Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Tambi.
Tony, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’m a Nigerian-born, Cameroon-raised, U.S based actor and filmmaker. After spending the first seven years of my life in Nigeria and the next fourteen in Cameroon, I moved to Minnesota in 1999 to further my education. Four years later (and armed with an Accounting degree), I arrived in Los Angeles with the goal of pursuing an acting career.
In my second year in LA, I received an NAACP Theatre Award Nomination for playing the character Monday in The God Botherers. Other plays followed including the critically-acclaimed world premiere; Butterflies of Uganda, A Providential Occurrence, Saturday Night at The Palace and Somewhere In the Middle. My first TV credit was a co-starring role on The Unit, followed by other appearances on Scrubs, NCIS: Los Angeles and a recurring role on Nip Tuck.
After various starring and supporting roles in numerous films, I co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in the short film CHAPTER ONE. It was awarded an Award of Merit from Best Shorts Competition and went on to play at various festivals nationwide, culminating in multiple airings on PBS-KCVR, as part of its Shorts Showcase Festival. CHAPTER ONE was the basis for CON$EQUENCES, a serialized web series about reformed internet scammers. I wrote the first season, and all seven episodes are currently on YouTube and Facebook.
My screenwriting debut, LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, was one of the eight projects selected to join Forest Whitaker’s JuntoBox Films Inaugural Feature Film Incubator Program in 2014. I recently completed work on a couple of independent features; the action thriller HOLLOW POINT and the ‘meta-western’ horror BLOOD CORRAL.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Acting is where it all began for me. Stage, film…doesn’t matter, as long as I get to tell a story and have an audience go on a journey with me. Life is about choices; and movies, TV shows, plays, poems, and songs are written about various individuals and characters who’ve made very interesting choices. I believe that playing different characters and having others experience these stories is one of the most thrilling and satisfying things a person can do.
Acting led to writing, directing and producing as I realized that it was imperative and even more satisfying to tell a specific type of story – stories of the “African-born” American. I want to tell smart, diverse and thought-provoking stories that offer a different perspective of the African immigrant experience. Yes, we are different, but there’s more to us than that difference.
What we are as immigrants is usually different from how we’re perceived. But how we’re perceived matters and we should help our cause by looking for ways to change that perception. My stories aim to change that perception while simultaneously showing our commonality.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
The role of artists in today’s’ world hasn’t changed. I think it’s important for us to continue to be the torch-bearers and leaders in seeking positive change and growth in society. Not every artist is or wants to be a role model, but I think we have a duty to shine a light on issues and use our platform as a voice for the voiceless.
As a filmmaker and immigrant, I love topics that involve American social commentary from a rarely discussed African perspective. Topics like immigration, racial (in)equality, police brutality, sexual assault, and women’s rights, just to name a few, are usually present in the work I create. Events back in my home countries of Cameroon and Nigeria also influence my work. For instance, Episode 1 of CON$EQUENCES makes mention of the ‘Anglophone problem’ in Cameroon, West Africa. It’s a subtle reference to the senseless loss of lives and widespread destruction of property in the Western region of Cameroon, that came about when the often marginalized English-speaking minority demanded autonomy from the French-speaking majority.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Season 1 (seven episodes) of CON$EQUENCES is available on YouTube and Facebook. It’s a serialized web series that I created about reformed internet scammers who get a team together to reinvent their old business, this time only targeting immoral people. Here’s a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/hSj9O0r3P0Y. Watch it, share it, subscribe to our channel on Youtube and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
We are currently looking for producing partners and financing for Season 2. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you are interested.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.consequences419.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonytambi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.mbuagbaw
Image Credit:
Brian Love, Michelle Darkoh, Peter Horvath, Beckett Gladney
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