Check Out Leon Anderson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon Anderson.

Hi Leon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
You may have heard the phrase “a dollar and a dream”, well for SAM7Productions, we didn’t have the dollar, but we certainly had the dream.

Since I was a kid, I always had a passion for the arts, especially writing and acting. One of my good friends offered me to tag along with her as she was auditioning for an upcoming project. When we arrived, we saw how long the line was for one role. Instantly a light bulb came on. I remember saying to her “We write, we act, we direct; we should do this ourselves”. That moment became the beginning of the journey we are on now. In 2014, I wrote, directed & acted in my very first show called “Heaven Scent, Heaven Cent, Heaven Sent”. We had no budget, we made make shift sets out of cardboard and we staged it in the fellowship hall at my church. We literally gathered all our gifts, music, poetry, writing & acting with hopes of our raw talent illuminating bright enough to outshine what we lacked. Our debut weekend garnered rave reviews, and since then, we have been servicing the arts to communities both near and a far.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I can’t say that the road was smooth, but the perspective we chose to embrace reminded us that the obstacles are a part of the process. I wholeheartedly believe that’s what kept us going.

My cousin Joshua James joined me after seeing the vision for the stage plays. When we started out, we were the youngest of our kind and we were one of our kind. We didn’t have an example or a blueprint of how to do what it is that we do. Nothing was handed to us. We had to prove that we were worth the response we were getting. We didn’t come from a financial investment, we had no clue about grants or funding. We walked by faith through every production. We would take the little bit of money that we could sacrifice and invest it in the vision GOD gave us. Sometimes it was a serious stretch, but where we lacked, GOD always showed up and provided. I don’t say that by what I heard, and neither is it a cliche; we are walking proof.

The obstacle now is that about a year ago, my cousin Joshua transitioned into eternal life. At times, the obstacle has simply been missing his voice & presence. However, something I can confidently attest to, is that his encouraging words “keep going” echoes even louder now, and that has been a spark to keep me going.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Writer. At times it’s poetry, at times it’s films. Other times it’s stage plays and music, but at the core of it all, I am a writer. That is the gift that GOD has given me.

I am the Founder of SAM7Productions, a faith-based production company that specializes in film, theatre and music while utilizing the arts to minister to both the lost and found.

I am also the founder of SAM7Foundation Inc. A 501c3 Non-Profit Organization whose purpose is to provide communities with theatre/film programs that inspire, uplift & encourage.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can collaborate with us by simply reaching out to us via email [email protected].

People can support us by donation by emailing us at [email protected] attn: SAM7 Foundation Inc.

Or by purchasing tickets to our upcoming one night only production “Woman II Woman 3: The Final Chapter” debuting September 29th in Torrance, CA ticket information can be found at www.sam7productions.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sam7productions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamleonanderson
• Facebook: www.instagram.com/sam7productions

Image Credits
Joshua James of James Media International & SAM7Productions A.N.S. Photography