Working with Tasha the Produxer

The Artist

My art starts with writing.

It expands to include stand up comedy and sketch, but started with storytelling.

I usually have several things in play at once, because I’m black and a woman and that means I always have to do three times as much as anyone in anything to be taken seriously.

I also subscribe to the theory ‘throw all the spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks - just make sure it’s good and that people will either laugh, cry or think...or all three until they have a new perspective, or pee their pants.’

My work will always include humor, but most of it is drama - themes of coming to terms; coming of age; and coming out. Novellas-to-screenplays, short stories, persuasion and comedic essays, and currently several TV pilot projects.

I say all this to brag AND to let you know that when you work with me, you are working with a fellow artist. A comrade comic. A performing peer. Someone who understands how a creative person has to operate in this world to do their art AND to eat.

I am just as practical and analytical as I am creative, though. That scares some artists that I’d like to work with away. I understand this as well and there is no love lost.

As an artist, I am also quite delicate and exacting, sometimes like a den-mother, sometimes like a diva, but ALWAYS with love for the art in the forefront of my mind. Whatever we are doing, we will do it as well as we can, but we will find a way to go with the flow and have fun - life is too short to not enjoy this as we do it.

Though I have a reputation of giving graces and not sweating small things, I do concern myself with the bigger issues that affect us all. My philosophy is one of communal protection for my fellow artists and our communities and audiences.

The philosophy is to never be a jerk.

No racists, extremists or homophobic/ trans-phobic/difference-phobic persons are allowed on any stage for which I will produce a show.

Also, we will not have our performing collectives muddied with folks with a reputation of crime, seriously unhinged and untreated mental instabilities that cause disruptions or who are known to be financially or sexually predatory.

That’s ALWAYS going to be a hard no.

A note: If you say something on stage that I can tell is turning the audience against the art the collective has come to do that night, you will be pulled and never asked back.

That’s how we create art with dignity.

Respect is base level. Dignity goes further. Dignity will build an environment AROUND our art where respect is a given.

We want to build, produce and perform our art with dignity for ourselves, our audience and our community. We will not make space for anyone that does not align with this.

This is how we ‘art’ and this is how we work.

The Professional

To clarify, I produce shows and scripts. I’m not looking to be anyone's business manager or agent.

I will soon retire from a day job that uses the analytical side of my brain. Because of decades of experience in finance and a former private practice in tax auditing, I currently manage almost 30 accountants and over 300 sets of books for small to medium sized businesses and their employees and contractors. I have been in this field for what feels like forever - accounting and finance - and the skills have given me an edge as a producer. I’m not necessarily a capitalist, but I don’t want to repel money. The time is perfect to use my skills to give our art a more orderly framework and help us earn a decent or better living.

I do not have a fear of paperwork, taxes, contracts and legal jargon. I have grown accustomed to all of these ordinary and necessary business elements. They don’t scare me. They will exist for my hundred years on this planet and if I want my life to include showing the world my art, business elements like these and understanding HOW to use them will be important.

And though I understand why these things scare some artists, I get filled with concern for their careers. Big or small, when one refuses to embrace the business side of their art, it can inhibit progress and opportunity.

No love lost if you don’t respect my clipboard (I get made fun of a lot about my clipboard!) or if you do not want to fill out my forms, paperwork, sign anything I present for productions, shows or projects. I understand your fear and I understand that my production company is smaller than ones you may see as bigger and have more respect for…I get that.

The protections that these elements will afford all who work with me AS WE GROW is something we have to agree upon when we work together. Without these elements, we won’t grow, venues will not dignify our shows, and we will continue to be chaotic, disorganized and shuffling and hustling to perform when and where we can.

I’m setting out to change this at the start. It’s high time someone did.

That is why I require a small amount of paperwork up front to work with me - i.e. a quick google form with your legal name, social and payment data, info to easily create end of year tax forms when thresholds are achieved, things required so that for certain events we can garner insurance and other applicable agreements and policies, information that helps us all schedule things around the shows and honor each others’ time, preventing miscommunications, mediating and mitigating issues before they become huge problems, etc.

People are out here starting entertainment venues and businesses with greedy intentions and philosophies that do not serve the world or align with mine. There's no way in hell I'm aware of who's who because my businesses are new and I am just broadening my scope. I try to stay aware but NO ONE knows everything and everyone. I go to folks I trust to confirm what I hear and keep my eyes wide open so that I can see who’s philosophy is different from my goals, who's committing actual crimes, who’s making mistakes and either learning from them or not…and, I think most importantly, who has a habit of nonchalant business decisions.

