We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deborah Jane Burke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Deborah Jane, 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?
My resilience comes from family, my community, and most of all my faith in God. The path that God has laid our for me give me the knowledge that I have a purpose to use my gifts to uplift my community. So, even when the odds seem stacked against me, I push through. Resilience was a critical factor when I launched my production company House of Deborah Jane Studios after graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts with my Master’s in Screenwriting. And now, I’m in the midst of pushing my full-length film Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera to be launched in Hollywood. In the process, I’m experiencing both interest and rejection. For every closed door, there’s me banging to open them back up on faith.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the founder of House of Deborah Jane Studios based in Burbank. House of Deborah Jane Studios serves as a platform for my mission to disrupt the status quo, amplify multicultural voices, and affect spiritual and social change through dynamic TV, film, and music, with a particular emphasis on musicals. I have a number of creative projects in the works. The one that is closest to my heart is Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera. It’s really the pinnacle of my creative expression.
Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera was inspired by a recurring childhood nightmare I had and my quest to uncover the truth about the Black experience in American. The film delves into themes of racial reconciliation, romance, and redemption. A poignant scene, “Hear the Cry,” filmed in the cotton fields of Georgia, serves as a proof-of-concept for a full-length feature. I’m very proud of our primarily female crew and incredible cast who worked with me to create the scene that beautifully highlights the film’s overall narrative. Our goal now is to continue to gain support for the film so we can make it into a full-length feature that will reach audiences worldwide.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities for anyone looking to work in a creative industry are vision, faith, and tenacity.
It’s key to have an unwavering vision of who you are and what you want to accomplish. In my case, I’m blessed to have had a vivid imagination from a young age. For example, I’ve always been a voracious reader and have had the support of my parents who believed in my vision. So for me, whether I’m in the early stages of creating a play or selling out a theater, it’s the envisioning process that’s important. You need to truly believe that you can create something from nothing.
The next character trait is faith. I have faith in God and in the promises God gives me. As a creative person, who are going to come up against challenges, it’s going to look like a lot of doors are closing in your face, but it’s critical to remember that you are on a journey and there’s a greater plan at work in your favor. You have to keep pushing even when you can’t see the end result. Keeping the faith is everything.
The final trait is tenacity. In my case, the process of bringing Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera from the stage to the screen required tenacity. My team and I were a journey from writing to putting on the stage play, to raising $65,000 to create a short film in the cotton fields of Georgia, to today, raising awareness and financial support to create a full-length feature film. There are times when you’ll want to give up, but you have to make the decision to believe in and fight for your dream.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
My mission for the House of Deborah Jane Studios extends beyond entertainment; it seeks to unite diverse voices and foster healing through bold cinematic storytelling. Our current focus is on getting Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera from the current 8-minute short to become a full-length feature film. The short is making the rounds on the festival circuit and recently won the “Best Story” Laurel at the Experimental Music and Dance Film Festival. Now, our challenge is continuing to gain financial support for the next phase of filming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.strangefruithiphopera.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strangefruit_hiphopera/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strangefruithiphopera
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StrangeFruitHipHop
