Television and film producer, and Gamechanger Films CEO, Effie T. Brown has brought some great entertainment to fans, including Real Women Have Curves, Dear White People and Fox’s Star. In our next installment of “How I Made It,” Brown sits down with Shadow And Act to tell reveal how she got to where she is in the industry.

“I did not have anyone in the film industry that I was a relative or a friend of,” she said. “I always knew that I wanted to be in the business of story, and being a latchkey kid, I had a real sort of love for stories and television…I was very aware of how people of color and women were portrayed.”

Brown’s first job as a line producer, which includes managing a film’s budget, taught her the importance of having a viable skill in the industry.

“I had a real skill and I recommend that people get a skill, and by that, meaning budgeting or scheduling or knowing the mechanics of making a movie and also the mechanics of what makes a good story,” she said. “By me having a good base in those things, I was able to pivot into certain roles and I’m grateful that I haven’t had to do anything other than that. I haven’t had to go outside the film industry.”

She also talked about how to handle the highs and lows of being a producer, alluding to the challenges female producers and producers of color have to face in an industry not designed with marginalized people in mind.

“It became obvious to me [that] sometimes things are a little rigged against us and that the only way that we will be able to level the playing field is if we have access and resources,” she said. With this understanding, she pivoted once again to create Gamechanger Films so that she can, as she said, advance the playing field in her lifetime.

Check out the full video below:

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