We recently connected with Lovie Ray and have shared our conversation below.

Lovie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

There is something to be said for being a dreamer. And another thing for putting a roof over your head and keeping it up there in one of the most expensive cities in the country! I have always been a worker bee. I thrive most when I am busy and yet moving to LA in pursuit of a creative line of work was a place that, for me, was not always full of the work my heart wanted to do… so I had to keep double busy. Busy at the ‘dream’ work and busy to just sustain a lifestyle for that very work. In the decade plus of living in Los Angeles, I’ve worked side jobs, night jobs, 2-3 jobs at a time just to keep myself financially afloat as I built relationships, worked money free (in hopes of connection rich) projects and honed my craft in the time between ‘tired and asleep’ after work each day. As a lover of film, artists and the creative process (for as long as I can remember) I dreamt of the day that I was “in the economy” of it, so-to-speak. The day that I could come home and pay my electrical bill or car payment or one day, rent(!) with a check from production. The day I could pay my bills with a production job instead of the culmination of all the other side jobs, was the day that pushed my hunger into overdrive to never lose it. I remember getting my first bigger solo production job and telling the restaurant I worked at that I would only be able to “pick-up” shifts for the next two weeks as I was out of town on set. From that moment on I never looked back. I never went back to work a shift as one job rolled into two and then three etc.. and actually as I sit here and recall, I think I should probably officially quit! This was years ago but I was so so worried that I was going to need to work in between jobs (as that had been a constant pattern surviving in LA) that I don’t think I ever actually told them I was no longer going to pick up shifts. I still get the group texts occasionally looking for covers, oops! As a freelance producer I am constantly pivoting from one type of project to the next (commercial, documentary, short film, photo project etc) and have had to really accept the highs and lows of the natural rollercoaster of this line of work. When I am busy, I feel so busy I can’t see straight but there is an energy to it that is contagious, palpable and invigorating. And then when a slow period hits it makes me feel as if I am hibernating and need to ration my resources, not knowing when the next green light will come in and it will be off to the races again. The adaptability to different types of projects (and the varying quirky and genius creatives that come along with each project) has kept me earning a living from a line of work that fuels me, inspires me and financially sustains me and that is something I hold onto with every piece of my being.

Lovie, 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?

Hi! I am a small town east coast girl (New Preston, CT) who moved to Los Angeles for acting and production work in 2010. I study with Ivana Chubbuck, in her master class, and have worked alongside many incredible actors and directors for years in and out of class in films and commercials. Working with actors as a late teen is what initially sparked my interest in crew. I was as much in love with the happenings in front of the camera as I was curious about the machine behind it. I was captivated by the starting process and loved the delivery of the final result. So, whenever there was an opportunity for me to help produce a project that I was in, or not in, I took it and it has been an adventure ever since.

Here is a little bit of a breakdown of what I have been up to the last couple of years.

I have produced a number of commercials and docu-style interview spots for clients such as Google, BOSE, Achieve Financial, Indeed.com. .. I have shot all over the country from big studios in NYC and LA, to small towns on multi-city travel projects. I have flown in with crew and equipment, worked with local crew and vendors and maintained a balance of life on the road with very tight turnarounds. For many of these jobs I was the sole-producer, wearing many hats. From proposing bids, finalizing budgets and making travel schedules, to casting, to acting as the PA on set when we have a skeletal crew, to client relations, to so much more, I do it all. If someone is coming to me for a job, it is often because they want to step away and know that it is going to be handled so they can work on other things. I love that initial hand off of a project. It is like a passing of the baton. I works closely with other production companies and I have good report with my editors. A heavy mix of remote producing as well as on location field producing has taken me all over, to places I am grateful I got to visit.

One of the most enjoyable shoots in the last year was a Documentary shoot which took me to – Jackson, Mississippi / Austin, TX, / Houston, TX, / San Francisco /Portland /Nashville /New York/ Raleigh, NC / Greensboro, NC / Louisiana /Los Angeles /Minneapolis / Salt Lake City /Atlanta, Seattle. In each location we interviewed real life people and told their story of a life forever changed by the trade skills they had learned. Being able to source talent and outreach to people who would not otherwise have their story told made me so proud. I want to continue to raise the volume on their voices. I believe that whether it’s scripted or a documentary interview about a particular subject we, as humans, seek to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. It reminds us what we are all capable of and we must find each other and continue to see behind walls, collaborate on the strengths that we individually bring to the table and feel. Film is a wonderful medium that ables us to have insight into people who might not present like us but who are very much indeed, just like us. The responsibility of telling someones story and doing it justice boils down to my relationships with the best DPs, G&E teams, directors and editors. As the producer I am the one making the “invite list” and the chemistry of the people involved very much do shape the chemistry on the screen.

I think the thing that I am proud of is my work integrity and I believe that is what I would say sets me apart from others and keeps repeat clients. I have a really strong work ethic (thanks Mom and Dad) to almost a fault. I put work above all else and that can be both a blessing for my clients and a curse for my sanity haha. I value my crews above all. The people who are in the “arenas” on the days are my people. They are the ones who these projects cannot happen without.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Stop undervaluing them. I get so tired of people making fun of creatives… artists, musicians, writers, cinematographers, etc when they are starting out or if they aren’t “paid” some working wage to be a creative and therefore have a side job. The creative industry is not one where hours worked equates to salary. And it is not a “job” you just shut off after leaving the office. The office is the world around them and they are never off-line. If you have these people in your life, build them up. They are the ones around you who take the best pictures of you and make you feel special, who listen the best to make you feel heard and the ones who make you laugh when you feel defeated. They are that someone who understands all too well the need to work hard, paycheck to paycheck, and that loving what you do doesn’t mean you get paid to do it. We aren’t all award winners, all-star athletes, Nobel peace prize recipients…But artists can make us feel that who we are, is enough. That our dreams and goals no matter how big or small are important. Lets give them that in return. People view creatives almost as puppets. But imagine a world with no music. Without our favorite TV shows or art pieces. Void of movies. Artists are constantly looking for the connection to the world around them and striving to get to know the people (you, me, your friends and family) they write about, play on TV, sing about, document, photograph. They turn mundane into glory on the regular and yet more often than not, the understanding of who they fundamentally are is not a two way street. It is as if the work that artists and creatives are doing is not important and they are replaceable. But — back to my point in the beginning, we are infiltrated with what they give us sun-up to sun-down every day whether we acknowledge it or not, so that cannot be true. What they do is so very important and the lights will go out on us the day art dies.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The people I meet and get to work with. Every day is different. Every new project, each set, varying crews and energies all make up this ecosystem that is as strong as it is deep. It is so gratifying to get to work with so many incredibly talented people who are free-thinkers, problem solvers, and just down to earth amazing human beings. And to say we are all different (socially, racially, economically, all of it!) is an understatement. But we find ourselves, on a set, having to work together towards a common goal, day after day, with ever changing circumstances and it’s so rewarding to see it all come together. Art inspires life and life inspires art and that for me, is the circle of life.

Image Credits
Dana Patrick. For the headshot only.