Avril Speaks & Loria King: People, Passion & Purpose

In this conversation filmmakers Avril Speaks & Loria King speak about how they discovered their passion to tell stories and how their journey together has become a lifelong friendship and creative partnership and the obstacles and aha moments they discovered along the way. 

Their recent project Black America Is... is a gallery exhibit that highlights the complexity of the Black experience, allowing audiences to engage with the uniqueness that comes with our shared yet individual experience.
 
Loria King is an independent documentary filmmaker and photographer who focuses on nuanced stories involving race, gender, culture, and ethnicity. She began her filmmaking journey as an intern with Spike Lee’s Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks and her passion for her craft has led her to share her real-world experience with students as a film professor in the classroom. Her project, "Black America Is…," , was selected as part of the 2020 Film Independent/CNN Docuseries. 

 Executive Producer. Showrunner. Producer. Director. Avril Speaks has been carving out her path as a bold, innovative content creator for years, not only as a Producer and Director but also during her days as a professor at Howard University and as a film educator through Film Independent, the Sundance Institute, and Distribution Advocates. Avril produced the award-winning film Jinn, which premiered at SXSW and won Special Jury Recognition for Writing. She also produced several films including African America, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and is streaming on Netflix. Avril produced the “Black America Is... project”, which premiered at the Afrikana Film Festival a couple of weeks ago in October.

http://www.azuspeak.com/
https://www.instagram.com/azuspeak/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/aboutloria/?hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/azuspeak/

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Transcript

Lisa Hopkins: 0:23

This is the stop time podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Hopkins, and I'm here to engage you in thought provoking motivational conversations around practicing the art of living in the moment. I'm a certified life coach, and I'm excited to dig deep and offer insights into embracing who we are and where we are at. I'm really looking forward to getting to know my next guests. Lauria King is an independent documentary filmmaker and photographer who focuses on nuanced stories involving race, gender, culture, and ethnicity. She began her filmmaking journey as an intern with Spike Lee's 40 acres and a mule Filmworks and her passion for her craft has led her to share her real world experience with students as a film professor in the classroom and all over the world. Her latest project black America is was selected as part of the 2020 film independent CNN Docu series. Also joining us today is April speaks, who not only has the coolest name but she has been carving out her path as a bold, innovative content creator for years, not only as a producer and director but also during your days as a professor at Howard University, and as a film educator through film independent the Sundance Institute, and distribution advocates. April produced the award winning film gin, which premiered at SX SW and one special jury recognition for writing. She also produced several films, including African America, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and is streaming now on Netflix. Evil produced the black America is project which premiered at the Africana Film Festival a couple of weeks ago, in October. So welcome, ladies. I'm super excited to be chatting with you today.

Avril Speaks: 2:22

Thank you for having us.

Lisa Hopkins: 2:23

It's my it's my pleasure. So Loria, you're in Florida right now, is that right? Yeah. And Avril? You're calling in from LA? All right. Perfect. So I'm super curious to know a little bit. We talked a little bit about it, maybe before we got on air, but maybe April can can begin. I'm curious to know how long you guys have known each other and how long you've been working together?

Avril Speaks: 2:49

Well, we've been we've been working together. We've known each other for a long time going back to our basic grad school at Columbia University. And I don't know if I don't know if we should date ourselves. But it was a long time ago. Just say that. But uh, yeah, I think we we've we just kind of connected literally from day one. I think Laurie always tells the story of the orientation, like our first day of class in the program, and I must have been running late, or something. And they call the attendance and they said, my name is April speaks, and there was silence. And they said, Well, I guess she's not speaking today. And Loria said, Oh, that person sounds interesting. And then eventually, I got there. And somehow we connected and we ended up being in the, you know, in that orientation, they put us into groups to like, make a little short film to just kind of get us acclimated to the equipment, and we were in the same group. And then when classes started, we were in practically every single class together our first year, you know, as someone who I went into grad school straight out of undergrad, and you know, I, I didn't know anything. I was just like, what's happening? What's going on, and it just felt really good to have someone from day one that I connected with, and we saw eye to eye and we also learned a lot from each other, too. I think from day one, I think we just kind of struck this bond that stayed throughout the year, she's probably one of the maybe one of the only people from grad school that I said, I'm still quite I talked to some of the people from our class, but in terms of maintaining a meaningful friendship that has all that is also a working relationship as well, because even throughout film school, we would work on each other's projects. You know, we've just been able to maintain that friendship even through the years and you know, both of us left New York and have gone on to have have lived in multiple states. And, you know, it feels good to say that she's someone that you know, I've seen her in many phases of life, like we know each other's families, and, you know, our families ask about each other. And as How's Loria when's last time, you talked to Loria I want to see her again. So, you know, we've just we've shared a lot in the last few years. So it's been great. Oh,