A note on knowing the differences and observing patterns:

Yes - people make mistakes, errors in judgment, deal with complaints, get sued, etc., but it’s key to know the difference between mistakes and crime.

Delayed payments, refunds, misunderstandings and complaints are inconveniences to business interactions. When these types of things occur - even in the past when they occurred for me - they can be handled and put behind you. Perspectives can differ as well in such situations. They can sometimes be seen wrong by one party and right by another, but they can still be mediated and handled. Even if you don’t get a result you prefer, all can walk away feeling heard, and move on with their dignity in tact after some time has passed.

Stealing, sexual assault, and criminal charges after investigations are different. I know this may be obvious, but I want to be clear. When someone has lied, drugged or threatened you, and you can’t get something back that they took from you without permission (like assault and/or robbery), it is a completely different matter than an error or inconvenience. Law enforcement gets involved and having a reputation that includes this can affect who works with you and who chooses not to.

Also - it serves us all to note that a PATTERN of inconveniences and mistakes can LEAD to crimes, and after seeing a pattern or a nonchalant attitude about mistakes with some folks, you have the freedom to CHOOSE to work alongside others with healthier patterns and reputations with which you align. A pattern can expose a business owner's philosophy being so different from yours that you don't want to align with it once you learn this. Staying aware takes effort but is worth it in the end. When you know better, you can do better.

All around the world cancel culture is a recent consequence from folks having a CHOICE in who they will work with. It is a RIGHT we all have to call-out persons who use tactics that hurt the whole or have patterns of behavior or perspectives with which we do not align.

You are EMPOWERED with the ability to philosophically align with who you work with and to make practical and intelligent choices in this regard.

You can CHOOSE to work with people that have inconvenienced you in the past because you can put measures in place to protect everyone going forward or help mature, open folks change perspective.

I can CHOOSE to make space for people who are usually disadvantaged (BIPOC, Queer, Women, etc.) in our spaces, even when they’ve made different work choices feeling they had less options at hand. As long as they are clear on my stance and how I work, I can offer a chance for them to work with me.

Just because we are a smaller production company doesn’t mean we shouldn’t handle ourselves professionally and think through these things as we work together.

A little professionalism in the beginning of your career helps bigger professional people take you more seriously anyway. It also has the power to attract the right people to you.

Whether you are dealing with a local opportunity, Broadway, Hollywood or the WORLD, exercise your freedom to CHOOSE who you work with and please, always remember that you are not stuck having to grow your career with creeps who can afford pretty buildings but may have patterns that prove they might hurt you along the way. Remember your art and it’s purpose and don’t sell your dignity early on aligning with people who don’t align with WHO YOU REALLY ARE. There are always better choices and we can stay true to what we know is right and ALL get to where we are trying to go. :)

This is just a part of who I am.

The Human

The Obvious - Black, she/they, queer, awkward, nerdy, goofy, introverted and usually agreeable and communal and sort of a ‘Pollyanna’ because of the belief that there is some amount of good in everyone.

Seriously.

Y’all, I’m so genuinely dorky, people think that my joy and well wishes are fake. They aren't but I understand why they don’t believe I’m real. They've been hurt too much and can't. I get it. Reality seekers can't stomach me sometimes. I get that too.

I just wish them well (again…totally meaning it) and focus on my binders and clipboards.

I have clipboards and binders and software access I don’t share, because…no. Go get your own.

But if you are open to it, I’ll show you how to ‘fish’, so that you don’t have to depend on me for the things you want to do. Giving workshops and teaching people things is among my favorite things to do!

The Not-So-Obivous - middle-aged Gen X-er, tenacious, determined, focused, and if someone goes against the family…well, I’m a single black mother in America. That should tell you plenty.

I truly will always want the best for everyone and I know that after people work with me that is easy to see. If you’re on the fence trying to decide if you want to work with me, just talk to others that have on all the social spaces and they can attest to all you’ve read here.

I have the sugary-sweet belief that we can all get ‘there’ together if we really want to.

I have the maturity and life experience to listen to the ideal ideas of the youth, respect the wisdom of my elders and work with what I have in front of me to get things done.

I am who I am.

I do what I do.

I said what I said.