Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville
Tony Mantor talks with entertainment industry people in the U.S. and internationally that have made a mark for themselves.
Conversations with those behind the scenes people that help them achieve their success along with up and coming entertainers as well.
Stories that give a deeper understanding on what it takes to achieve success in the entertainment industry.
Whether listening for entertainment or for tips on how others faced their challenges this has something for everyone.
Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville
Taylor Blackwell's Music, and path to directing
Taylor Blackwell shares her journey from child actor mentored by Burt Reynolds to multi-talented creator writing, directing, and starring in her own projects. She discusses the creative freedom that comes with having more control over her artistic vision and the excitement of bringing stories to life.
• Started acting at age 5, later incorporating music into her career
• Met Burt Reynolds at age 10 and became his student until his passing
• Values the creative control of developing her own projects
• Recently completed "It Happened: The Judy Tenuta Story," where she wrote, directed, and starred
• Chose Judy Tenuta's story partly because both play accordion
• Found similarities between Judy's journey to find her voice and her own artistic development
• Creating a comfortable environment for cast and crew brings out their best performances
• Currently working on a second album described as an "indie rock musical"
• Aspires to become a showrunner and tour as a musician
• Passionate about animal rights and works with Mercy for Animals
Find Taylor on Instagram and YouTube @themusicalmushroom or email tayblackwell@gmail.com to connect about film festival opportunities.
My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects. Industry professionals, whether famous stars or behind-the-scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing information on how they evolved into their chosen career. We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes and hear from people who helped them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment. World of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville.
Speaker 1:Joining us today is Taylor Blackwell. She's a multi-talented actor, musician, writer and director hailing from West Palm Beach, florida, with over 45 credits in TV and film, including Resident Alien and American Gigolo, and as the vibrant front person of her band, the Tenth, she brings electrifying energy to the stage. Fresh off writing, directing and starring in, it Happened the Judy Tenuta Story, a biopic honoring the legendary 80s comedian Judy Tenuta, taylor joins us to share her creative journey and love for storytelling. Now she's here to tell us her story. Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, it's my pleasure. So you've got a very interesting career. I'm curious did it start out with music in mind, or did it start out with being in front of the camera and acting first?
Speaker 2:It started out with acting, and I've been doing that since I was five, and then I've always had an interest in music. But I didn't start really pursuing that as a career until I was in my later teen years.
Speaker 1:Okay, when music came into your life, did you get consumed by that, or was it something that, hey, you know, this is what I'm going to do, so let's just keep doing it.
Speaker 2:A little bit. At first when I started it was a bit all consuming and the band that I was in the Tenth we I feel like pretty quickly into us being a band had some good traction and exciting things happening for us. So I got caught up a little bit in that whirlwind. And then COVID happened not too long after that, so that slowed the roll a little bit as far as the band momentum and just music momentum going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, covid, sure did stop a lot of good things that were in the process for a lot of people. So which is your passion, acting or music?
Speaker 2:I'd say I'm an actor first and foremost, but all my creative outlets feel so intertwined for me that it's hard to pick a favorite. I think I go through waves where I'm really enjoying one, maybe over the other, but I truly love them all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's totally understandable. Now I understand that you got mentored by Burt Reynolds.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Can you tell us how that came to be?
Speaker 2:I first met him when I was 10.
Speaker 2:I grew up in a town called Jupiter in South Florida and was taking acting classes at the Burt Reynolds Institute, which was also his museum, and he grew up in my hometown of Jupiter, florida, and always loved Jupiter.
Speaker 2:He lived in Los Angeles a long time and other places but he always felt there was no place like home. So he spent the later years of his life back in Jupiter and it also had a dinner theater there for a long time and I was taking these classes at the Institute improv classes and I had a these classes at the Institute Improv classes and I had a different teacher who saw some potential in me and mentioned me to Bert and Bert invited me into the class. It was me and people much older than me. I was the only child in the class and he was my teacher till the end of his life. So I forget how old I was when he passed away I think probably early 20s. So for a good chunk of my life he was like an uncle and a friend and a teacher and a big cheerleader for me.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Now, with his career, the accolades, he had just everything he knew about the business. What did that mean to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing that he really did for me personally was the encouragement and belief in me that has been such a I don't want to say driving force but such a nice thing to know, especially when there's ups and downs in this industry. That I had the belief of such an incredible actor and person behind me throughout being in his class would tell so many stories about his times on set. That passion for filmmaking and storytelling always got me excited about having those own experiences for myself.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's always great to be able to learn from someone that has such an extensive career that can give advice to avoid some of the pitfalls that we all know can happen. Now you've done, and are doing, great things, so how does it feel and what goes through your mind when you take on a brand new project?
