We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Noree Victoria a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Noree, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

What an apropos question on the heels of both WGA and SAG-Aftra labor strikes. As more and more veils get lifted, we’re seeing in real time, not only in my industry, but in industries across the globe, that greed is killing us. It annihilates art. Grinds it right into the ground, along with the creativity and morale of artists who simply love what they do. Writing, acting, and directing are all crafts that take introspection, practice, and immersive experiences. The more immersive, the better. And you know what that requires? Time. Care. Collaboration. Community. Humanity. Skill. Skill that is honed over… time. Corporate business models fuel hyper-consumption and fear-based processes, loosing sight of the artfulness of actual humans in every equation. Quick viral pops of profit are prioritized over solid evolutionary foundations. Corporations engage us with endless mad dashes to finish lines that keep moving, and no one, at least no one with their sights set on obscene profits, has just stopped to say, “Hey, maybe we should slow down and try to enjoy this. Maybe we should honor the people who took the time to create this. And when it comes to the spoils of their labor, maybe we should just share.”

Noree, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I may have one of the most roundabout sojourns leading to what I do today, and I love how it’s all aligned. In the fray of earning undergraduate degrees in Biology, Creative Writing, and African Studies, earning a Master of Science degree in Information Technology, a certificate in filmmaking, and a Master Certificate in screenwriting; and after teaching Biology to 9th graders in Baltimore City’s public school system and earning my stripes as a Financial Analyst at a fortune 5oo corporation, it only made sense to become an artist. I am an intensely curious woman. I adore life and I live for engaging all my senses to experience the world. From childhood, I’ve loved to record the pulse of my environment via writing. Everything is poetry to me. Everything is a story waiting for a griot to alchemize it through their own POV and pass it on. I’ve taken all of my experiences and travels and become a conduit for stories. For that, I needed a sense of freedom to create. My journey has truly been about love and stepping fully into creative freedom.
At this moment, specifically, I have a pilot screenplay that has been optioned, am in post production on a feature film I directed, and am fortunate enough to lend my body and voice to dozens of on-camera and voice-over projects. My production company is called Last Born Productions, the umbrella under which I operate, and a nod to my birth order and to the archetype of the youngest child in families – freedom seeking, adventurous and expressive mavericks with a penchant for a little mischief, a little chaos, and a draw to the unknown.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I live on a pivot. I feel like everyone should be ready to do so. If we’ve learned nothing else from the world in the past few years, we should have internalized the distinction between our purpose and its vehicle. Define your purpose clearly and know that no matter how many times the vehicle shifts, your purpose remains. Mandela operated from prison. Yet, his purpose never shifted. Think about that. If we find our creativity thrown off every time systems or processes or cultures or societies shift, perhaps there needs to be a deeper dive into purpose. We can’t lose sight of it in any pivot, even if that pivot looks vastly different than what you’ve always known.

I pivoted during the pandemic – picked up my camera phone, gathered my friends, and shot projects. I let people in my orbit know what my skills are. I delved into my crafts online and learned new things. I took time to take care of my instruments – my voice and body. During the strikes, I wrote, studied, painted, and strengthened relationships with my friends, family, and colleagues. Most of all, I remained mentally grounded, and stayed rooted in curiosity, empathy, and love. We must be able to shift. And we must allow ourselves to have the best experiences possible while doing it.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I was tapped as the lead actor in an independent film and built an organic rapport with the producers during the shoot. I performed in 92 scenes, nearly back-to-back, so I didn’t have much downtime; but when I did, the producers and I found ourselves chatting about our passions and views of the world. During one conversation in particular, this rap lyric would not leave my head. It was on a mental loop, louder in my mind than the producer I was talking to — a song about how the artist got his first shot at being signed by blurting out “Yo, I rap too!” during a studio session, even though no one really took him seriously as a rapper at that time. I just kept thinking, “Say it, Noree. Say it. Shoot your shot. Open your mouth.” And I blurted out, “[Yo] I write too. I have this television series…”
The producer simply said, “Send it over.”

I did, and the rest is history. They’re the team that ended up optioning my project. After a few months of our legal teams negotiating the details, I signed my deal on a Thanksgiving evening over dinner with them.

Moral of the story: Be brave. Let your dreams “rap over the beat”. Whatever that sounds like to you, just speak up. Nothing gets manifested in our industry in silence.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @noreevictoria
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noreevictoria/

Image Credits
Skating Photo Credit: Reginald LaShaun Clay Orange Top Headshot Credit: Dwayne Boyd Red Carpet ‘Screen’ Image Credit: Adrian Carr