Lisa Hopkins: 5:30

that's, that's really that's really rare in a way right to have stayed that connected. Was there ever a time when, when you guys sort of grew apart for a bit or just got real busy and

Avril Speaks: 5:42

always been periods where we both got busy. And like, you know, we may not have talked for a while, but I always feel like whenever we do connect, and she's, she's one of those friends that like when we do connect, it's like we pick up, you know, we just pick pick, pick right back up.

Loria King: 5:57

I agree, we always kind of knew what the other person was doing, how they were doing, where they were, you know, what was on their mind. So it never felt like we ever disconnected at all.

Lisa Hopkins: 6:13

I love that. It's just an it radiates out of both of you. Right? It's just it just is right. I mean, it's just yeah, it's not going anywhere. It's beautiful. Tell us a little bit about each of your origin stories when filmmaking came into your life or when, you know, can you write is it was there sort of a seminal moment? Or? I don't know, what were your influences. I'm curious, Laurie, maybe you want to go for

Loria King: 6:36

me, I undergrad I did writing and photography. And my senior show for photography. Like I did things like if I were photographing an artist, I would have them read their poetry, or I would have them talk about what they did when they were drawing, or I would create an environment where they could move in a certain space. So I would also use like movement and my photographs, they would be slightly blurry, I would do it so that you could see the direction of their movement. So I would work the aperture so that you could kind of like see that motion. So as I started developing this idea, and I was so into my professor, he was very much a purist. He was like, Well, why don't you take a film class, if you want them to move and talk and like I would help this stuff. Take a film class. And I did. And one of my girlfriends told me that my photography reminded her of David Lee. And then I was like, okay, so I went to see a Spike Lee film. And interestingly enough there in the credits, he had interns. So at that moment, I said, Oh, I'm going to work on a Spike Lee film under David Lee, in the stills photography department. And that's kind of what happened for me. And I started watching. Like, I think, one weekend, every weekend in college, I would choose a different director. It would be Scorsese, or Spike Lee or Woody Allen. Cassavetes, just different filmmakers. And I would just watch all of their films. And I thought, Oh, I'm gonna go to film school. But before I go to film school, I'm going to be an intern, to see if there's really what I want to do. But that's when I fell in love with film. And now that I think back on it, it started prior to that, because I can remember my sister's boyfriend sneaking me and to see Spike Lee's, she's got a habit and just being amazed at just seeing black images on film, because you didn't see a whole a whole lot of black images on film. So that was how that was my progression from photography into film. And then I did the internship and ended up going to film school. So that that was the beginning for me.

Lisa Hopkins: 9:12

That's so cool. And do you remember your earliest memory of like, when you liked photography, like when you were a little girl, or like,

Loria King: 9:18

Oh, my goodness, oh, wow. No, I think my parents bought me a little Polaroid camera. And from there, I raked leaves one summer and bought my first like the entry level cannon. And that was it. I was always walking down the street looking for something that would like interests me and I would take a photograph and that I will always say it's my first love capturing that moment within the moment. But then, you know, my second and passion is the idea of capturing a person's story, not just in a moment, but letting it unfold over time. So that would be felt.

Lisa Hopkins: 10:01

Why do you think that was important to you? Maybe it was just instinctual at that point. But now in retrospect, do you have sort of a sense of

