Meet Airric Qualls

We were lucky to catch up with Airric Qualls recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Airric, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.

I look to creators who inspire me. There are people that I follow on Instagram who’s work I admire greatly. I also watch a lot of movies and find inspiration there as well. I highly recommend walking away from whatever you’re writing just to give yourself a break but of course don’t quit on it. I was experiencing creatives block for a short film at the time this was written however I always get out of it. I try not to overthink anything or any idea. I allow my ideas to just come to me whenever they do and make a great film. For me it was never about developing a skill to break out of creatives block but more like trusting it will happen.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Right now in my career I’m focused on creating my own films and building my career that way. I started dabbling into creating short films and skits in late 2020 and early 2021 with my friend Pharaoh. As of today we run a Youtube channel called AK Film Group where we produce our own films and give ourselves an opportunity to showcase what we can do and our ideas. I initially came up with the concept for the channel. I wanted to do more acting and film work and I hated waiting for people to call me with opportunities so I introduced the idea to Pharaoh about starting our own Youtube film channel. I knew we were both hungry to do more instead of waiting around so we took charge of our careers and started creating. We’ve done so much in a year since the genesis of the channel. Other actors, filmmakers, writers and DoPs started calling us and were super impressed with what we’ve done so far and are requesting to work with us. It’s been a humbling experience for sure. I try to keep up with everyone who’s down to collaborate and eventually we’ll get to everyone but it’s been an honor to work with the people we have collaborated with so far. Moving forward we are focused on continuing our short films however we are also in development for our first feature film. Not only am I doing film work in Sacramento with AK Film Group but I am a producing partner for 11thHourCreatives which is a bay area film group ran by Priscilla Lam and close producing partner, Darryl Merquillo. Together we have produced three short films that have gone on to a few exceptional film festivals mostly in the Bay Area, LA and New York City.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities I feel that have been the most impactful in my journey have been my ability to make a friend, being likeable and being organized. I work in a industry where relationships are everything and they can make or break your career. People want to work with people who they know and trust so you need to be very good at making friends and being likeable. Make friends for the right reasons. Genuinely want to be someone’s friend and not just for the potential of what someone can do for you. The best way to make a friend and being likeable when you first meet someone in our industry is to lend a helping hand. How can you be of service to other people? Just remember in our industry to give a hundred times before you ask. If you focus on that there’ll be someone willing to pour into your cup and help you. I love to help filmmakers and actors who are organized like myself. It makes our jobs easier throughout the filmmaking process and any film professional knows how stressful a production can be if its ill-equipped to make a film. When it comes to organizational skills I need everything scheduled in my life. That’s what keeps me in front of my day and ready to execute the task at hand.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am an open door for anyone who wants to talk to me about collaboration. I prefer for people to at least approach me with an idea for a film before I accept. It’s better when you have something already written. That tells me you’re taking initiative in your career. I get approached by other actors all the time regarding casting them in AK films and of course I’m open minded and if they fit a role then I will strongly consider it. The best thing for an actor to do is to start creating their own films. I suggest to actors to write their own work and approach AK Film Group for producing. If we decide to turn down the film then that’s our prerogative however I will encourage you to make your film. You can reach me on Instagram at @airricqualls.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airricqualls/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AKFilmGroup