Speaker 2:It's always exciting. I think it's especially exciting now that I'm entering this chapter where I'm getting to work on more of my own creative projects. I really enjoy that level of creative control. I sometimes crave it in situations where it will never be granted to me, where I'm the actor on someone else's set. So for me now getting to have these experiences where I'm calling the shots has been really cool for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really really good. So how long did it take you to get the knowledge and, of course, the confidence to make that transition from just being an actress to being someone that has a lot more control and the direction of where it goes?
Speaker 2:Since I was a teenager, I was making films here and there on my own little films with friends, just very small scale stuff. I made music videos for myself, things that I had really no budget for. But for a long time I was trying to get people to take me seriously as a filmmaker and I feel like I'm just now entering that stage of my career where I'm a little older and I also have a little bit more of a body of work that I can show for myself as a director as well as an actor. I think I'm just now kind of getting I don't want to say permission because I don't necessarily need it. I can always go and make my own things, but it's nice to have people who are now hopefully giving me money to make things. That's been nice versus putting my own money and filming things on a smaller scale. I want to keep doing a lot of the things I'm already doing, but just on a bigger scale, with a larger team involved and more money.
Speaker 1:Frankly, yeah, I get that. Money controls everything. The more you have, the more you can do. The more you can promote, the better the production. It's a necessary evil, part of the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it's just a part of the game. There's only so much you can do without it. So there's certain projects that I have that are very easy to make on a small scale, but then some of the bigger visions I have just require some extra finances.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally get that. We'll get to what you're doing now here very shortly, but before that, give us a few ideas of what you would like to do. What are your goals?
Speaker 2:I really love coming of age, so I hope to make some coming of age features, and I want to be a showrunner someday. That's the longer term goal that I have, and I love telling the stories of artists as well, so I made this Judy Tsunuda biopic, but there's other artists that I would love to get to tell their stories too.
Speaker 1:Perfect. So let's delve into what you just did. How did you happen to pick her story? What led you to that? What was the motivation behind it?
Speaker 2:It was somewhat selfish at first because I was a fan of Judy's and I just felt that she seemed to be a dream character. I play accordion, she played accordion, and that's not something I get to incorporate in my performance that often, so that was enticing to me. And then, beyond that, she just had so many colors to her and was obviously such a fun performer and so dynamic that I wanted to get to play someone who. I could experience those different things the high quality of her voice, the low quality, her sweetness, her more what is the word? Her angstier side. I guess that all seemed really fun to me. And then I also was very pleased by the idea of having a small role in helping to continue her story and bring more people to her new audiences to her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's great. And not only that, I think you got the backing of the family as well, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were very supportive of the project and like the film, so that feels really good.
Speaker 1:That always helps when they like it. So what was it like becoming her? She was larger than life. She traveled with George Carlin and a host of other big names. She was just a very dynamic person. So how did it feel to become her?
Speaker 2:It was as fun as I imagined it to be. Those reasons that I had come into this project hoping that I would get to play someone who had all these colors to her. That's very much what it was for me. We in the film start with her as a young girl and then go into her teen years and then up to the earlier parts of her career. Going through those different sections where she's gaining confidence as both a person and a performer was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:So you just brought up something that I think is very important. We touch upon. You say she was gaining confidence as a performer. Important we touch upon. You say she was gaining confidence as a performer. Did you find any similarities of what she was going through to what you went through in learning your craft?
Speaker 2:Definitely, I think, a lot of artists. They all have to find their voice right and when I was approaching writing this movie, her actual voice was so important for me to capture as a performer but also to make a big part of the story, because she had such an interesting voice and I think it's what she's often remembered for. When people think of Janie Tenuta, they think of the cadence of her voice and I wanted a big part of the film to be about how she found that voice, figuratively and literally.
Speaker 1:So when you take on a part like this, you immerse yourself into it and you try and become that person as much as you possibly can and you hope that transition comes through. Was that transition easier than you thought, or was it harder than you thought it might be?
Speaker 2:you thought, or was it harder than you thought it might be? I think what was more difficult than I thought it would be was finding the lower, growlier side of her voice. That was something I mean. I never accessed that voice in my day-to-day life so it took some time to really find it. I got the high part, I think, down pretty quick, but the lower part was harder. The high part, I think, down pretty quick, but the lower part was harder. I think in a way it came easier than expected from the standpoint of I had been doing so much research on her for a while, watching every interview I could find in every comedy special and reading the books that she had published and talking to her friends and family. And that was all for the writing process. But by the time it came around for me to start preparing the performance, I'd already had so many hours of the research from a writer that a lot of that sunk into my brain and was already kind of there from the performance standpoint.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you wrote it, you produced it, you acted in it. You really put this whole thing together yourself. What kind of timeframe in producing it and recording it did it take?