Loria King: 10:07

why Yeah, yeah, I think I have a love affair with memory. So it's so important to me, whether I'm taking a picture whether I'm capturing someone on video or film Um, I think I have a passion for memory and a passion for people and their stories. And what? What is it about their experiences that inform who they are like, Why are you who you are? Why do you think the way you think, you know, when I was an intern on Spike Lee's film, I was there every day. And they forced me to take a day off. So I could have, it was, so I gotta have a Friday, Saturday and Sunday to go visit my mom in Virginia, because he said, you talk about your mom all the time, please go visit her. But I was so concerned that I was I had the fear of missing out. So when I came back, David was like, what do you do? Do you just go around talking to everybody? And I said pretty much because he said the entire day, all everyone said was Where's Loria? Where's Loria? I haven't seen Loria Loria doesn't didn't come to visit me. He's like, how do you have time as my intern, to make so many friends, but everybody was so interesting, I just think it's fascinating. I'm that person, that's gonna strike up a conversation, and I'm not big on small talk, I want to know, I want to get to the depths of who you are, or what we're talking about. And I want to capture that and honor it, whether it's on film or photography, I've even in taking pictures I want to see beneath the surface, I want to see who you are, like, I want to use that moment to capture something unique and special. I want to Earth something. So I just think that's just a part of my makeup and where it comes from. I don't know. And sometimes, you know, i i People say I asked as too many questions, or I could be kind of like, too much with the questions, but I, I'm just fascinated by people. I really am.

Lisa Hopkins: 12:12

Yeah, I feel that it's beautiful. April, I'd love to hear your response to that, as well as your story about, you know, where this all came from for you.

Avril Speaks: 12:21

You know, just thinking about Loria. That's an interesting, the remember. And I also think that that's really interesting. You're you say you have a fascination with memory. Just you know, as long as I've known Loria, that's one of the things that I've loved about her and have have a kinship, even even in doing this project. It's been like about memory and where we come from, and what that means and what that looks like. But I feel like that's always been sort of like a conversation, you know, within our friendship, you know, that fabric that makes makes us who we are, and how the past informs that. So I just thought that that was really interesting. But yes, Loria is definitely the extrovert of the two of us. I think, for me, I've always been kind of the quiet observer. For me, my my origin with film, I, you know, I wouldn't say that I was a late comer to the to film because I didn't know that that's what I wanted to do until I was in college, I can definitely see the traces of storytelling early, very early on. Every phase of my life, I feel like there's been something art related of me trying to create something by creating a play. I remember, in my teen years, I was always trying to create a rap group. At a rap group, I had a dance group, I you know, it was like always creating something. By the time I went to college, you know, I knew that I that I love to write, I just didn't know what to do with writing, you know, I, I had no clue of what does what does a person who likes to write, what do they do for a living, and the only thing I could come up with was a journalist. And so I went in as a journalism major. And I joined the newspaper staff, and they assigned me a story. And you know, I remember coming back from my first interview, and they're like, Well, what about this one, they've asked me about all these facts, and I was like, Oh, but I just wanted to just like, write a story. You want facts? Like, that's like, that's what I want to do. And somehow through that conversation, and through that realization, I started doing graphic design for the paper. I don't know how that happened, why that happened, but I did and ended up loving it. And I just was just floating around like, oh, maybe I want to be a graphic designer for a living. And I started pursuing that. And I just went through major after major, like, what do I do with writing? And I always had an interest in black studies. So and I literally got to a point where I was like, I don't know what else to major in. I'm just going to major in Black Studies. And when I switched my major, I got an advisor and I told my advisor, I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. And she said, she said, Well, you like writing. You like doing this graphic design at the newspaper. So you there's this visual aspect that you're loving. Have you ever thought about film, and I had never it never even crossed my mind. But when I thought about it, I love going to the movies. So when she said that I it was just like a lightbulb, like I never thought about film. And I went to University of Maryland for undergrad, and they had just gotten rid of the film program there. And so she said, Well, they have a film program at Howard Howe university, you know, you can take classes there. And I took I took a film class at Howard. And it was That's all she wrote. I literally took that first class and was like, This is what I want to do with my life this is it, this is the this is the you know, the bridge the the marriage between the two, you know, the writing and the visual, the storytelling, you know, this is this is exactly what I want. And I never looked back after that first class. I never looked back and it was kind of you know, full speed ahead. I started I just wanted to get my hands on anything I could I did internships, I you know, I would come home for the summers and do internships. I took more classes at Howard. And and then right after undergrad I went to Columbia, which is where I met Lauria,

Lisa Hopkins: 16:33

what really stands out a couple of things really stand out. One is one is that you? You did no you weren't Yes. Funny. You say bumbling around, but you weren't really because you were pretty you pretty clear the entire time the through line was that you wanted to write you just needed to figure out how to where you know where that would be. And that's, that speaks a lot to who you are right? How driven you are, like you knew you knew you had the calling to write? Yeah. And you must have known you were good at it, or at least that you really wanted to pursue it. You weren't afraid of it. Yeah. And you were looking looking looking and you know, that tenacity really is you know, as the antithesis of bumbling around. Right. You were you were trying until you found the right thing?

