Allie Doody of Hollywood on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Allie Doody and have shared our conversation below.

Allie, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Nice to meet you all! I’m Allie an Actor, Director, Writer and Singer. Despite all of the hard times, I am proud of my career thus far and how I have run my production company Allie Finale Studios.

Career wise, I have graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Theater Arts. Through my tenacity and willingness to put myself out there I made the most of my opportunities at University. For example, I was one of thirteen to study abroad at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London for the summer of 2015. I have worked in multiple mediums, acting is such a strange career that you find yourself doing new things all the time. From my time at Old Tucson as a stunt woman to scaring folks on the Queen Mary ship for Dark Harbor to performing in a bilingual musical in the Mission District of San Francisco, I have definitely enjoyed the career I’ve built. I can’t wait to see what I’ll do next!

As a director and small business owner I have built my production company from scratch. I talk at length about Allie Finale Studios later in this interview but to summarize, I am so grateful to get the chance to make stories come to life. To be able to give actors who normally don’t have a platform a chance to shine.

As an artist you have to work twice as hard to support yourself while achieving your dreams. Most people will not see the years of training that you put in, the hours of auditions, the marketing and networking you do through social media, it all takes time and energy. The general public will see your successes and not everything else leading up to that point. They don’t see you struggling to park your car on the street at 3am after getting off set, exhausted, but not able to go to bed because you have an audition to submit that morning and another job to go to at 8am.

I am proud to have made it as far as I have. No matter what, I still love the feeling of being on stage and set. There is no other feeling like it when you get to share an intimate moment of vulnerability with the audience.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a person who is full of interests and passions. My main ones being acting, writing, singing and directing. My athletic presence helps me create dynamic performances as an actor. I firmly believe that my life experiences have shaped the performer I am. I tend to play boss ladies in charge of things. Nothing brings me more joy than bringing characters to life.

My production company Allie Finale Studios, is where we make short films with a twist. Since I was very little I have always wanted to tell stories. Recent films I have made range from Follows a fantastical drama about a women battling an auto immune disorder to Newborn a take on H.G. Wells Island of Dr. Moreau. You definitely won’t be bored with an Allie Finale Studios production!

We just wrapped on my latest short The Road From River. This road trip drama is sponsored by Southern Arizona Film Society, it was so exciting to have additional support on this film. This meant I no longer had to shoulder multiple jobs on this production. I was able to gather a team together and create something simple, yet magical. I am eager for people to see this one!

My plan is to get a few more promos out and start crowdfunding for my next big creation. My two projects mentioned above were crowd funded. I am eternally appreciative to the donors who made this possible. It is such an uncertain time in the entertainment industry. It’s nice to know that people still crave original ideas instead of the watered down blockbusters.

In the new year I hope to book more work. I am so grateful for all I have done thus far.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I never stopped being me, the world just has to deal with that. I carry with me a sense of wonder about the world, every day is a blessing. Anything can happen at any moment good or bad, so it’s important to appreciate things you have while you have them.

Once, when I was in grade school my mother pulled me aside when I have was having difficulty with my peers. She said, you’re pretty enough that you can could be fake and popular like they are or you can be genuine. Neither is an easy road. From that moment on I stayed true to who I was, a nerd who focuses on moving forward in life.

I never dumb myself down for anyone. If everyone liked me I feel I’d be doing something wrong. I am not afraid to step in when I see injustice happening in front of me. It can be very lonely being the one person who speaks up. I know this from experience, but that does not stop me. I still do what I do believing in myself and I will continue to be me no matter what life throws at me.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Once I put pen to paper and wrote the script for Follows, I knew then I had healed. I have dealt with having an auto-immune disorder for most of my life. It means I must be vigilant with how I use my energy throughout the week, the food I eat and the exercise I get, among other things. I am a very private person, I do not talk at length about it.

