We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lana Adams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lana below.
Lana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
The human part of me would say that I wish things happened for me sooner. Because I believe in divine timing, I know that going back in time would not produce a different outcome. Thought it’s hard to truly believe this at times, I have an “innerstanding” that all things happen when they are supposed to and that I’m right where I need to be.
My first dream was to be an actress. I let other people talk me out of that dream because it wasn’t practical enough to make a living. I still want to act and believe that I will one day. I’ve always loved documentary films. During my last year at Temple University, I produced a mini-doc about three men who were just commuted from life sentences in prison, having served over 30 years each. I was so intrigued by their stories, I asked to interview them for my capstone project and they all agreed. I was the first person to interview them upon their release and I was honored that they trusted me. I never forgot how much of an impact that project had on me and on them. I think my love for filmmaking really started there.
After graduating from Temple University in 2011 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, I went to every conference near and far, sent my reel (via DVD, yes I’m that age) to small stations all over and never heard anything. I used to sit in the lobbies of news stations just to give my tape to the news director. There were many promises made but nothing came of it in the long run. The more I learned about the news industry, the less it felt like news and the more it felt like selling the worst things that happened each day. I quickly realized that maybe this wasn’t working because it wasn’t for me.
Over the next four years, I worked dead-end jobs in the finance and legal industries, and absolutely hated it. I still however, created web series’, and panel events about topics I was passionate about just to keep my creative energy alive. I remember running to the cafeteria on my lunch breaks to finish editing episodes of my web series , Misled, or The Singles Rant before I had to return back to my desk. I also remember having to listen to inspirational videos on YouTube all day just to get through it, in between bathroom breaks to go cry! It was rough. As I watched my peers succeed in the entertainment industry, I often felt like maybe I didn’t try hard enough or long enough with independent filmmaking or journalism. It was very hard to watch.
Fast forward to present day and I’ve produced my own short film, served as a Senior Content Producer for Netflix’s Strong Black Lead, produced a popular web series, and written and directed for brands like Toyota, XOnecole, My Black Is Beautiful and more.
Lana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Lana Adams. I’m from Yeadon, Pennsylvania which is a Black suburb right outside of West Philadelphia. I got into social media strategy and film production by producing my own content. I started a web series years ago called Misled which was dedicated to clearing up common misconceptions and stereotypes about people of color, and I am the creator and producer of, The Singles Rant, another web series where single people share funny dating stories and the woes of dating. I worked a lot of jobs that had nothing to do with media for years and absolutely hated them, but I always produced my own projects and was hired to do event, and social media coverage for other companies.
In 2020, I was hired by Netflix’s Strong Black Lead as a writer and was later promoted to Senior Content Producer. I am currently in post-production for the newest season of The Singles Rant and am freelance producing and directing for film and social media. I am a writer before I am anything else. I am currently finishing up a script for a pilot I created and hope to either sell it or have it produced. I believe that my creativity and ability to write ANYTHING sets me apart from others. Brands and companies hire me to come up with compelling copy for their social platforms, scripts and anything else that has words LOL. I am grateful that words come naturally to me and I love helping people explain and sell their vision to others.
I’m most proud of my versatility as a creator. I am a writer, director, content strategist, and producer who is always able to find a way to make “the thing” happen — no matter what the thing is. The brands that hire me and my company, LA Multimedia also trust me to always add a cultural relevancy to whatever project we are working on. I’ve worked with companies like Black Girls Rock!, Because of them We Can, and Netflix, and I’m always dedicated to telling the stories of people who look like me.
My goal is to be a writer/director for film and television and. I would also love to begin acting again. I would love to see my comedy and drama series’ on a streaming platform like HULU or Netflix. I also have a wealth mindset company called Choqlit, that is dedicated to helping people of color realize that wealth of mind will lead to total wealth and enhance their quality of life. Choqlit’s mission is spread through our weekly newsletter, apparel line, and through a book of affirmations that I wrote to help people keep their mind trained for success.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2018, I was going through a really tough break-up from a relationship that had become incredibly toxic and emotionally abusive. I was in a space where I didn’t recognize myself at all. I ended up being removed from the home I lived in with my partner, and was in the middle of writing my first ever short film. I wanted to quit and focus on getting back on my feet and finish the film another time. I remember being in a hotel room staring at my script and thinking I should just quit. My mom called me and told me that she had a feeling I would regret not finishing the script and delivering it to the production group I was in. She encouraged me to push through the pain and let my gift help me through, so that’s just what I did.
I commuted back and forth 2 hours from my parents home in Philly to Baltimore, MD for weeks to complete this film, all while dealing with a broken heart and a lost sense of self. My family and friends poured into me so much during that time and helped me prove to myself that I could do it. Miracles starting happening left and right. My film took place in an elevator and my cousin from Atlanta got me an actual elevator from a real movie set for FREE. So many things like that just kept happening which really helped me to believe I was supposed to be making this film. Don’t get me wrong, SO many other things happened during these few months that made me want to quit, but I had something to prove to myself. I felt that creating this film truly saved my life. My film, Politics As Usual was released at a private screening in November 2018 and is now available on Amazon prime video. My filmmaking skills have come a long way since then but that project will forever be my favorite.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is always going to be to tell the stories of Black people in ways that inspire, inform, and demonstrate how beautiful we are. I am dedicated to telling our stories in a way that shows our humanity since there has been so much done to erase that in America and across the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lamultimedia.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanadot
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-adams/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/lanadot
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lanadot89
Image Credits
Chuck Marcus