Avril Speaks: 17:22

Yeah, yeah. It's pretty much felt like bumbling. Especially in college, me, especially when you when you and you know, you make a good point. And like I said, you know, when I was thinking about it the other day about like, you try to do a rap group. And then you did another rap group, and then you got another group, and then you did the other day. But like I you know, I was thinking about that, because I was like, yeah, you've always had this drive to do something creative. I think when I got to undergrad, it was just this thing of like, where do people like me go? You know, like, for a lot of times, we need role models, and you need to see people doing what you want to do. Like I It never dawned on me that all of this television that I was watching that there were people behind the scenes, who were making television, and who were making movies, and I you know, it's like when it comes to film. You know, like I mentioned, et like I that was one of the movies that I remember very early on watching and being you know, in awe, of watching et, but like, I knew the name Steven Spielberg. But this is there's a disconnect that like Steven Spielberg is a person that is a film director. And that is his job is making movies like it just didn't connect much less being, you know, a black girl, a little black girl in New Jersey. I'm like, Who? Who does that? And you know, of course, you know, then Spike Lee came along, and it was like, oh, there's this guy, Spike Lee who's making movies like he that's a black filmmaker who's making films like, okay, maybe that's something that men can do, that black men can do. But me as a woman, is that something it really wasn't until I went to college, you know, after spending a couple of years going, oh, what I do, and then literally taking that class, and then seeing other black women filmmakers. And that was like the click. It's like, there was the artistic click. But there was also the click of going like, there's people out there. This was a whole industry, like there are people out there who are doing this, and who are making films who are telling stories. And it's not just these people over here. Like it can be for me too. And this is like that. I think that's what was really exciting is like, this is for me, like I can tell this

Lisa Hopkins: 19:59

the other through line two with both of you that I wanted to ask you it sounds like it sounds like you both kind of did what you wanted to do. Like you kind of had a good sense and I tried this and I tried that and nobody was going you need to go to school you need to or maybe there was like it sounds like you both had this sort of agency that was not you know, clear outdid by the shoulds and shouldn't sell them I'm sure that they were there, but I don't hear it very, you know, in the way that you're expressing yourself. Now, talk to me about that. Like, what? What, if anything stood in your way or made you? Maybe there was something there that made you go that strong? I don't know who Laura

Loria King: 20:46

Okay, so for me, I had amazing parents who were very supportive, but they are also, I think a lot of times from in their generation college was used to, you know, like we talked about earlier, it's used to get a job, like you go to college, you study this, you get it, you graduate, and you get a job. So it's really interesting, because they were very supportive of me. And it could have been that I didn't give them a choice because I have that type of personality. But I remember my father's I graduated from undergrad, and then I'm going to graduate school and I'm studying film, he's like, Oh, you're going to get another degree, you can look into paper and find a job. They didn't really understand what I was doing. But they were supportive. But at the same time, they were concerned. They wanted me to be able to be independent and take care of myself. But I would hear from other family members, how proud they were. Sometimes they were like, okay, you know, what do you do? My father was a, an E. Z method is, and my mother was a Baptist growing up. And at some point, when I was younger, I decided I wanted to be Catholic. And he were like, what? But there they were, every, every Saturday, we went to mass and they were standing and kneeling and standing and my father's like, Okay, this is enough. But they were there with me on that journey. And that's the way it's been like, they haven't always understood or agreed, but they were very supportive at the same

Lisa Hopkins: 22:28

time. Wow. I mean, that's some serious, amazing modeling, right? Right there. I mean, just that. We know you and we know you're gonna do it anyway. So we're gonna support you. Yeah, they were they were here for you, you know, but not like, okay, good luck. Go. And you know, we'll go with you. Yeah, that's amazing. That's yeah. Thank you, for sure. What about you?

Avril Speaks: 22:51

Was your similar somewhat similar for me, my parents were very supportive, but they didn't always understand what was happening. So I think it took a while for it to kind of sink in and see the wholeness of the fullness of the patient in terms of what I was doing. But, you know, I always remember, remember, my mom telling me, you know, you can do anything you set your mind to? I think Laurie have said it? Well, I think, you know, in their mind, they just wanted me to be well, you know, and be well taken care

Lisa Hopkins: 23:23

of. Well, it's really funny, because it's not lost on me that you know, you both went to the ivy League's too, right. So that probably kept them coasting for a while. Yeah, she's at Columbia. Yes. Yeah. That kind of stops people at a cocktail party. Yeah. She's at Columbia. Oh, wow. It is matter what you're studying. Right?

