Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tracy Tolliver. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tracy , appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Yes, after I graduated from college, I served overseas in the military, and the most important lesson I learned while in the Air Force was discipline and the importance of getting the job done. That may not sound like a big thing to most people, but discipline and focus were never my strong suits as a creative person. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I procrastinate occasionally. Especially when it comes to doing tasks that I don’t find enjoyable. The military showed me that it’s essential to get things done in the correct order, whether you like it or not, because lives may depend on it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am an award-winning actor, writer, producer, and filmmaker in Atlanta. I became interested in acting at age eight after seeing Annette Funicello on the old black and white Mickey Mouse Club reruns. She was the most popular girl on the show; she could sing and dance, and all the guys wanted to date her. I decided then and there that I wanted to be a Mouseketeer like Annette.
However, real life got in the way, and my dreams of a Mouseketeer never came to fruition, but I never gave up on being a performer. After attending college, raising a family, and working in corporate America for over twenty years, I decided to go for it. Shortly after working in the business, I noticed a lack of quality roles for black women, so I started writing and producing content independently.
My proudest moment had to be when I stepped out on faith and produced my short film “Diva, Interrupted,” now on Amazon Prime. It was inspired by my own story as a divorcee suddenly forced to navigate life as a single mom. I had been writing the outline for the story for years, but I finally got the confidence to bring it to life after working with another actor friend of mine who was producing her own projects. It was the scariest and most fulfilling thing I have ever done in my whole career and inspired me to create my own production company.
Untraceable Productions is an independent entertainment company created to write, develop, and produce compelling character-driven stories about black women and women of color for film, television, and digital platforms. Our focus is to create diverse and accurate portrayals of women who are beautifully flawed and unapologetically human.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The great thing about being an artist is that it allows you the freedom to express yourself in different ways. As an actor, I can tap into my intuitive side and connect with various characters. When I write, I use my imagination and life experiences to produce and tell engaging stories. And as a designer, I use my visual intelligence to create everything from web content pages to refurbishing old furniture. I am also a jewelry designer.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Creatives see things holistically; we focus on the “what if” or the relationship of one thing to another. To most non-creatives, we may appear “flighty” or labeled as dreamers, but we like to concentrate on the “big picture.” We don’t particularly like details and minutiae. That doesn’t mean that we don’t care or understand their importance; it’s just that our minds focus on the broader circumstances.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.untraceableproductions.com
- Instagram: tracy_tolliver
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFm3s3P-9A2hznOF5pBKLjA
- Other: https://www.imdb.me/tracytolliver http://www.divainterrupted.com/
Image Credits
Christian Webb – Headshot photographer