We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony R. Page and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony R., can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
You will grow differently than the people around you. You will outgrow many, and many will outgrow you. To that end, your path is your own. To outsiders, your journey may not always make sense, but as long as you can see it, keep moving toward it.

Health is paramount—spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. If your person is off or not at its best, so will your decisions, and that will shape your actions and results. Prioritize wellness, and when things feel out of balance, the first step is always self-care.

We all evolve over time, and with that growth our interests, goals, and priorities shift. That naturally brings new relationships—both business and personal—and it also requires letting go of some things. Trying to hold on to too much at once will only cause the entire system to collapse.

Finally, control your narrative. Don’t let other people tell you who you are. Most only observe from the outside, forming judgments without ever seeing the full picture. What matters is that you understand who you are at your core and move through the world from that vantage point. As the saying goes, you never really know anyone—but that also means they never fully know or understand you. Being grounded in your own identity and vision is the compass that will carry you forward.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In 2008, I left my job to pursue my creative career full time. The first few years were brutal. I knew how to make films and create, but I had little experience running a business. I had to go through a real shift—psychic and lifestyle. I had to stop thinking like an employee and start living, thinking, and working like a business owner and entrepreneur.

Most of my family in South Carolina were hardworking people, but not many had started businesses. What I did inherit was a strong work ethic. The challenge was learning how to apply that discipline to running a business. It wasn’t seamless. There were many starts and stops, and more than a few times I had to go back to the drawing board.

I often compare it to Wile E. Coyote in the old Warner Bros. cartoons. He was determined to catch that Road Runner, and with each failure, he came back with a new plan. His persistence was enviable. But I also noticed how sometimes he’d run off a cliff and, for a moment, walk on air. The second he looked down and doubted, he would fall. I began to wonder—what if he never looked down and just kept walking? That’s the mindset I adopted: step out on faith and keep moving.

There have been many times when I’ve felt like I was walking on air, and yes, other times when I looked down. But over the years, I’ve gotten much better at exercising faith, walking off cliffs, and making it to the other side. Right now, as Festival Director of the Alma Film Festival, I’m in the middle of one of those moments. The vision is vast, and what it requires is everything and then some. But so far, by grace and a whole lot of faith, I’m almost to the other side. And I’m determined not to look down—because by George, I’m going to get that Road Runner. Beep, beep.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d want to give my best friend an Anthony Bourdain-type experience, because Atlanta is full of little-known gems that often get overlooked.

First, we eat. I’d take them to Little Bangkok, a Thai and Chinese spot on Cheshire Bridge Road tucked next to a gas station. It’s unassuming, a true mom-and-pop operation, but the food is phenomenal. I’ve tried most of the menu, but I always find my way back to my favorite—Basil Chicken. It’s comfort food done with perfection.

From there, I’d take them into the city’s creative soul. Not the big stadium shows, but neighborhood arts spaces like Gallery 992 in the West End, where you can catch raw theater, spoken word, singers, and dancers—artists still discovering their voices. There’s a purity in that kind of work. It reminds me of the mid-to-late ’90s at places like Ying Yang, where I saw performers like Donnie, Dee from Mobius Trip, Joi, Taraji, and Dionne Farris before they broke through.

During that same era, there were also unique art shows that pushed the culture forward, like those produced by Sheila from Sistagraphy—a collective of Black female photographers whose work helped expand the visual language of Atlanta’s arts scene. It was in that ecosystem that I produced an art show in 1997 at the Shark Bar on Peachtree Street where India Arie performed in the basement. She killed it, and everyone in the room knew we were witnessing something extraordinary. Shortly after that performance, she got a record deal and was discovered by the world—but we saw it first, in her purest form.

To close out the night, I’d take them on a quiet drive around I-285 at three in the morning. With so few cars on the road, you can feel the different spirits of the city as you move from east to west, north to south. Then, as you head down I-75 south, you crest the hill and suddenly the Atlanta skyline appears—lit up in all its splendor. It’s breathtaking, especially as you merge into the heart of downtown where I-75 and I-85 meet. That drive captures the essence of Atlanta: soulful, resilient, a city too busy to hate.

And of course, if Beyoncé is in town or the Falcons are playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, catching either in a skybox would be the perfect bonus.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A major turning point in my life came during a period when I immersed myself in books that opened my mind and spirit. Each one pushed me to grow exponentially and, together, they helped me see the path I was meant to follow. The ones that stand out most are The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra, Reginald Lewis’s Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice by Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill, and a powerful collection called Black Genius. Those works shaped not only how I see myself but also how I move through the world.

At the same time, I enrolled at Georgia State University in their film program. Being surrounded by students from all over the world exposed me to new perspectives, new cultures, and new ways of thinking. I learned so much from each of them, and that combination—books that stretched my spirit and peers who expanded my worldview—marked the most profound period of growth in my life.

Website: https://anthonyrpage.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthony.r.page/

Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/anthony.r.page/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthony.r.page

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRPageBlueBistroCreative

Other: https://www.instagram.com/almafilmfestival/
https://www.instagram.com/afromosaiccinemacircle/
https://www.instagram.com/studioblueactingconservatory/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/afromosaiccinemacircle
https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRPageBlueBistroCreative

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