Avril Speaks: 23:41

Exactly. Yeah. I'll never forget when I first started teaching, because I, you know, I took classes at Howard moved to Atlanta. And then I came back to Howard to teach. And I remember my dad standing up at a family reunion. It was like, my daughter is a professor at Howard University. Like he was like, so. So proud. Oh,

Lisa Hopkins: 24:03

what is your definition of living in the moment?

Avril Speaks: 24:08

Hmm, that's a great question.

Loria King: 24:11

My definition of living in the moment is feeling connected. Like when I feel incredibly present to whatever's going on around me and within me at the same time, and they're both connected, like there's a sense of that I am infinite and that I am connected to all that is infinite, all at the same time. And I my awareness is internal and external, but it just seems seamless.

Avril Speaks: 24:44

Mm hmm. That's good.

Lisa Hopkins: 24:46

Yeah. I just want to sit on that for a minute. That's a beautiful definition. I feel that it's visceral. Not surprisingly.

Avril Speaks: 24:54

Yeah. I am a pickup off of that present. I think being in the moment to me is, is being present. It's being present and letting go of any preconceived notions presuppositions. Yeah. Being in the moment is being in the present, being present. And forgetting about what came before and what comes after an acting out of what is now? Yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 25:30

So how often do you guys experience

Loria King: 25:32

this? Living in the moment, I would say, Oh, I experience being present about 80% of the time that I am conscious. But at very different levels, not always at the highest, most connected level. But other times, and I would say the other 20%, I'm in the past or the future. And then I catch myself, and I'm like, hold on, you know, but

Avril Speaks: 26:01

trying to get better at living in the moment. I'm a big like, Cenarius, like coming up with scenarios that aren't even real. And like living in the future of like, what, what if, what if, what if? So, I'm trying to get better at living in the moment and living in what is now because I think I'm finding more and more that many of the things that I worry about, both past and future don't really matter. And they don't. They, they'll fix themselves. And in their own time. When I'm President, I also think of that question in light of like, who we are as people. And I think as humans, we're always evolving. And I think that now I'm just now becoming aware, and comfortable with who I am now, accepting who this April is, and not being afraid to live out of that, you know, and it feels so much better, it feels feels so good. Much better.

Lisa Hopkins: 27:15

Would you share with me like a low light and a highlight in your career so far?

Avril Speaks: 27:23

Well say I think that one of the lowest moments, I felt, I guess, more recently, I went to grad school for directing, and spent years, you know, pursuing directing, and so on and so forth. And I was also a professor, so I spent like a good 10 years as a college professor. And in my mind, this was always going to be a thing in my life, where I was going to be able to teach and make film, teaching, make film, teach and make film. So I was part time, I was going back and forth between a bunch of different schools, not making any money at all stressed out, because I was doing all of these jobs, I wasn't really actively filmmaking at the time, two of the schools where I was teaching full time positions had opened up. And I applied for both jobs. And I thought this is it, this is going to be my ticket. You know, I'm going to be a full time professor. I'll it'll be like, it used to be where, you know, I'm making, I'm teaching and I'm creating, being in LA is one thing, but being in LA with no money, it's like not, it's like a whole different experience. It was a really, really low point. And I was so far away from family. I was really at a loss like financially, emotionally, mentally. And I just knew I was gonna get these jobs. And that was going to be the answer to everything. Well, lo and behold, I got an email from the chair saying they decided to go a different way, and they weren't going to hire me. And maybe about a week later, I got another email from the other school said, you know, we're gonna go a different direction. And I just thought everything was caving in. That was probably one of the hardest moments of my life like I, I Yeah. Which, which turned into the highest because I lived in a tiny apartment in LA, and I had all of these student projects, they were all over my apartment, like I could, you know, could me walk around, like, and all this stuff. And I was so convinced I was gonna get this job. I had put all of these projects like in a pile, and I was like, I'm gonna get my office, like when I get when I get this job when we get my office, and I'll put all these projects in the office, none of that. So I had them all like, gathered. And a week went by where I was just like, really sat in the dumps, and just like, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. You know, my, my parents had moved to Atlanta, and I was like, Maybe I should just go move in with them. Because like, I don't even have food in the house. Like at this point. I was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. And then one day, I was like, you know, I'm a filmmaker. I'm a filmmaker, and here in LA. I am going to talk about living in the moment. it, I was like, I'm going to live in the now of where I am right now. And I'm going to hedge my bet on, I'm going to bet on myself, I'm going back into production, and I'm going full throttle, I'm just gonna, like go for it, I took all of that stuff that was in my floor, I packed my car, all the papers, all of the whatever, I threw them all away. I threw them all away. And I was just like, I'm done. I'm not looking back. And I went back in the house, and I started sending emails to people and said, You know, I've been looking for teaching full time teaching jobs for the last thing is three years I had been applying, and nothing's coming up. I think it might be time for me to pay attention to what is going on in my life now, that is, you know, leading me in positive directions. And to go in that direction, and go there. And literally two weeks later, I got a job working in television production. And that's how I actually shifted to producing so I, you know, I was directing. And then I shifted to producing, started working with a filmmaker, and we, you know, work well together. And then she was like, I have this feature called gin. We made that feature. And like, everything blew up. But it all started with this, like rejection email.

