Alana Barrett-Adkins
A few months ago, I met Alana at Stonestreet Studios. I was lucky enough to be one of her students in a class she taught called “Directing the Actor” where she instantly became someone I look up to and admire. After doing some research I found out that not only is Alana a director, actor, and teacher, but also the CEO and Artistic Director of her production company, Rock Alari Studios. Most recently, Rock Alari Studios produced the feature film Asunder: One Flesh Divided, which was just named an Official Selection (congrats, Alana!) of the American Black Film Festival. Watch the trailer below:
A Rock Alari Studios© Production Written, Directed, and Produced by Alana Barrett-Adkins Edited by: Jeremy Trott and Drew Robinson
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Alana about why she started a production company, what kinds of stories she wants to see more of, and her journey.
How would you identify yourself as an artist?
I would identify myself as a director, producer, screenwriter... and yeah, actor.
What made you want to employ all of those roles?
I honestly did not intend on being multi-hyphenated. I came to NYU to get my degree in theatre, I was just about theatre, I believed that theatre actors were real actors, I didn’t believe that film actors were legitimate actors. What ended up happening was, out of necessity, I wrote this play called Asunder. And I did it as a reading as a part of a festival I had with my production company. And one of my friends saw it and they were like this is really, really great have you ever considered making this into a film? And I was like no, I never thought of doing that. But it just made so much sense.
Also, I was so inspired by some of the women in my life who I knew were women of faith--so, I’m a person of faith. I identify as a person of faith. And some of the stories that I would hear from people that I knew, particularly women, were so horrific and I just didn’t understand how they could have faith like they had in a God when your stepfather used to burn you in bathtub water, and you know used to beat you just, all kinds of horrific things that happened to these people who are suicidal. You know, your mother gave you up for adoption when you were a baby and didn’t want anything to do with you and neither did your father...like how you come to faith, and that became the web-series that I made: the Women of Adonai project. And we started to get a lot of traction from that, particularly on the continent of Africa. And that was surprising to me, because most of the people that were watching the web series episodes (we’ve only done three so far) were actually men. So it was actually men who were interested in watching these women’s stories and I said, I think I have something here. And then of course, we started Asunder with literally nothing. Like literally nothing. That film was a miracle to create. And thankfully I had a really awesome team, I had a vision as a director in how I wanted things shot, we casted it and then that’s how I started producing my own stuff and directing my own stuff.
So yeah it was kind of, I guess out of necessity. And almost like: if I don’t do it, the story’s not gonna be made. And now Asunder just premiered in April as a part of the New Filmmakers Film Festival and it just got accepted to the American Black Film Festival which is the largest African American film festival in the nation. And they’re announcing that this coming week.
Note: now we know that Asunder was named an Official Selection at the American Black Film Festival, congrats Alana and Rock Alari Studios!
So when you’re working on a project as a director, what’s most important to you in your process?
I think making sure that we don’t miss the story.
So for example, Asunder: we had some scenes we just had to cut just cause we couldn’t shoot it. The budget didn’t allow, time didn’t allow, the actors weren’t available, whatever the case may be. But my biggest thing as a director is making sure that the story, and the heart of the story, is never, ever being compromised. Even if you don’t have the budget, even if things are going on that you can’t control. So that’s always the bigger picture, that’s how I see things. I’m willing to let go of a few minutia, but to make sure that we have the big picture and the heart of the story still there, still strong, still palatable.
Cover art for Asunder by Joseph V.M.
What are your day-to-day activities and responsibilities as someone who is the CEO and Artistic Director of a production company?
Right, so oh my god. Especially because we are a small, independent studio--we don’t have a studio space. So...I do almost everything. And the things I don’t do I have to contract out. Everything, Emma, from budgeting, to buying new equipment. I just bought a new MacBook today because we need it. We need it. In terms of editing and stuff like that I need a stronger device. And even with projects, this new project that I created, I had to make sure that it’s in line with my company’s mission and our brand. And that’s always difficult because I feel like-- for example, for your business right now, it’s about bringing light to women’s voices in the industry. But if you have an idea that’s like— oh my gosh there is this guy that’s absolutely amazing and it would be great to do an interview where we just focus on him and his sons who are also in the industry as well, now you have to think about: is this against brand? Am I doing something that’s against my brand and my mission? So that kind of stuff comes into play.
So day-to-day, is a lot of budgeting, especially if I have big purchases. Thinking about next steps, thinking about— where do I want us to be this time next year?
