Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tamra Simmons. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tamra, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with inspirations and heroes. Are there any historical figures you look up to?

Oprah Winfrey is someone that I look up to in my career. Her journey and life story mirror some of mine and when I was able to attend Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour and this is when I realized how much our lives paralleled. Both coming from Tennessee we have a similar life experience background from our childhood to even our own career path. Oprah has overcame so many personal obstacles that she shared and this has allowed me to see that if and how she made it, I have the ability as well.

Tamra, 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?

I am most proud of how I am able to have duality within my career. I am able to not allow someone to box me into a specific genre. I have had the ability to work in reality tv and the documentary space. I am an overachiever with two degrees, in philosophy/communications with a minor in Chemistry.

How I got into the industry is by being interviewed for an actual reality show that All 3 Media was developing at the time. The rest is history.

I am, Tamra Simmons, an Emmy nominated Internationally-acclaimed executive producer, creative developer, talent director and entrepreneur. I have reached a pinnacle of my success with the groundbreaking Lifetime documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly. The docuseries has reached a viewership of 26.8 million since its debut in 2019, followed by season two in 2020 and season three in 2023. I am also the executive producer of CASEY ANTHONY: Where The Truth Lies which premiered to record ratings at Peacock. As an ambitious visionary, my work taps into the zeitgeist and has been covered by major media outlets including The Guardian, Buzzfeed, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Deadline, CNN, NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Variety, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, People Magazine and many more. My work has been recognized by with several prestigious awards including a Critics Choice Award, MTV Movie & Film Award, Banff Program of The Year, Inclusion Award, NAACP Most Outstanding Docuseries, Peabody Award, a Prime Time Emmy and PGA Award nominations and a host of notable honors.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe that being a person that is resilient helped create a reputation that I have within the industry. I am someone that you cannot box in and I am someone who exudes to create the best excellent body of work.I set a standard for myself within this industry and it is no one else’s standard only mine. Therefore, I only exceed past my latest accomplishments versus mirroring myself against someone else’s. I believe this is what helps me stand out within the market.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being an African-American female entrepreneur has came with many challenges. I initially started a marketing and branding agency where I was helping many entrepreneurs grow their businesses. They would hire my company to help them in areas of business so they can scale. I transitioned from being an agency owner to being a full time CEO of a production company with women led positions. This was something that I did not set out to do, however, with the success I was able to scale it into something bigger than my own initial vision.

Creating a production company that provides production services while looking different than “others” is something that I had to overcome. When doors were closing and things were moving slow or not at all, I had thoughts that this must be a sign from God to let it all go. As my head wanted to give up and my heart was weary, God opened new doors. I had to know if I should walk through that door and take advantage of the opportunity or let it all go. This is the moment when you are faced with knowing when NOT to give up. Every time I walked through that open door and did it afraid, the opportunity paid off. Now that is my definition of ‘Know when NOT to give up.'”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetamrasimmons/channel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/livealwaysproductions/