One day I just started writing I had an idea for a long time to do a piece on illness. I wrote out my short detailing a creature following a young woman named Faith in her day to day life as a representation of the illness she carried with her. I got the idea from an improv class prompt called ‘unfinished business’. It was an exercise where we talked to anyone in our life that we always wanted to confront. Mine was my illness. I thought to myself, if I die tomorrow I at least want this film to be made. I am so happy that I have moved on from my pain and been able to make something that will give others like me hope.

For all those out there who suffer from an auto-immune disorder or other challenges I say keep fighting, holding onto a dream will get you through.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
The use of generative AI will make our lives better.

Ever since my journey as a creative started, I have always prided myself on planning, writing and creating a story from scratch. The research at the beginning phase of a project is so essential to how the rest of the project will go, it’s the difference between a shoot ending in disaster or success. It really helps when someone knows how to do that part on their own. People who begin to use AI for writing and research are losing those skills that are necessary in day to day life.

There are many instances of AI harming people, I personally have had a few experiences. When I was a background actor on set of a motion picture, (I can’t say what studio, NDAs) I had an experience with AI. The PA’s were coming around asking for ‘volunteers’, I asked what for, they did not want to tell me. I would not budge until they told me. The PA finally said it was for live scans. For those who don’t know, a live scan is where they take a 360 video of a person’s body to use over and over. This is usually something done in video games through motion capture (mocap), and a contract for that is $800-1k minimum. This company wanted us to do that for free. I refused stating that they can talk to my mocap agent if they wanted to hire me for a separate mocap job. They tried to tell me that I signed a contract with them so I had to do it, I said okay, let’s pull up the contract. It stated nothing about live scans or mocap. They wanted to make people who were newer to the industry do this without proper knowledge or compensation. These scans would not be used just for this shoot, this was planned for every movie they were doing going forward. I was never so disappointed in my industry then in that moment.

Another recent example not involving me is Dr. Hope’s sick notes on YouTube. It is a channel run by doctor Ed Hope, he assesses movie injuries and gives a real doctor’s diagnosis on how bad they are. Recently, he discovered that Google’s AI summary of him made a false summary about his career. It stated that he was convicted of malpractice and had his license revoked. This is not true, but this lie AI told will follow him for the rest of his career.

I urge people to think before they use generative AI. They have no idea who they can hurt, careers they can ruin and much more. Myself and many of my friends have been on the receiving end of such videos and it is wounding. Artists have a hard enough time trying to find work without having to deal with being replaced by a machine and there is no excuse for it. In closing, I don’t need a robot to tell me what to do. I’ll always hire real people in all my productions. AFS is AI free!

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That she lived. I hope that by the time I’m gone people talk about the cool adventures I was on or the projects I was in. I would hope that they speak of how I was kind, but never a pushover. That I stood up for the right things when I needed to.

My legacy will be my production company. I pray that others take up the mantle of making weird things that their younger selves would enjoy, but while doing things the right way. What I mean by that is treating the cast and crew with respect. There have been times on set where I have not been given the basics like food or water for over ten plus hours. I will create a safe and thriving environment for my workers. I want my company to provide artists with a chance to be collaborative, to add their own ideas to a shoot.

When I am gone, I hope I can serve as a source of inspiration for others to pursue their dreams, no matter what is standing in their way. If I can fight my auto-immune disorder and achieve some measure of success in life, you too can overcome the challenges you face.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alliedoody.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actoralliedoody/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allie-doody-19503bb2
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Allieactress
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YiutHA26kZTnOLD5nZN1w
• Other: AFS Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@alliefinalestudios7975

Image Credits
Theatrical Headshot by Jonny Marlow of Marlow Photography
Attack on Willow Ranch Live Show by Claudia Tovar
Commercial Headshot by Jonny Marlow of Marlow Photography
The Road From River behind the scenes by Katt Mei
Attack on Willow Ranch (Film Screenshot) by Gael Baup
Cowboy Lullaby Theme Song (Behind the scenes) by Nancy Kelso-Doody
Athletic by Jonny Marlow of Marlow Photography
The Road From River (behind the scenes) by Katt Mei
Attack on Willow Ranch (Film Screenshot) by Gael Baup