Image from Instagram
Her Campus got a chance talk to Trejhaun Andrece, a student at Clark Atlanta University, who started her own film production company this summer.
HC: How did you get into acting and theater?
TA: I got into theater and acting in 8th grade and took my first acting class. In 9th grade I took drama, but my class didn’t take it seriously. We got a new drama teacher in 11th grade and my new theater teacher was way more involved and put us in high school theater competitions. That’s when I started doing shows.
HC: What is your major and why did you choose to attend Clark Atlanta University?
TA: My major is Theatre with a Minor in Spanish. During my 12th grade year I decided I wanted to be a drama therapist. But I always wanted to go to HBCU because my cousins went. I just didn’t know which one. This boy that I knew in the SpelHouse group chat that was going to Morehouse told me Clark was giving out scholarships and I called the school and got a scholarship because of my test scores. I told my mom I was going to double major in psychology and drama, but I followed my passion and theater was that passion.
HC: Where are you from?
TA: I am from Mobile Alabama
HC: Did you always know you wanted to be involved in Theater in college? What shows have you done?
TA: By the time I got to college I was for sure a theater person. During my freshman year, I didn’t do any shows because I was not focused on theater because we didn’t have our major courses yet. Sophomore year I realized that I didn’t do any shows my freshman year and I definitely wanted to get into something. So I auditioned for THE INSIDE and got casted in it.
HC: What was the response to THE INSIDE?
In the show we did a devise piece and wrote the script ourselves and made personal monologues of our lives in it. After THE INSIDE people started coming up to me about the writing and asking if [the story] was real. My director said I had a gift for the pen. So, I decided not to limit myself to just acting and started writing more. I stress duplicity and doing multiple things at once.
HC: How did you start your Film Production Company? What sparked the idea?
TA: I met so many people that told me to write. I met people like Jade Pinkett Smith sophomore year who talked to me about how black people need to take control of their own stories and write their own stories. I believe in myself enough to write. So I started writing and wrote this show called THE MECCA. I realized I wasn’t writing it correctly
HC: What did you learn while writing?
TA: I ‘m learning the you can’t just start writing. You have to come up with the characters first and write a treatment. I wasn’t prepared. And I had to do research to learn because I learned that I wasn’t writing correctly. So I had to take steps to get it together. I had to get a mentor that has experience in writing scripts and films. Also, I watched a lot of YouTube to help me and a mimicked people who created shows/web series. I realized I was doing lots of thing wrong.
HC: So what is your company’s name and purpose?
TA: This summer I started my company with the help of my photographer. I put it into motion and got a logo made. The name of the company is Trigga Film works LLC. Trigga Film works is a production company that is geared to filming projects for marginalized groups like the LGBTQ
+ community, women, black people, Latin people. It is for anyone that is misrepresented in mass media. It was created to paint and shoot stories for people who do not get exposure enough. Its other stories that aren’t told enough. Also, we are about to register it with the state of Georgia and be an LLC.
HC: Where do you see your film company in 5 years?
TA: I want to be at Cannes Film festival or a Tribecca Film festival and doing a lot of short films to get my work out. I want to be acting, directing, creative directing and doing what I LOVE.
THE MECCA will be out in 2019 and casting calls with out in November of 2018.
Follow Trejhaun Andrece on Instagram @trigga_trayyyy
Twitter: @TriggaFilmworks
IG: @TriggaFilmworks