Lisa Hopkins: 31:58

It's amazing, isn't it? Yeah. That's huge. Thank you for sharing that. That's really a wonderful, wonderful, sorry, I'm glad I asked you. And it's interesting, too, because, you know, just because you're not teaching doesn't mean you're not a teacher. I mean, you don't suddenly stopped being a teacher, right? You know, that, obviously. Definitely. Yeah. Laurie, what about you?

Loria King: 32:19

So there are two times in my life. One was when I was working in corporate America, I was making really good money, and I had a high end car. And I just remember sitting in that car, at the edge of the parking lot, I drove to the furthest point in the parking lot during lunch, and I'm sitting there, I'm having my lunch. And I'm miserable. You know, like I'm climbing the corporate ladder. so fast that I remember the HR person said, I wanted to meet you because why? I wanted to know why I had a director and an assistant director in my office trying to justify why we shouldn't give you a job ahead of the time in which we're technically supposed to promote someone. So it was just like, it was really easy. I kept getting more money and better positions and bigger titles, and I wasn't happy. So juxtapose that with, I've left corporate America. I'm living in Santa Monica. And it had gotten so bad for me that I remember going to Whole Foods, because I had made this agreement with myself that I would never compromise on foods. So I'm getting organic kale from Whole Foods, but I can only have two leaves a kale a day. And I'm like stressing out working during, you know, driving and delivering stuff. And, you know, trying to figure out how I'm how I'm going to pay rent and eat. And I was just like, man, like, I would have these amazing opportunities. People would contact me, I would go for the interview, or my motto, used to be prior to living in California was that I can get the interview, I got the job. I would always say that. But I never got the job. I never, I never got I never got it. And there was this one that I really wanted. It was being a video producer. And they were all excited about me. They were like, Oh, wow, you know, we really liked you. You're amazing. It's unfortunate that we can only offer you this amount of money and the money that they were offering me I was like, Oh, yes. I didn't even think it wasn't that much. I was just excited. People to like breathe and then they ghosted me. They completely ghosted me and I was like, I don't know, what am I not doing? And I just felt like such a failure. But I didn't know why. I ended up leaving LA and coming back or not coming back kind of coming back to Florida, and having the freedom to be able to pursue whatever I chose to pursue and having the support and the most amazing sister, she's completely supportive of me. And what I'm trying to do she she believes in it. So that has given me the freedom to pursue 100% my passion. And it's been, I would say, really the first time I felt this sense of freedom, like not having to stress about having a certain amount of money coming in, or you know, all of the other things that come along with that. So I think that those were my lowest moments. But out of that came the ability to be completely free. And I had to embrace the idea that I don't have to be in New York, and I don't have to be in LA. To be a filmmaker.

Lisa Hopkins: 36:03

That's awesome. Yeah. What do you know will stay true about you, no matter what happens, or no matter what you do?

Loria King: 36:12

Mm hmm. So I will say, what I know will stay true about me is my desire to always elevate and evolve, how

Lisa Hopkins: 36:25

do you want to be remembered?