Speaker 2:It's hard to say. I don't exactly remember. I believe we filmed in, I want to say, november of 2023. There was a long process of editing the film. So I think, when it's all said and done, between the pre-production filming and editing, maybe a year and a half, something like that. But there wasn't a whole lot of preparation. It wasn't like we had months and months or years of preparation before filming.
Speaker 1:Okay, you wrote it, you put it together, you filmed it, you acted in it. Now you've been involved in her life for a year and a half or more. How did that change you? You mentioned a little earlier that you noticed a similarity of what you had done to what she had done. So once you immersed yourself into this and you became her, how did that affect you, or did it affect you at all?
Speaker 2:Of course it did. I think it's helped me with my own confidence and because she was so fearless, I wanted to bring that fearlessness when I was portray my cast and group feel really at ease. I think that brings out the best performances in people. I've been on sets as an actor where the director seems not in control and then that makes you kind of scared and then you're worrying about things you shouldn't be worried about. So that was something I was trying to think about. And also when you're, I think, doing any creative project, no matter what role you're playing in that project, you come in with your ideas but you also have to let certain things go and just see what happens. I think, going through this journey of making the film, I am learning more and more to let go, and it's still an ongoing process of learning that lesson.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. So, in other words, you learned how to let people be creative, but when they got out of that box that you wanted them to stay in, you pulled in the reins.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a good director. So when it's finished, you sit back, you watch it. You've got a great body of work. Everybody's satisfied, everybody's happy. Now, how did that make you feel Not so much that everybody liked it and was patting you on the back and oh, great job. How did that make you feel, sitting back, knowing that you'd put this all together? And now it's out there for people to either like it or not like it as an audience?
Speaker 2:to either like it or not like it. As an audience. I felt really proud of it for a while, but recently I got to see it on a big screen for the first time and that was a very validating experience and I was watching it thinking, oh, this is pretty good. I had a good, a healthy ego watching it where I was proud of the work that I had done and also the team had done, and I felt it was the best thing that I could have created at that time. So it's nice to look back at something without regret.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nothing wrong with that at all. I mean, you have to have a certain amount of ego just to get into this business.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's just the way it is. I tell all the artists I work with you have to have an ego to get up there on stage and do what you do. The main thing is is keep that ego under control. When you can control your ego, you can sit back and look or listen to the product that you did and then say, objectively I'm really happy with what I did. What that does is create a body of work that you can take pride in, that you can show other people and say, hey, this is what I do. Now. With that said, now that people are seeing what you are doing, has that opened doors for you? They've seen what you can do with a bigger budget. And now they're saying, hey, you know, let's see if we can collaborate on something.
Speaker 2:We're so at the very beginning of it that it's hard to quite say yet, because we just had that first film screening at the LA Film Festival, maybe a month ago. So I am hopeful that it will open some of those doors, but a lot of people still haven't seen the film. So, as we continue to take the film hopefully to lots of other film festivals around the country and meet more people and connect with more people, like I said, I feel confident in the work, so I feel that hopefully it will connect us with more aligned creatives and bring about some more collaborations.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That's the way this business works. So what's next? What do you have your sights set on now?
Speaker 2:So many things. I've been working on a second album as a musician. I am also hoping to film another short film, maybe this summer, so I'm working on that right now. I've got a few things that tricks up my sleeve that I can't quite mention yet.
Speaker 1:Oh, I totally get that.
Speaker 2:But stay tuned for that stuff and I just want to, like I said earlier, continue to be creating things and doing them on a bigger and bigger level.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. That makes total sense. So you say you're working on an album. Now, what style and what kind of music are you doing on this?
Speaker 2:It's kind of in that indie folk rock type of range. Some of the songs are more punky, Some of them feel a little musical theater at times. The second album that I wrote. It is kind of like a musical that's what I've been calling it to people and it tells a story. So it's not traditional musical in the sense of something that you would see on Broadway, but I guess it's more of like an indie rock type of musical.
Speaker 1:Nice, so did you write all the songs on it.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great Now as a singer-songwriter, you've written the songs, you've demoed them. Now you're in the studio, you're recording them. As it happens, every musician has their own little take, their own little feel on it. Sometimes they work on it and then, when it's all said and done, well, working in the studio, nothing's ever said and done, but it doesn't come out exactly the way you planned, but it comes out in a great way. That's really delightful and just embodies what the whole spirit of the song is. Has that happened to you much in working with other people like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, all the time. I think that's the joy of collaboration when it's good, it can be really, really good. And that's also been the beauty of playing with bands and different people bringing their own unique styles that hopefully blend together in a cool way. So I've experienced that before and it's always delicious when it happens.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Are the musicians on your album studio or are they your band?