The artistic side is the part that I love, but it’s also a business too. If we were gonna do festivals live and in-person I would have to hire a publicist for that. Actors coming back and asking for stuff for their reels, and I have to tell them I can’t really give it to you yet till we have distribution because we don’t really want it out there like that yet. The small kind of stuff.
It’s helpful for me to ask you that question because from my point of view, I’m sitting here like: well what if I want to start a production company one day? I feel like I’d have no idea how to start that.
The thing is Emma, the thing to do is just start. And I think for me, the biggest reason why I started this company is because I believed that I had a story to tell and I wanted to be used to tell stories that would uplift people. That would challenge people. That would make an impact in communities, particularly in communities of color. To bring a new light to faith-based stories...but to be honest, I hate Christian movies and Christian things because they suck. They’re just terrible. Because they’re focused on the message. They’re not focused on making the film and making the product well. It’s more about the message and the preaching, not about the conduit through which the preaching comes.
So I think for you-- finding your why. And the why compels you to create your vision. And then trust me, if it’s strong enough, if it’s compelling enough, the resources, the people, the networking opportunities you need, they’ll come. And I say that from experience.
Behind the scenes on Asunder. Image by Randy Mason.
Who and what inspires you?
I think you inspire me, how about that? No honestly. I think that it takes a lot of bravery, a lot of guts, to -- in the middle of a pandemic-- decide, I’m gonna start something new, I’m gonna create my own content, I’m gonna start shaping something even though it seems like a crazy time right now, and just go for it. And being willing to ask people to help you out with that. And not just you, some of my other students too. A few of them have gone on to start production companies, theatre companies, they’re just going out and pursuing it.
And as far as my personal life, who inspires me? Who inspires me? I’m trying not to say the obvious people, and say “oh my god Michelle Obama inspires me!” Yeah she inspires everyone on planet earth, you know?
I don’t know, who inspires me?
OH, this person inspires me: there is a missionary woman. Her name is Dr. Ruth C. Onukwue. She was a doctor, she made millions of dollars and she decided to build a school and build a compound of schools in South Africa because she believed that that’s what God sent her on earth to do. And so she basically gave up her whole life to go there, live there, and it has not been easy. She decided even not to marry, so that she could really just give her life in service of other people. That inspires me. Because I think about all the things she’s gone through...death threats, she was almost killed there too. I think twice.
I think to myself, I don’t know if it’s a bad thing to say, but it’s like— I don’t know if I would love people enough to sacrifice my life in that way. And I think it’s inspiring, her life.
Can you share your journey? How did you get here? The ups and downs, twists and turns?
All of it??
You don’t have to share allllll of it….
Well I guess let me start from college then, is that too far back?
No, no. I was gonna suggest college, that’s a perfect starting point.
Okay. So I came to NYU, and I didn’t have the money to go to NYU so my family had to take out loans. I took out loans mostly through my grandparents… my grandfather. Yeah it was rough because that same year I actually found out in the spring that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Stage 4 breast cancer. So I was coming to New York from Miami for school and I was leaving her with my little sister, who was 5 at the time. But my Mom didn’t want me to not go to NYU because that was my dream.
So I came up to NYU, I started at Atlantic and it was just, it was something else. I felt torn because a part of my heart was in Miami and a part of my heart was right there in New York. It was just...ah, it was everything.
I went home during the Christmas holiday, and basically what happened was: I went out to see my Dad for a little bit and my Mom called me and she said, I need you to come back, and I was like well why? What’s going on? And she was like, I just need you to come back. When I got to the door she wasn’t able to find the door for some reason, she was dizzy. So I had my little sister open the door, I talked her through how to open the door. Long story short, we rushed her to the hospital, and come to find out the cancer had spread to her brain. And she basically was dying. And this was during the Christmas holiday.
She ended up passing away on January 18th, 2007. And I started school in 2006. That was the worst period of my life. Yeah. And I basically took care of my little sister. I was 18, so taking care of a 5 year old at 18…. yeah. The school didn’t know what I was gonna do, people from my class were calling me asking what was going on….so I took a year off, I worked.
I was working at the Public Defender’s Office of Miami-Dade County. I hated that job. I hated my boss, and I was 18, so I was not smart enough to not let her know that. And that was where my Mom actually worked, she was a court reporter.
I ended up getting fired. Haha, yeah. I ended up getting fired. I didn’t do anything wrong either….I just didn’t like my boss. I did my work, she didn’t like me and I didn’t like her and they were like “Yeah, we’re gonna let you go” and it was one of those types of things where they didn’t let you go back and get your stuff, and I was escorted out. I had to call my Godmother (my Godmother also worked there) and she had to bring my stuff out.
