The New York Film Academy was extremely proud to have Producer, Deniese Davis, at our Los Angeles campus. She spent more than an hour with the African and Black American Film Club answering questions about the industry, her career, and how to craft great stories.
Davis said that she began her career like many of the students who currently attend NYFA, by working on short films. Soon after, however, she found herself working with New York Film Academy alumna Issa Rae on her YouTube show “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” She was also the associate producer on the film “Burning Sands” which focused on the hazing culture within college fraternities. The film was an official selection at Sundance this year and is a Netflix Original Film. Davis continued her work with Issa Rae as Co-Producer on HBO’s “Insecure.” She is also working on a new television series titled “Minimum Wage.”
Davis had a great deal of advice for the students. “You never know who is going to be the next big actor, director, or producer…” She encouraged students to build lasting relationships with their peers and not to spend all of their energy working with established professionals.
The ABA Social Media Manager, Reed Douglass, had this to say about meeting Davis; “After speaking with Deniese I felt much more informed. I felt that I had acquired information that was useful for both my career and myself personally. I also felt like club members gained a lot from the discussion as well.”
The New York Film Academy would like to thank Deniese Davis for taking the time to speak with our students. Season two of “Insecure” is now available on HBO.