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

Hi Iesha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business stemmed from the genuine joy I feel when I get to be apart of a collectively talented team; striving towards the completion of a project and being able to witness the excitement of everyone succeeding together. I’ve always been an extremely hard worker and maintain a “glass is half full” mentality and hope that my company will always display that level of service. As a filmmaker and indie producer, I take pride in being able to display the talents of the diverse group of professionals I get to work with on a daily basis. We work across all media outlets and want to help clients engage their audience by telling inspiring/unique stories. I believe my passion for the industry will be a staple in helping make a difference for the future of filmmaking.

What should our readers know about your business?
My journey to working in the film industry was definitely not an easy road. I decided to quit my job and go back to school in 2014. I majored in audio production but my focus shifted from audio to film because film classes were required in order to graduate and I fell in love with the process of filmmaking; I was also juggling a rocky marriage & raising 3 kids. I worked on a ton of unpaid indie projects before I ever landed my first paid gig. My film and television career began in office and art assistant work for ESPN, feature films Summer Night & St. Agatha on Netflix, Bravo docuseries, BET live events, Ozark, Love is Blind, Prank Encounters & Lovecraft Country. Needless to say, I’ve taken the very long road to realizing I wanted to produce. Part of that journey was overcoming the fear of stepping into the unknown and judging myself against where others were in their careers. I was a guest on a podcast in 2018 called FEARS OF A NO-NAME (Blank)- hosted by my friend and actress; Virginia Vogt where I disclosed my fear of failure. I shared how I’d get to a certain point and used excuses to let fear consume my thoughts and hold me back despite my work ethics and drive to succeed. The lesson I’ve learned along the way is that you can’t measure your success based on what others say or do around you. The minute you start doing that; it creates self doubt, self esteem issues, and ultimately self sabotage. I wanted to start my own production company to push myself past those obstacles. The inspiration behind Merry Price Productions came about really because of my love for the 1964 Fantasy/Musical Classic- Mary Poppins. It was one of my favorite childhood movies and one that I still love and feel such a strong connection to- I mean, who doesn’t love the magical nanny that flies in out of nowhere to put a broken home back together again and disappears when the job is all done? She embodies the very meaning of being kind to one another which is exactly what I’m all about. I relate the underlying tone of the film to how Merry Price Productions should operate; like Mary Poppins– who was positive, professional, got things done yet never acknowledged her uniquely strange and magical powers– I pride myself in being genuine, organized and professional so that things run smoothly during production, movie making magic and all! In 2018, I produced the award winning short film Residence 906 (my producer debut) the drama/thriller was made up of a total of 50 women and 4 men cast & crew. We shot the film in 3 overnight shoots and got to screen for the first time at the Plaza Theatre during the 50 Foot Film Festival on Halloween Eve; so my team dressed in proper Halloween attire- respectfully, a Mary Poppins theme. I’m excited for the potential of Merry Price Productions and look forward to collaborations with other indie producers such as owners of Imperial Savage Production- Taylor Owenby & Heather Hutton and Josh Rayhmes of Rayhmes Production. He’s an upcoming writer who has won multiple awards for his horror short The Other Me jrahymes@rahymesproduction.com. Our most recent projects in the development phase include a horror short called TOM: The (Other) Me written by Josh Rayhmes and script consultant Michele Olson. We also have a feature called Afterhours 92 written by Carole A. Parker. Both projects will launch at the International Cannes 2020 Film Market.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s hard to believe that we’re operating in such uncertain times but before we began practicing “social distancing”; I typically worked in the East Atlanta Village area. It’s a great place to walk around and explore some of the bars, local shops, and music venues. If you’re new to the film industry and want to network The Midway Pub is a great hangout with good food. Ponce City Market is a great place to try different restaurants; The Roof offers a place to have drinks and play carnival games. The Atlanta Beltline has tons of things to get into such as fitness classes, restaurants, nightlife and even has a tour bus that you can take to explore historic Atlanta neighborhoods. You can always find something to do at Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown Atlanta like visiting the Aquarium, touring Coca-Cola World & State Farm Arena.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I would like to shoutout who has made a difference in the direction of my career however; a handful of people have been a consistent presence in my life- being there through the good, bad & the ugly. My shoutouts go to Joshah Jones (mentor), Laura Larrabee (HOA work mom), Kris Hubert (fellow alumni), Virginia Vogt (actress & bestie), Michelle Alderman (hair stylist & bestie), Helen Jean Holston (my mother), Sean, Danica & Nyaliah (my kids). I appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart. I’m forever thankful for your love, support and patience throughout this journey! For those that I didn’t name who’ve made an impact on my life & career, I still love you!!

Website: www.merrypriceproductions.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iesha.price/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ieshamerrypriceproductions/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrypricepro1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theotherme930/?modal=admin_todo_tour,
https://www.facebook.com/ImperialSavagePro/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjLjI5leJtG_oY8YTgVNebw
Other: Visit www.merrypriceproductions.com and join our mailing list! Be the first to know about new projects, special events & gig opportunities. We are constantly working to raise the bar on our services. We’re always looking for partnerships, sponsorships, investment opportunities, and/or potential actors/crew members to join the team. I want to thank Voyage ATL magazine for allowing Merry Price Productions to share our journey into the film industry.

Image Credits
Boris Martin Linda Sayseng Angelica Perez Castro