So after a while I couldn’t pay any rent where I was living, and there was a huge custody battle between my family and myself for my little sister, because she was getting child support and unfortunately death brings out the worst in people. They ended up winning custody of my sister because I’m 18, 19 years old and to this day my little sister lives with my Grandmother. But now she’s in college. And things have healed between me and family, so thank God.
But, I ended up living with my Dad for three months and I got a call one day from a woman I used to work with at the Public Defender’s office, her name was Erma. She’s passed since. She asked me, “How are you doing?” and I’m like “You know this really sucks,” cause I was trying to apply for other jobs. I wasn’t getting any other jobs. And then she said “You know this is God is trying to tell you to go back to school.” At that time I had been out of school for a year. She was like “You need to go back to school. That’s what your mother would have wanted. That’s why all this stuff happened— so that you would be free and clear to go back to school. If you had your sister, you couldn’t go back to school.” And at that point I was willing to give up school so I could take care of my little sister. She’s five, you know?
So I called NYU, cause I’m like I don’t know how this is gonna work, cause I didn’t get any loans or anything like that for the next semester or anything. I had only finished half a year. I call them. I call the financial aid office to see what they could do and they were like “Sally Mae actually paid for the entire year. So since you only did half a year you can complete the other semester. You’re good to go, you don’t really have to pay anything.” It was already paid for. I just had to go back. So my Dad and my Stepmother— that was another story, dear Lord— I was living with them, and I’d never lived with my Dad before. Literally everything was taken away from me and I’d hit rock bottom, but they drove me back up to New York. I had no phone, I really didn’t have any money. I came back to school. And it was just hard because I didn’t really feel like I belonged anywhere.
Eventually I became an RA— praise the Lord for free housing and food! And then I made my way through. And actually at some point, in my junior year, I didn’t have any more loan options available and what ended up happening was: I emailed the President at the time, John Sexton. I was like excuse me, sir, I can’t afford to go to this school and frankly there’s a reason why there’s not a lot of diversity in terms of people of color coming here. It’s because it’s too expensive, and you need to do something. And I serve at this school! I’m an RA! I thought: nobody’s gonna respond. Within an hour, he responded. And he said, I wanna talk to you in my office. I want you to see the Vice Provost. And basically John Sexton and the Vice Provost, they helped me stay in school. They gave me extra grants and stuff so I was able to finish school.
By the time I finished school my senior year, I got cast in a show called Da Kink in My Hair by Trey Anthony. Which was a musical play. And that show ended up getting picked up to go on tour. So by the time I graduated school, I was already booked to go on an international tour.
That’s amazing.
That started my professional acting career. That show was really a blessing, but also being in a group of 30 women traveling together was very interesting….not as bad as I thought it would be, but interesting nonetheless. We headlined at the National Black Theatre Festival. Then when I got back I was like Ha! I was on tour! Aha come on opportunities, where y’all at? Come on, come breathe this in, come breathe this in! And that didn’t happen.
I thought, you know what? I’m just gonna work. I’m gonna work so I could make money, because nobody’s gonna take care of me. I didn’t have anything. So I started working, dear Jesus, I’ve been to some places. So basically, you know how grocery stores are designed? Like certain things go here, we wanna have Capri Sun on this side...basically designing the shelves in the grocery store is what I did. I started doing that, making nothing. And also I worked as a temp for a long time. I ended up getting a really cool temp job, they were the best at that job. I worked as an office manager in paralegal. At the time I was like I’m making 20 dollars an hour! This is amazing! I'm rich!
Yeah they were great. My boss used to get me tickets to Broadway all the time, it was really nice. But then something in me, Emma, was like: this is not enough. I’m not really using my gifts, I’m sitting on my talent. Literally while I was at my temp job I wrote plays. And I used to write poems while I was there cause I could do my job so fast and have the rest of the day to do nothing. I was writing plays, scripts, I was making look-books, all kinds of stuff. One night I had a dream, and in the dream one of the bosses from the place I was temping at was like Hey, if you wanna leave, you should leave now because the building is about to shut down. So when I woke up, I just kind of knew that meant I needed to leave now.
I ended up leaving and at that time I was taking a course called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It was talking about how your gifts are not just for you, to satisfy yourself. Your gifts are there to share the good news about Christ. To share for them, for them to be encouraged, to help humanity. To help people. I was like that’s why! Storytelling is a gift that I want to give the world. And I was like, well how do I tell stories? I tell stories by writing plays. Why don’t I make a business out of it? Why don’t I make a production company? And that’s where Rock Alari Studios was born.
Behind the scenes on Asunder. Image by Randy Mason.
