We recently connected with Stacey Blackwell and have shared our conversation below.
Stacey, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?
If I could go back in time, I honestly wish I had started pursuing my dreams earlier in life. Originally, my passion was simply writing. I never imagined I would one day be filming and producing my own projects. That shift happened because of the people around me — my daughters and a coworker both read my books at different times and told me they could actually see my stories on screen. That planted a seed in my mind that I couldn’t ignore.
When I officially started my business, I was building from the ground up with very little knowledge of what filmmaking truly required. At that point in my life, I was balancing my professional career while trying to turn my creative vision into something real. I was passionate, but very green. I didn’t fully understand the depth of the industry or all the moving parts involved in production.
Looking back, I know that if I had started sooner — and with more research — I would likely be much further along in the industry today. In the beginning, I learned many lessons the hard way. Some of my mistakes were simply due to lack of knowledge. I was figuring things out through trial and error instead of strategy and mentorship.
That said, every misstep became part of my education. The journey taught me resilience, resourcefulness, and how to build something from nothing. While I do wish I had started earlier and studied the business side more deeply from the start, I also recognize that the timing shaped the leader and producer I am today.
If anything, my story shows that it’s never too late to pivot, grow, and bet on your own vision.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Stacey Blackwell, and I am a writer, producer, and the founder of P&D Productions LLC. At my core, I am a storyteller. Writing has been my passion since childhood. Growing up as an only girl, I spent a lot of time using my imagination to create worlds and characters. Writing became both my escape and my purpose.
My journey into filmmaking wasn’t originally planned. I began as a self-published author with more than 17 books available on Amazon. Everything changed when my daughters and a coworker, after reading my books, told me they could vividly see my stories playing out on screen. That moment shifted my mindset and pushed me to think bigger.
With no formal film background, I stepped into the world of production and began building from the ground up. Like many independent creators, I learned through hands-on experience, research, and plenty of trial and error. What started as a leap of faith has grown into a full multimedia brand centered around my flagship urban drama series, Commandments of a Female Hustler.
Through P&D Productions, I create original scripted content that highlights complex, layered female leads—particularly women from urban communities whose stories are often underrepresented or misunderstood. My work blends drama, realism, and emotional depth while still delivering the edge and entertainment today’s audiences expect.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the biggest tests of my resilience came early in my filmmaking journey. I officially started pursuing this path in 2018, and what many people don’t see is that I had three failed attempts before things finally came together.
In each of those attempts, I experienced the devastating loss of footage due to issues with the film crew. Anyone in production knows that losing footage is like losing a piece of your soul — it represents time, money, energy, and the trust of your cast. It was incredibly discouraging, not just for me but for everyone involved.
What made it even harder was that I was funding everything out of my own pocket. There was no big investor, no safety net — just me, my vision, and my determination. Financially, I was stretched thin, and emotionally, I was exhausted. There were moments when I truly felt like I was going to lose my mind trying to hold everything together while watching my work slip through my fingers.
But something in me refused to quit.
Even on the days when I wanted to give up, my inner voice kept saying, “Keep going. It’s going to happen.” So I did what resilient entrepreneurs and creators have to do — I regrouped. I rebuilt my cast. I searched carefully for people I could trust behind the camera. I educated myself more about the production process so I could better protect my work.
I chose persistence over disappointment.
Today, I’m proud to say that Commandments of a Female Hustler is now streaming on Tubi. That moment means everything to me because I know what it took to get here — the setbacks, the sleepless nights, the financial sacrifices, and the faith I had to keep when nothing was guaranteed.
My journey is proof that sometimes success isn’t about getting it right the first time — it’s about refusing to stop until it finally works.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is seeing my vision come to life. There is truly no greater feeling than watching something that once lived only in my mind become real and visible on screen.
What makes it even more meaningful is knowing the journey behind it — the writing, the planning, the setbacks, and the persistence it took to bring the story forward. When I see the finished product, it’s a reminder that the vision was worth believing in.
Even if I never made a dime, I can honestly say I created something that exists in the world. I did that. And now it’s out there for audiences to watch, connect with, and experience.
That sense of fulfillment — of turning imagination into reality — is priceless.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.officialcoafh.com
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- Twitter: @Sfenner1
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