my writing had been solitary. Now, working in a collaborative writers’ room with Carla and Jen, every idea had room to grow. Our brainstorming sessions were playful spirals of “Yeah, but what if…?” And “What about…?” A crazy creative fusion where nothing is off-limits. The collaborative process has become one of my favorite parts of our partnership. Instead of competing or overpowering one another, we’ve developed a deeply supportive, mutually empowering creative relationship that highlights each of our strengths.
Recently, we produced a music video for The Storyweavers. Their band leader, Sheela Fortner, wrote a deeply personal song about her experience with sexual assault. She wanted a music video that could be used on campuses and within organizations to promote awareness and spark conversations about sexual assault, abuse, and trauma. We built a team to make that happen, and the final product is incredibly powerful. It will be publicly released very soon.
We plan to do another music video. I wrote a song in collaboration with Documentary Songwriters (an organization that writes songs with trauma survivors). I like to consider it a mother’s love song since it is about my escape from domestic violence to protect my son.
The thing I am most proud of is bringing people together. When I can help someone make a connection that empowers them to embrace their authentic selves, that’s the impact I want to make and the legacy I want to leave—that I brought people together.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
BAB on 3 recently hosted a book club discussion of The Bonobo Sisterhood: Revolution Through Female Alliance, and this book absolutely lit a fire in me. I’ve recommended it to everyone. I even got my husband to read it. Bonobos are primates that are most closely related to humans, and they have built a society free from male coercion and aggression. The book proposes that by mirroring this matriarchal structure, we can make meaningful changes in our own communities by actively supporting one another.
The message struck me deeply and shifted how I approach people in both my work and personal life. Life is not a competition. It’s not all about me. It’s through nurturing and uplifting each other that we create great things and leave lasting impressions.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to challenge perspectives and to remind everyone that—just like on film sets—we’re all in this together.
My ultimate creative goal is for my memoir to evolve into a feature-length film. It would visually complete the arc of my journey and bear witness to a culture that normalizes certain forms of abuse—abuse that spirals outward, erasing families and imprinting itself on the very fabric of society, including within our legal system. On a more personal scale, it would also bring closure to my family and peace to my mother, who passed away ten years ago and always encouraged me to be true to myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ginadobson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginadobsonbab/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.dobson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-dobson-38445222b/
- Twitter: https://x.com/GinaDobsonBAB
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@BABon3Productions
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/BABon3productions/
https://www.instagram.com/bab_on_3_productions_llc/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9392058/
Image Credits
Caroline Tetschner
Marisa Dobson
Jennifer Pyle
Erin Pyle