We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ro’shae Moore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ro’shae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

Being in the entertainment industry I believe that “There are NO small roles”. Oftentimes I hear actors and actresses complain about having their lines cut down or not appearing on camera long enough. You don’t have to be a lead actor/actress in a film to make a name for yourself. I’ve watched tons of movies where an actor may have had maybe 2 minutes of screen time, but their presence and performance was Oscar worthy and quite memorable. It’s all about how you embody that character. You literally have to transform into that person. Is it believable??? Anyone can get on camera and say lines. You have to make that 2 minutes the best performance of your life. Give it your all, as you would give any other role. Your talent isn’t defined by how many minutes of screen time you have. You never know, that 2 minute performance could open up doors for other amazing opportunities. You never know who’s watching.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. I moved to Huntsville, Texas in 2010 to continue my education at Sam Houston State University, where I majored in Mass Communication. I never saw myself working a “Traditional Job”. “I wanted to do something fun. I wanted to work in an environment where I could be myself, have fun, create, and entertain. I always knew I wanted to be in the entertainment field no matter the capacity. My dream job at the time was to become a Sports Analyst and work for ESPN. After taking a cinematography and scriptwriting class in college, that’s when I realized I was interested in film. It was so cool seeing how stories were brought to life behind the scenes and visually. It takes so much thought, preparation and planning to literally produce content that may be 5 minutes long! In filmmaking, it’s “your” story and you have the power to tell it how you want. I graduated with a BA in Mass Communication Broadcast Journalism from Sam Houston State in 2014.

I moved to Houston after graduating and quickly entered the workforce. Unfortunately, pursuing my dreams was put on hold. There I was, in Houston with no family, and sleeping on a friend’s couch. My first job out of college was a restaurant hostess. I found myself working countless, dead-end jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. I started to feel stuck. I felt like I would never get a chance to work in my career field and pursue my dreams. I would cry to numerous family members expressing my frustration with my life.. I wasn’t happy at all. One day I remember heading to work and something said to me, “Move to Dallas”. It was so weird and random. “Dallas??” And what did I do within the next 6 months? Move to Dallas.

In 2016 I moved to Dallas. At this time in my life, church was a major part of my life. So I found a church in Dallas. I chose Friendship-West Baptist Church. I joined as a volunteer with the Media Ministry. I wanted to get my feet back wet since I hadn’t done anything production related since college. Here I met award-winning Director Vernon “Snoop” Robinson, who was and still is the Director over the Audio Visual Department at the church. Snoop later went on to become my mentor and encouraged me to pursue my dreams in the entertainment industry. He gave me the opportunity to work on my First Film “Black Diamond”, and from there, I knew this is where I belonged. I remember on the first day, driving to set and being so scared and nervous because I felt like it had been such a long time since I had done anything production related. I questioned my abilities and talent. When I arrived on set, the team was so welcoming, answered any questions I had, showed me the ropes and encouraged me. I remember holding the script in my hand and just constantly smiling. It was the first time I had seen a script since college. Working on that film brought countless opportunities such as films, stage plays, commercials, music videos, you name it!

I even went on to become a Full Time Audio Video Technician in February 2020 for my church. I’m currently still there. Working here helps me perfect my craft because I have the ability to be in a production environment all the time. The church services run like a Live TV Broadcast which streams service to multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and LiveStream. I really have the best of both worlds. Television and Film.

In 2020, I produced MY first project. “A Girl Like I” the short film. I wrote this, Directed and Edited. The reviews were flooded with so much positive feedback I have decided to make it a feature film. I’m currently in Pre-Production of my first documentary as we speak.

I”m most proud of myself! To think, all I did was listen to a little voice say, “Move to Dallas” and my life changed for the better! I’m super excited about my future. I’m constantly getting these amazing opportunities from people who want to work with me because someone I previously worked with referred me. To know people value my work ethic and my abilities that much, is truly flattering. I appreciate every single opportunity, big or small. I use to tell my mentor, “I don’t care if I’m sweeping the floor on set, I just want to be in the atmosphere!”

