We recently connected with Letitia McIntosh and have shared our conversation below.

Letitia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have always worked hard. My work ethic began at the age of 14, when I started working my first job in the library of the middle school I attended. I have worked most of my career in the field of Information Technology, and I merged my ability to teach others into a modestly fulfilling career as an IT Trainer. I have trained in various lines of business. I worked in IT at Focus Hope in the Fast Track program, It was designed to be a program that helped people that completed high school, but did not go to college and I was tasked with training the students how to use word processing and spreadsheets in a professional environment. That lead me to launch my first business. In the 1990’s I stepped out on Faith and relocated to Atlanta and started an IT Application Training consulting business. My first client was Sales Technologies, and I used to travel with a group of trainers to teach pharmaceutical sales reps how to use a new drug sampling software that tracked the samples of medicine provided to a doctors office. Another major client I had was as a sub-contractor with the Marine Base located in Albany, Georgia. I taught civilians how to use a word processing and spreadsheet software named AmiPro and Lotus 123. It was a good effort, but I struggled to make ends meet, so I closed my business and took a job working with Visiting Nurse Association, and I taught nurses how to use new software that tracked patient visits. I spent a few years working for law firms, supporting and training people in the legal profession how to use word processing and other applications. The next job was with a public accounting and consulting firm, I stayed in this industry over 10 years. I always vowed to relaunch my business. As my career progressed I became interested in learning how to animate my training videos. Which lead me to a filmmakers certification program about a mile away from my job at the time. I was intrigued by the though of editing and designing videos. Then came the pandemic. When my job ended I pivoted from IT and Training and took advantage of the situation and turned it into an opportunity. It finally happened during Covid, I launched my production company. I took the severance money from my last job and rented a small office/studio and began working full time for myself. Focusing on producing independent films. Nearly three years later, I have been able to work on over eight (8) different independent films/television series. I am also the Executive Producer of a feature film now playing on Tubi (Made For This), and a documentary about a man sentenced 51 years for a murder he did not commit (Lionel Ray Williams Story).

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

I am a filmmaker specializing in independent film production with an interest in distribution. With over 20 years working in the Information Technology field, I refocused my attention to the film industry. In less than three years I have made a mark as an Executive Producer, Production Manager, Location Manager and I have contributed to feature films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, and soundtracks. My IMDb profile lists all of the filmography productions I am associated with, but soon I will also be the production manager for a new contest arising out of Detroit. It is called the Cover Song Contest, and it will be held in Detroit at the Motor City Hotel’s Sound Board on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 6:00pm. This is new territory for me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In this industry the independent filmmakers have limited capital and resources are spread amongst paying operational expenses, paying fees for subscriptions like storage and software applications necessary for editing. I have had to balance this journey by working other jobs to supplement my income, and then taking any revenue earned and putting into my production company. It has been a constant hustle, and I have had to rely on assistance from family and friends at times in order to make ends meet. I have lost the comfort of a steady bi-weekly income and replaced it with the fulfillment of creating content that will be an inspiration to others.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Early in my business I worked on a script with a group of gentlemen, and I went to great lengths to research the story, spending time and money gathering information that I felt would be useful to the storyline. After about three months a few of the guys began focusing their efforts on other projects. They stopped attending regular meetings and they did not contribute any additional content for the script. I took it upon myself to work even harder on making the script and putting together a story. I sent the draft of the script to owner of the production and he did not like it. I was crushed. I could not believe that all my effort and dedication to giving him something that could be used in a film was for nothing. It’s not his fault, not totally. I wrote a love story, but he was looking for a gangster story. He got what he paid for, and I learned that my story was not what he wanted, even though someone else may like it, the client has an idea of what they want, and you have to listen to them in order to ensure you can deliver what they requested.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dfour4.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/letitiamcintosh