It’s just been a blessing. It's been a blessing. I’m grateful for all that I’ve come from and been through because it’s helped me to connect with people, and to empathize and have compassion. And it makes my why even stronger. It makes me want to share my faith even more, because I’ve come through so much.
That’s beautiful. Thank you so much.
Thank you. I’m out of breath. Why am I out of breath? *laughs*
What brings you joy? Besides….filmmaking? I know the things we do in our careers as artists bring us joy because why else do we do it? But besides that, what brings you joy?
Oh my god. I love tea. Tea brings me joy. I literally have a teapot that I’m gonna put on as soon as we get off this call. The beach gives me joy. Fresh air. Having fun. Going zip-lining and hiking and riding horses. Making babies laugh brings me joy. My Goddaughters bring me joy. Spending time in quiet in the house with my eyes closed, meditating or praying. Just complete silence. That brings me joy.
My plant! I have a lot of plants in here, it’s a forest. I like to plant stuff. Little things like that. I know it seems boring, but little things like that bring me so much joy.
I personally believe that it’s always in the little things we do for ourselves.
Yeah. What about you?
What about me?
Yeah!
Well I love tea too, look at what I have *presents an Honest Tea that’s been sitting behind the camera I love Honest Tea so much. Oh what else… I love reading, and I love that I’ve had time to actually sit down and read lately.
What are you reading?
The book I’ve been working on for a while is The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it but it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 and was incredibly difficult to read, I had to put it down a lot. Because it takes place during American slavery and is about a young woman named Cora escaping a plantation she was enslaved on and the things that she endures are just horrific. I also read City of Girls, the new Elizabeth Gilbert book, that was good. I just finished Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
I highly recommend that one. It’s such a fast read, it’s like 300 pages but the way she writes is so poetic and electric.
300 pages was a fast read to you??
I mean it took me like two days…
You’re like Hermoine! “It was only 300 pages….I went to the library”. It’s good that you’re reading.
Well, what kind of stories on stage or on screen do you wish we saw more of?
I want to see more stories about, speaking of The Underground Railroad, of African Americans in their prime. So not as a slave. Not as someone who is a victim of something. Because that’s not the entire history of our experience as a people. I think sometimes these things become very fetishized. It’s almost like it becomes artistically beautiful to see Black murder, rape, pillage, racism, and all of these things. I want to see more stories of Black empowerment.
I think we are seeing more stories about women’s empowerment.
I want to see some more stuff that’s unapologetic in terms of the storyline too. I feel like it sounds like I’m contradicting myself, but I want to see some stuff that’s not so PC. Stuff that’s gonna be very controversial. Cause now I think one of the biggest things that I don’t like is, and I understand the heart of it, but I don’t think that it’s good-- for example-- if we are making a film about an Asian family or about an Asian community, so let’s say a Chinese community, in film now they’ll be like well we can’t just have this be an all-Asian cast. We need to hire some African Americans, we need to hire some whites, we need to hire people of other races so that we can make the cast “diverse”. But I just feel like, if the story is about an Asian family, let it be about an Asian family. I don’t like when we add diversity or we add things that make people feel comfortable because I feel like it’s taking away from the specificity and the experience of this Chinese family.
So I want to see more things like Parasite, it’s unapologetic. This is an Asian film. We are not trying to make you feel comfortable by adding this and that, so you feel like it’s more diverse, no. It’s an Asian family, what do you mean you need more diversity? It’s an Asian cast, that’s diversity. So I want to see things like that. That are unapologetic.
I want to see things that deal with Black empowerment. I just, I can’t. I don’t want to see another slave movie. Another movie about the police shooting us and killing us. I’m just tired of it. I’m tired of it. I’ve seen that narrative. Not that it’s boring, I just don’t want to see it anymore. We have enough, we have an archive of material that addresses everything. That’s how I honestly feel.
I have some fun speed-round questions to wrap it up! So, first question: what was the last thing you watched?
Victoria on Amazon Prime. But before Victoria it was Downton Abbey, I am that person.
What’s the last book you read/do you have a favorite book that you want to mention?
I’m reading a book now called Powernomics by Dr. Claud Anderson, it’s an economics book. The book I read before that was called The Lucifer Effect, which is not a faith-based book, but it’s an experiment that they did, they had a Netflix show on it. They did this experiment where these college kids, all guys, were taken in and some were made correction officers, some were made prisoners, and the guy recorded how the correction officers behaved and their mannerisms. And basically, the devil comes out of all of them. It’s just really interesting.
My favorite book though, one of my favorite books is called If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. Book changed my life. Book changed my life.