Loria King: 36:30

Okay, so I think the best way to answer that is I was in Kenya on a safari with my students that I was I was teaching their teaching film. And they were like, what if a tiger jumped up and you know, grabbed you and killed you? I said, Well, you know, I think I'd be okay. And they looked at me strange when I said, because I have loved, I have been loved, I have been hurt, I've hurt people I've forgiven, I've been forgiven. And I just felt like, okay, so I have lived life. And I don't think it necessarily means that you have to have done any particular thing. But I just feel like for what my life is, I breathed life into every corner of it in the process. So I would just want to be remembered as someone who, who embraced life and lived and like, did what she wanted to do, and lived it on her own terms, made a lot of mistakes, fell down a whole lot, but just kept going. You know, that's, that's the most I could hope anyone would remember me by.

Lisa Hopkins: 37:43

Love that. What about what about you overall,

Avril Speaks: 37:47

I think I'm always gonna be telling stories in some way, shape, or form. It may not always be in the way of film, but in some way, shape or form, I think I'm always going to be telling human stories, it's always going to be true that I love my family. And, you know, even want to see that reflected in stories. And I think that's how I want to be remembered always thinking about things outside the box. Either creating something outside of the box or doing something outside of the box, or even just thinking outside of the box just in terms of like how we think and process. Everyday

Lisa Hopkins: 38:23

thing I know for sure. I have to ask you guys this because you seem so fearless. Both of you. But I know that you're not I know that you're human. What's What would you say scares? What scares you? What are you most afraid of right now? I mean, that may change, right? But in this moment,

Loria King: 38:42

for me, the thing that I fear most, I don't want to die with my music inside of me. Like, that is my greatest fear. That that is my greatest fear. And that is my greatest motivator. But there's so much that's inside of me that I want to share. Yeah. And I feel like if I don't, that what I was put here to do. I have not lived into that completely.

Lisa Hopkins: 39:11

But what about you ever?

Avril Speaks: 39:14

I think my biggest fear is failure. And to me failure is not being able to do what I feel called to do. Like not having the freedom to do that.

Lisa Hopkins: 39:27

What would you do differently if you knew that you couldn't fail?

Avril Speaks: 39:30

It's interesting you asking that? Because I don't know what I would do differently. And I'm like, wondering how much fear of failure is a an unreal barrier for me? You know what I mean?

Lisa Hopkins: 39:45

Yep. For sure. For sure. I mean, basically, we're talking about a limiting belief right, or something that had helped us like it was probably a driver for you. Yeah, probably achieved a lot of success through having that fear. It accompanies you, because it helps you but now as I asked you the question, you kind of go Wait, I don't need it. I wouldn't do anything different. Clean the house again.

Avril Speaks: 40:08

Yeah, exactly. non existent. That's that's the word I was looking for. I just did fear and that didn't exist.

Lisa Hopkins: 40:15

It definitely did exist. At some point. It probably helped you and that's why it's still there from the remnants of it.

Avril Speaks: 40:21

Hmm. Oh, That's powerful. I had to write that down in therapy

Lisa Hopkins: 40:26

very ago. So as we finish fill in the blank, most people think, but the truth is,

Loria King: 40:33

wow, I would say most people think that I am an extrovert. But I'm actually a combination of being an introvert extrovert.

Avril Speaks: 40:44

You know what immediately paints on my mind. I think some people think that I'm meek, shy, quiet, because I am an introvert. But I'm a bull.

Lisa Hopkins: 40:58

I don't even know you and I meet because this is the furthest thing I'd say. I'm Yeah, in fact, your silence is so powerful. Like you're you're, you're very intense. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful energy. It's like a very, like, you didn't even need to speak and I you just like you emanate like strength and focus and ability. And thanks for that. No, it's true. From my point of view, so we're gonna do rapid fire. I'm gonna say what makes you and I'm gonna say it word. And then you just say what comes to mind. So for those of you are listening, Laurie is going to be the first boom. April's gonna be the second one. All right, guys. Here we go. So what makes you hungry?

Loria King: 41:40

What makes me hungry is creativity. Whether it's someone else's creativity or my own, like, I love that, that makes me hunger to want to put my stuff out there. And then working out. Working out has made me really hungry. Like my appetite has really increased since I've been working out five days a week.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:05

Cool. What about GI Bill? What makes you hungry?

Avril Speaks: 42:07

They came to my mind was trumping grids.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:12

I love your honesty. All right, what makes you sad?

Loria King: 42:19

What makes me sad? Is it seeing other people's pain like them experiencing pain or rejection, any type of pain that makes me really, really sad.