Speaker 2:My band.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That gives you and them a certain sense of comfort, that they can go in there and try some different things and see what happens, and that can help create a great project.
Speaker 2:Right, yes.
Speaker 1:So do you have a projected date when you're going to finish this album?
Speaker 2:It's hard to say. It's been a little bit of a slow burn, that particular project, but I'm hoping at some point. What I really want to do is actually kind of stage it as a musical sometime in the next few months and do like a live cast recording type of thing, where each member of my band is going to be stepping out and giving a little tiny acting performance as well. That's the idea. So I'm still working this and it's kind of the early stages, but it's something that I'm excited for working this and it's at kind of the early stages, but it's something that I'm excited for.
Speaker 1:That's really interesting.
Speaker 2:I like that. It's almost like a little biopic behind the scenes. I don't know if biopic would be the right word, but I guess a lot of the music, all the music I write is pretty much autobiographical and almost like diary entries in a way. So I guess biopic in the sense of it, it's my somewhat of my story coming to life. But this is a little bit of like. It's my story, but it's an exaggerated version of the truth.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That makes total sense. So you've got your movies, you've got your music, you've got everything going. What's next? What's in that bucket list?
Speaker 2:I want to be a showrunner. I'd love to tour at some point as a musician at least once in my life, and to make more things that I'm excited about. There's so many people that I'd love to work with as well. I really love the director, mike Mills, so if I got to work with him as an actor, that'd be pretty fantastic, but there's also a gazillion other people I'd love to work with too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, that's all great aspirations. Nothing wrong with that at all. What other passions do you have? Some that may or may not be creative, some things it's just something to do that you like to do when you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Most of my passions are creative. Because I like to draw too. That's another big one. I enjoy reading. I still think that's somewhat creative. Going to the movies, I mean I'm very much interested in animal rights and human rights as well. I'm a longtime vegan now, so that's something that I'm very passionate about too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so good. I tell people that I'm as close to a vegetarian as anyone can be without actually being one.
Speaker 2:What does that look like?
Speaker 1:That looks like mostly plant-based meals.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 1:I stay away from the processed foods. I stay away from the meat most of the time. Once in a great while I might have some. It's very rare, though. I'm really really close to that vegetarian label.
Speaker 2:Well, that's awesome. I always tell people if you can just even start incorporating a plant-based or vegetarian meal into your week, or once a day, something like that. I don't think people have to go all in necessarily right off the bat at least. But I work closely with a foundation called Mercy for Animals and they do a lot around exposing the truths of factory farming and how horrible that can be. So I feel lucky that I, through being a vegan, have met so many people who are doing amazing work with animal rights.
Speaker 1:One of the big things that people miss about this is it's just healthier.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's a great thing you're doing, working with those foundations. Maybe in the end it'll just make people a little bit healthier.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's unfortunate that currently that healthy living is not fully accessible to everyone yet, but I think the hope for a lot of vegan organizations is that we make that more accessible to public schools and to all sorts of people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's certainly a great thing, just reaching out and helping as many people as we can.
Speaker 2:Treating people with kindness, respect, all that good stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm with you on that. It does not cost anybody anything to show a little kindness.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, we got off track slightly here, but we'll get back now. So how do people find you?
Speaker 2:My Instagram is themusicalmushroom. I'm on YouTube, which is just my name, and that's a good way to find me, because I've got the trailer out from my film it happened the Judy Tanuta story on there. As well as my Instagram, I'm also on TikTok, which I think my TikTok is also the musical mushroom. Those are some good ways to find me, but also anyone who's listening to this runs a film festival or is connected to a film festival and they want to play our movie. You can reach out to me through those ways, or also even just email me, which is tayblackwell at gmailcom. I'm around.
Speaker 1:I'm around, I'm ready to connect. I think that's great that you want to connect, because so many people want to go into this cave and never be seen again. It's really great to connect with the fans, connect with people that are like-minded just so many ways of interconnecting to make this world a little bit better place. So I'm really glad that you do that.
Speaker 2:No, I enjoy it. That's been. I think, what will continue to be a great part about these film festivals is meeting lots of people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. So. In closing, what would you like to tell people People that might be just finding you or people that want to know more about you? What would you think is important for them to hear?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm Taylor, I'm 26 and I'm a creative and I have a lot of big aspirations and also really enjoy the creative process and journey and I am documenting a lot of that stuff online and on social media. So if that interests you at all, please come along for the ride and reach out and follow along. And I, like we talked about I, am interested in people and the human experience and best portraying that through my art and creating positive change through my art. So if that interests you, hope to connect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. Well, this has been great Great information, great conversation. I really appreciate you taking the time to join us today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you so much. This was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's been my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the show. This has been a Tony Mantor production. For more information, contact media at plateau music dot com.