Meet Chris Carthern

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Carthern. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Finding my purpose was basically finding my voice through art, writing and music. I found my purpose in 2015 as at that time I was writing for We Buy Black and for my own blog at the time. I was writing about a lot of social justice issues at the time. Writing about topics such as police killings and Trump running for office. With writing and photography I learned that I could tell stories. I could provide voices to the voiceless and underrepresented. A year later I reconnected with a friend who owned Mystery Dinner Productions and taught me how to produce social justice movies. My purpose is to work on productions prominently featuring voices from the Black community, as well as individuals who identify as women, gay and transgender. I believe in the importance of every individual’s unique narrative and their inclusion in the art of storytelling. Whether I am cosplaying, in photographer mode, rapper mode, producer mode my focus and purpose is this.

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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 am an executive Producer for Mystery Dinner Studios and Cutting Edge Animation. We produce diverse, incisive, and insightful content with the uncompromising intention of permanently changing the world for all underrepresented peoples. I have multiple projects I am producing at the moment. One is a snowboarding documentary about a Black snowboarder going from beginner to expert while navigating bigots and racism in the industry and on the mountain. The goal of this documentary is to bring more diversity to the mountain. It should be a space for all people.

I am a co-producer on Captain Zero: Into The Abyss Part II, the short film, exists as a preview for the future animated series that explores Xerxes’ mind and world as he navigates becoming an infamous superhero who struggles with depression. Every episode (like the short) is framed through his therapy sessions as he unpacks his day-to-day life as a student, son, hero, and awkward teenager trying to figure out the cause of his random blackouts.

The objective of this project is to extend the reach of projects from Black-owned animation and production companies, aimed at fostering diversity in storytelling and highlighting the significance of mental health in an engaging and entertaining way.

This film stars: Keith David as The Depression Demon, Angelica Ross as Dr. Niobe & Oblivion, Zolee Griggs as Buttafly Girl, Z as Captain Zero/Xerxes Hughes, Coty Galloway as The Newscaster/Police Chef/Student, Marion Toro as Vivica Tate/Mrs.Singh and Jazz Walker as the Newscaster.

Captain Zero will be premiering at film festivals this summer.

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If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three areas of knowledge that are impactful for me is learning the process of Movie Production, problem solving and communication. As a producer you have to decide whether you will be a hands on producer or just a financial producer. You should learn the steps of movie production from project creation, pitching, pre-production, production and post-production. The best way to improve these is to get experience on indie productions and and producer your own short films. You will make mistakes but you will learn valuable lessons.

Communication is extremely important in any business when you work on a team. Learn how to be disagree without arguing and learn how to present your own ideas to other team members. Participate in script reads, and team meetings and ask questions. Find a mentor that already is successful.

Problem solving is a great asset in movie making, especially in indie productions when you have lower budgets. I would do activities like escape rooms and play video games. These are all great tools to learn troubleshooting.

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To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most important thing my parents have done for me is believe in me. They have supported me and my dreams in ways that I can’t fully express. As a kid growing up on the southside of Atlanta I had no idea really how large the world was. In high school they helped me take a student ambassador trip to Europe and this opened my mind to so many different possibilities. They taught me not to limit myself and it has led me to see the world and create art all over the world.

Contact Info:

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Image Credits

David Ngo, Z Cher-Aimé, Jamie Flack

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