Avril Speaks: 42:29

The first thing that came to my mind was distance. I think I'm feeling that, especially these days of being so far away from family. So it's making me sad.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:46

What inspires you?

Loria King: 42:49

For me, I would say connection, like feeling connected to things.

Avril Speaks: 42:54

I would say heartfelt stories inspire me. And I would also say sunny days inspire me.

Lisa Hopkins: 43:05

What frustrates you,

Loria King: 43:07

resistance to anything that I want to do?

Avril Speaks: 43:09

I had to borrow that resistance.

Lisa Hopkins: 43:11

Lauria, what makes you laugh?

Loria King: 43:15

My dog and my sister, me,

Lisa Hopkins: 43:20

that's fair, well makes you angry,

Loria King: 43:22

passive aggressive. behavior makes me angry.

Avril Speaks: 43:27

I would say ignorance or like willful ignorance.

Lisa Hopkins: 43:30

Mm hmm. Yeah. And finally, what makes you grateful,

Loria King: 43:37

I would say I get my sister. And it's really interesting, my dog, because both of my parents are dead. My grandparents are dead. And those are the two that show me unconditional acceptance, love when I think about it, and kind of let it settle into my body. I'm overwhelmed, completely overwhelmed with what a gift. The idea that I was born into this lifetime and this world with my person. She's three years older than me. So she was here when I got here. You know, like, and she's all in for me. So I would say my sister and then my dog who doesn't care what I look like. doesn't care. He just loves me.

Lisa Hopkins: 44:26

I love that one about you a role? What are you grateful for?

Avril Speaks: 44:31

I'm grateful for love, love from my family, or my friends. I will say loving community. I'm really grateful for Yeah, I will say community. I'm really grateful for the community that I've been able to build over the span of my life. Jersey, New York, pretty much every place that I've lived. I feel like I have a strong community of people of both family and friends who are behind me who love me, who know me. You know, beyond you know, a film credit. They know who I really am and love me regardless.

Lisa Hopkins: 45:12

Amen. And what are the top three things that happened so far today?

Loria King: 45:18

Working out this podcast interview and how Be it with a rollin you. And learning some new things about April that I didn't know anything about you.

Avril Speaks: 45:30

This podcast on waking up to having had a good night's sleep and a beautiful sunrise this morning. It'd be number two, I would say my third thing is, I was excited that my blue is coming in.

Lisa Hopkins: 45:52

And what's just finally, what's something you're looking forward to?

Loria King: 45:58

Oh, wow, I'm looking forward to the rest of this journey with this project and other projects with a role to work with someone who I'm in alignment with. It's so easy. It's been a wonderful learning experience for me, but at the same time, such a sense of camaraderie and friendship. And she spoke with Abraham, you spoke a lot about communities and just tapping into the community of people that we both know. And I'm looking forward to repeating that with this project in other parts of the country, and the world. And also, with possible other projects

Lisa Hopkins: 46:47

a row, what about you? What are you most looking forward to?

Avril Speaks: 46:51

Looking forward to the next phase of the journey? I feel like I'm kind of in a somewhat of a transition period, like in terms of seasons of life. And I think I'm still in the process of thinking through what that is. So I'm looking forward to the journey of you know, what's around the corner, which is, you know, which is me scenario scenario rising again?

Lisa Hopkins: 47:29

Oh, you're so sweet. You guys, it has been such a pleasure and an honor speaking with you and just feeling your connectedness and joy and for allowing me into that. I really, really appreciate you both. And just before we sign off, I wondered if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about your latest project. Black America is.

Avril Speaks: 47:49

So yeah, so black America is it's a it's a traveling exhibition, about what it means to be black in America. And it's about black identity, and how the moments of our life have shaped who we are today to just get a sense of what it looks like to identify as black or as African American, and to talk about what that means for anyone living in this country. And so we just wanted to hear voices, let people speak for themselves and define for themselves what that means, and have a conversation about it. So it's an ongoing conversation about what it means to be black in America.

Lisa Hopkins: 48:29

Amazing. Thank you so much, ladies. I've been speaking today with Lauria King and Avril speaks. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Stay safe and healthy everyone and remember to live in the moment. In music, stop time is that beautiful moment where the band is suspended in rhythmic unison, supporting the soloist to express their individuality. In the moment, I encourage you to take that time and create your own rhythm. Until next time, I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks for listening