Basically, in a nutshell, it’s exactly what it sounds like, and I alluded to this earlier: if you wanna do something worthwhile, you literally have to go out and step out on faith and do it. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Bible story of when Peter was in the boat and saw Jesus in the water during the storm?
Well….in the Bible there was a storm and Peter and the disciples of Jesus, they’re fishermen, are used to storms and things like that but this storm even had the fishermen afraid. And earlier that day Jesus said “Okay hey, you guys take the boat and head out for the night and I’ll meet you on the other side like in a day or two.” So they’re like “Alright, Jesus, bet, I’ll see you there.” So they’re on their way out, storm hits. Crazy storm. While they’re there, somebody starts walking in the water towards them in the boat, and they start freaking out because they’re like “Oh my God it’s a ghost!” And Jesus was like “Nah. It’s me. You know, I’m just here. I see some issues are going on, clearly.” And then Peter asks, he said “Lord if it’s you, tell me to come.” And Jesus said “Come.” So Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking towards Jesus. Because he’s like well I guess if I’m gonna die….I mean, I may as well just die with you Lord cause you’re walking on the water…. maybe you could just carry me to shore. But yeah as he’s walking towards Jesus the storm is still happening so he gets really afraid and he starts to sink and then Jesus catches him while he’s still standing on the water and says “Oh ye have little faith.” The whole idea is that Peter is the only one who got out of the boat to see Jesus. That’s what the book is, that’s where it takes its scripture from but it goes beyond that. It talks about the things that we do in our normal life that are based in fear and not faith. Small things that we do, big things that we do, decisions that we make. And it really did change my life. It was actually re-gifted to me by a cheap cousin. The one time regifting is actually okay.
Haha!
You know it’s regifted when, you know, the pages of the book are turning brown?
Sometimes you just know. I feel like I get regifted jewelry a lot and when I open it, I just know.
You’re like no, I know you didn’t buy this.
Exactly. Anyway, what has been the best part of quarantining for you?
Oh my god, sleeping in. Not having to take the subway or the bus. I’m an introvert so it’s just been heavenly, it’s been like I’ve been staying at a resort for a long time. You’re telling me: don’t speak to people, stay 6 feet away? Oh this is paradise. Absolutely. I’ve also started running. I run about a mile and a half every day. Never thought I would be that person.
Props to you. What has been the worst part of quarantine for you?
The worst part of quarantine I will say is that I can’t be in the space with my students. I miss just having that vibe in class, and really working the camera, playing with props and all of that stuff. And having the real control too, as a director, because it’s basically you guys adjusting your cameras at home and there’s only so much you can do with your laptops. So I think that’s the part I don’t like the most, is that I don’t get the opportunity, the one-on-one time with the students in person. It still works. We still have fun.
Last question! If you could tell your younger self one thing—
Oh man.
—what would it be?
Girl, don’t care what anyone says about you, what they think about you. Do what God told you to do and go for it.
Emma— I think I’d be so much further ahead in my life, in all aspects in my life if I wasn’t so concerned about what people thought. Less stressed, I’d be more accomplished in certain areas. Not that you’re mean and you’re a jerk to people, but at the same time recognize that everybody doesn’t have your best interest at heart. Everybody doesn’t know what you’re there to do. Everybody doesn’t know your why. And so, because of that they don’t have the right to speak into your life and to say what you can, cannot do, who you are, who you are not. And that really needs to be decided. And created by you and your maker. Other than that, don’t worry about it. Because frankly there’s so many people who used to say things about me, and do things to me and I don’t remember their first or last name. They’re not even in my life.
But in terms of bad dealings, the guy who was going to be one of the producers for Asunder, he ended up being a snake he was so terrible. But it didn’t stop the movie from being made. It didn’t stop anything. Him bad-mouthing me in front of his friends didn’t stop anything. It didn’t stop us from getting it done, it didn’t stop us from getting accepted into festivals, and Lord willing it won’t stop us from getting distribution. So I think for my younger self, the biggest thing is to not be so concerned and wrapped up in what people think.
I just saw this quote today too, it said: never, ever accept shade from trees that bear no fruit.
Oooh.
It’s true though. And a lot of these people have nothing to show for themselves and they want you to be like them, and it’s just like nah, player. No no no. It doesn’t work like that.
And I think also I would say to myself that it’s gonna get so much better.
Thank you.
Thank you. You’re awesome. Thank you so much.
Women don’t share their stories enough, so thank you, Alana, for sharing yours with us.
Consider donating to Rock Alari Studios, LLC on their website and/or donating to the Asunder campaign here.
Follow Alana on Instagram here.
