Meet Ché Grant

We were lucky to catch up with Ché Grant recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ché, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Growing up, I was blessed to have two parents that both had the strength to overcame adversity to create success in both their personal and professional lives.

My mother moved from South Africa to the UK with only $50 ($500 in today’s money) in her pocket. She had to work 4-5 jobs at that same time to make ends meet. But she went onto have a very successful career in both freelance journalism and copywriting. Having written articles for Vogue as well as working with some of the biggest advertising companies at the time.

In her personal life, being bisexual in the 1960’s and 70’s meant fighting through the homophobia and bigotry that was rampant at the time. But, she never let the hate in or hid who she was. Even when that meant she had to endure physical verbal, or even sexual violence just for being bisexual.

She was the not only the most resilient woman I knew, she was, mentally and emotionally, the strongest person I knew.

My father, who also grew up in South Africa, lost his father when he was 12 which meant that he had to grow up much faster than he should have, and quickly became the man of the house. A true independent spirit. traveling overseas at a young age on his own, starting his own business with no money and having to overcome the hardship and adversity that it brought. It was his resilience that meant that his business flourished.

And together they were a powerhouse. Never letting life beat them down. Always laughing together and living life to the fullest, even when times were tough.

Growing up with parents like that taught me that there is never a problem to big to solve or struggle to hard to surmount.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I grew up in the leafy suburbs of London, England. As a child I dreamed of moving to Hollywood and becoming an actor. I studied acting in theatre school and worked as a child actor on films such as Evita staring Madonna. After spending years as a working theatre and tv actor in the UK I became captivated by the work of the acclaimed directors and producers I had worked with and so turned to my passion for directing, producing and writing and graduated from the Met Film School in London with a BA in filmmaking.

My first short documentary was exhibited at the Tate Modern (London) and my second award-winning short film One Night Only (2014) was screened at over 70 film festivals worldwide. I then went on to direct and produce the acclaimed daytime talk show Ladies Talk on Sky TV hosted by the British comedian, Angie Le Mar.

My debut feature, the Rom-com mockumentary Love Possibly (2018), which I co-wrote, directed and produced with Michael Boccalini received multiple accolades including Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director and has been distributed worldwide.

Following my dream all the way from the UK to Hollywood, I moved to LA in 2019 and opened up Anna Barbara Films. It’s been 4 years but it has really been worth the move, and the best time of my life so far. We have had the pleasure and luck to work with such names as John Cleese, Marco Pierre White, & Eric Roberts to name a few.

We have two projects in the works that are earmarked for release in 2024. Our first is the romantic comedy ‘How to Make Her Cheat’ with John Cleese, Eric Roberts, and Megan McKenna.

And our second is the feature documentary ‘Feast or Famine: The Quest for the Michelin Star’ presented by Marco Pierre White.

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?
I believe that hard work, determination, and luck have a big part to play in any success story. I know it has with me. But they go hand in hand with risk taking and thinking outside the box. Too many of my most talented friends have missed out on the success their talent should have provided them purely because they think that success will come to them.

Every success story I have read about or seen was down to three things: Hard work, risk, and luck. The more you put yourself and your work out there the more chances that success will happen.

I don’t believe in running from your mistakes or your bad luck either. I truly believe that it is your mistakes that help you to grow and become the most successful person you can be. Every mistake I make, I reflect on, and try to learn from.

One other thing I have come to realize is that no man is an island. Creating the best team around you and fostering those talents and friendships will exponentially increase all your chances of success. And once the success comes it will be so much more rewarding. Sharing the wins I’ve had, with the people that have gone on the journey with me, has been the best part my filmmaking journey.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Before becoming a filmmaker, I worked as an actor for 10 years without the success I was looking for. And it was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made when I finally let go of that dream and chose a new career behind the camera.

I believe nothing that is worthwhile is ever without hardship and challenges. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Every challenge I’ve had throughout my life and career has only made me a stronger person and has led to better success.

Currently I believe the biggest challenge that I and Anna Barbara Films have, is growth. It’s one thing to start a company but it’s a wholly new challenge to grow that company from a small start-up into one to take note of, especially in the film industry.

We are always challenging ourselves and each other to push further and come up with new and exciting ideas that sometimes change convention but are always highly creative, and push Anna Barbara Films to new successes.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Mark Star Earl Gibson iii Nigel Lewis

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