Meet Renee McClellan | Writer, Director, Producer

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

Hi Renee, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Growing up in Chicago with a plethora of aunts and uncles, I watched my grandmother live a life of irony. She lived the life of a black woman whose dreams were often deferred and sometimes continued through their progeny. The way she affected me was with her love of watching television – “my soaps”, as she would say. I remember days of rushing home from school to the smell of black-eyed peas, candied yams, cornbread, and some part a roasting pig. The sound of Macdonald Carey saying, “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives,” and then the dramatic music. My grandmother would yell at the television, then call her friends to rant about the disjointed lives of those home-wrecking-two-timing-moustache-twirling-back-from-the-dead-constantly-scheming-never-pregnant-ever-beautiful-forever-young-original-desperate-housewives. If she missed an episode I was required to give her a blow-by-blow of that day’s soapy events complete with dramatic pauses, dramatic eye rolls, and dramatic music. It was comedy – a six year old reenacting Erica Cane’s dramatic assertions of her tumultuous life. Sometimes I think my Grammy would say she missed her “soaps” just so I could act them out. Little did I know that she was planting the seed for me to become an actress and a storyteller. When I realized how much joy it brought her, I was an apt pupil. As I grew older, words became the melody to my spirit and music to my soul – corny but true. This was the beginning of my love affair with story telling. I soon realized that I was continuing the narrative that my grandmother had begun.

Without realizing it, writing became my refuge. I was always journaling my way through life. I eventually wrote various literary pieces – short stories, poetry, song lyrics, stage plays, and screenplays. After years of success, challenges, and trying to convince other people to choose me, I decided to choose myself and be proactive in producing my own work. I came up with Riteworks Productions because I wanted to have agency over my career and my intellectual property.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began my career as a model and stage actress performing in productions such as Brewster Place and Deep Impact. My passion for writing, directing, and producing had grown tremendously over the years so I decided to return to school receiving my BFA in film production from Chapman University and my MFA in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute (AFI). For the main stage productions in Chicago and Los Angeles, I wrote, produced, and directed stage plays. For the screen, I wrote the multiple award-winning, Beyond the Pretty Door, The RESCUE, produced in Spanish and English, and the tongue-in-cheek comedy, Reesie’s Pieces. I won an Emmy for Pick Me! a project I wrote through Women in Film. I’m currently completing various screenplays that are slated for production, Julian’s Journey, The Bracelet, and Dufflebag Baby.

It’s important for me to develop my creative skills, so I’ve produced a drama, a comedy, an English/Spanish film, and currently prepping a horror script, so I can work with green screen, special effects make-up, and prosthetics. Producing a completed production can be quite challenging, with fundraising being the most challenging. The first thing I do is make sure my script is production ready, then fundraising begins.

I’ve learned many lessons during production. Hiring a crew, directing actors, and post production are very exciting for me. Probably because I’ve been on the other side of those positions so I take an empathetic approach.

The main influence on my work is to create realistic slice-of-life experiences on film. My past projects informs my current projects by allowing me to surrender to the process. I’ve learned more about interpersonal relationships through collaboration with many talented people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Long Beach, CA and it’s really a great city with some really exciting people and events. Depending on the time of year, when family and friends visit, I would take them to watch the celebrity races at the Long Beach Grand Prix, listen to the song stylings of some of the top jazz performers at the Long Beach Jazz Festival, or enjoy the colorful and exciting Long Beach Pride Festival – I drove in the festival this year. Living in a beach town, if it’s a beautiful sunny day, we hit one of the numerous beaches here in Long Beach or the surrounding beach towns, Manhattan Beach, Seal Beach, Santa Monica Pier. Taking a stroll, bike ride, or boat ride at Shoreline Village is always on the list. We could get crab cakes at Parker’s Lighthouse or some Jambalaya fries at Louisiana Charlies while enjoying the scenic view of the Queen Mary. The observation deck on the top of Signal Hill is also a highlight – especially at night.

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?
My children were pivotal in the development of Riteworks Productions. 1. Tourelle McClellan, a GSCS-Senior Chief in the Navy and Co-executive producer
2. Sharonda McClellan, Chief in the Navy, Production Consultant
3. Nicholas McClellan, Co-writer and Co-producer
4. Antoine Thomas, Peace Corp. volunteer, NYU Grad, and Co-producer
5. Auriel Vander Woude, Twitch.tv gamer, Actress, and Co-producer
6. Austin Vander Woude, Marketing, PR, Associate Producer and Consultant

I’m also inspired by the many talented women I’ve met in my life. Many of whom have had to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve personal growth and success.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2579867/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ren_a_ssance/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-mcclellan-7973832/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rite_Works

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Riteworks-Productions-329899293691421/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Riteworks