Meet Raven Magwood | Filmmaker, Author, Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raven Magwood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raven, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Great reward requires great risk. Whether it’s a professional endeavor, romantic relationship, or personal accomplishment, there is always a risk involved when you are trying to do something great. In my own life, this has proven to be true, time and time again. In fact, my latest film project is a perfect testament to the reward that can come from taking a big risk. When ‘Haunted Trail’ was first released on BET+, it quickly became the number one streaming film. The movie was directed by Robin Givens, and it stars Desi Banks, Reggie Couz, and Marquise C. Brown. I even made my acting debut in the film. Although the end result was great, we faced a lot of adversity in creating the film.

First, I had never produced a film before. Ever. People go to school for years to learn the art of filmmaking, and here I was producing a film being directed by acting legend Robin Givens. Of course I studied the craft and did extensive research, but it was still my very first time producing a film. In addition, we shot during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was extremely risky, because we risked having to completely shut down production if we received ONE positive test result on set. Since we produced the independent film in 17 days on a limited budget, we simply couldn’t afford losing any cast or crew member to a mandatory quarantine period if they were to test positive.

In addition to the global pandemic and my inexperience as a film producer, we assumed an inherent risk by shooting a high quality film on a limited budget. We literally had no room for error. Yet, we ended up making a few errors and ended up having to acquire additional investors mid-project just to be able to finish the film. By the grace of God, however, everything ended up coming together amazingly, and BET jumped on licensing the movie. They aired it on their TV network, and they put the movie on their streaming platform, BET+, where it quickly became #1. The reward was amazing! But the risk to get to that point was just as great.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I published my first book when I was just 12 years old. It was a motivational book that detailed my keys to success. (At that point in time, I had skipped two grades and become a national gymnastics champion.) After its publication, I was invited to give my first speech for Stedman Graham in Charlotte, NC. I received a standing ovation, officially starting my career as a motivational speaker. Over time, one thing led to another. My speaking led to an inspirational online radio show, which led to a TV talk show, all by the age of 17. At the time, I was also a junior in college at Clemson University.

After graduating from Clemson at 19 (I had taken a year off to host my TV show), I started working on truly monetizing my work. I published my third book, began traveling the country giving speeches, and I wrote a few screenplays.

Although I’ve been blessed to have many achievements, I have also endured my share of adversity. When I was a national champion gymnast, I was often in chronic pain due to a knee disease. I also had three surgeries during that time, which sidelined me from the sport I loved so much. When I was 19, in my last semester at Clemson, doctors discovered I had a breast tumor which would need to be surgically removed. Despite much concern from my breast cancer surgeon, the tumor thankfully ended up being benign. But that experience made me really appreciate life. I’ve lost family members. I’ve had people try to tear me down. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve heard “no” more times than I can count. No one can live a life without adversity. However, I have always chosen to respond to difficulties in the best way possible so that I can overcome any negativity and still be on track to reach my goals. Attitude is everything.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my parents, Frank and Chandra. Since day one, they have always supported all of my endeavors. My mom even served as the executive producer of my first film, Haunted Trail. They have always been so positively involved in my life, and I appreciate them so much. Without them, I know that I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.

Website: www.RavenMagwood.com

Instagram: @RavenMagwood

Facebook: @RavenMagwood

Youtube: @RavenMagwood

Image Credits
Corey Reese