Being a black woman in this industry makes me feel empowered! Seeing figures like Ava DuVernay, Regina King and Issa Rae give me hope that I can reach that level one day. Growing up, I never really heard about Black Women filmmakers and now we’re taking over and changing the game! I feel like people get use to seeing women in front of the camera. Hey, we have ideas! We want to direct! We want to produce! I also feel as if we’re respected more when we know a wide range of things.

I’m very versatile on set. I produce, direct and assistant direct, act, location manage, 1st and 2nd assist camera, script supervise, run sound, production assist and I also edit. Although I haven’t worked as a Director of Photographer or Videographer on set of a film, I do shoot as well. My mentor encouraged me to be well rounded in the industry and learn as much as I can. This also sets me apart from others because I don’t box myself in nor limit myself to just one position. Oftentimes we try to take the easy route and hire people to do this and that, when we can just simply learn to do it ourselves. This way I feel, gives you a new found respect for the craft. In 2021, I established my production company, “Moore OF Shae Productions” LLC. I will definitely get in where I fit in!

“You’re not going to always be everyone’s cup of tea”. Some people may love what you produce and write and some will hate it. But it will always reach who it’s intended to reach. You have to have confidence in yourself and your work. This past year I’ve really narrowed down on the type of content I want to make and what type of projects I want. to attach my name too. I guess you can say, I’ve found my nitch. I’ve learned, “work at my own pace” and not focus on what others think. I rather put out good content that I’m confident about rather than rushed, unfinished, unpolished material.

Last summer, I was asked to be on panel with other award winning directors and creatives for a Industry Networking Mixer. The fact that someone saw fit for me, to share my experiences in the entertainment industry and offer insight to up and coming creatives, was truly amazing!

I guess I’m doing something right!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2019, I went through a very traumatic life experience and lost both my jobs. I was working two “traditional” jobs to cover basic life expenses. I’m talking around the clock, NO SLEEP. At that moment of losing both my jobs and dealing with the aftermath of the traumatic life experience as well, I was literally rock bottom. Didn’t know how I was going to make it financially, mentally and physically. I fell into a deep depression and cried literally everyday.

The crazy thing about it is, I would ALWAYS use “work” as an excuse to not make time for my dreams. Before I did anything production related, My mentor asked me on multiple occasions if I wanted to be apart of projects but I turned them down because of my busy work schedule. So when I lost BOTH my jobs, I had nothing but free time. That’s when I started to work on set of my first feature film, “Black Diamond” in 2019.

I almost didn’t show up the first day on a professional set because I was allowing what I was currently going through and my own insecurities to change my mind. There I was trying to live my dreams while my personal life was in complete shambles. But I had to remember GOD has a plan for our life even if we don’t see it in the moment. So I showed up to set, crushed it, and here I am now, A Filmmaker.

Sure, in the grand scheme of things, I wish it didn’t take something traumatic to push me into my dreams but if it didn’t happen I literally wouldn’t be where I am today.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?

“Having no boundaries”. Being a creative allows you to make any type of content you want. It’s literally a space to be free and not limited to just one category. You literally can create WHAT YOU WANT. For me, I really wasn’t sure starting off what my nitch in creating would be. After looking back over my life, and some personal things I went through, I really wanted to create meaningful content with a clear and important message. I want to tell stories and discuss topics that are often uncomfortable to talk about. I want to tell stories that are relatable and bring value to someone’s life.

My first short film I produced was titled, “A Girl Like I”. It was story about a mentally and physically abused black women contemplating suicide after life took her through a series of unfortunate events. My Documentary that I’m currently working on will also involve a very important message to women. I don’t want to give out too many details just yet but TRUST ME, it will be pure greatness.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mooreOFshae
• Facebook: Ro’shae Moore
• Other: IMDB: Ro’shae Moore

Image Credits
Freddie Watkins Greg Hughes