Inspiring Conversations with O’Shea” Myles of Eagle Peak Entertainment

Today we’d like to introduce you to O’Shea” Myles.

Hi O’Shea”, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Riverside, California and bounced back and forth between there and Los Angeles. My interest in storytelling stemmed from my grandmother taking me to the Library, telling me stories, reading me books, and taking me to see plays. I will always remember going to see The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe live and in the round. I was amazed and thought that stories were magic and that books could come to life. As I grew older, I learned the hard lesson between the beautiful stories of honor, magic, love, and triumph that I had come to love and the hard truths of the society in which I lived, filled with injustice, unfairness, cruelness, and a lack of humanity that was a shock to my system. That shock took me on a journey of self-discovery and self-destruction for which it would be years until I found my way out and back to the world. From the dark times, I gained an understanding and appreciation for my life and the lives of others in a way I had not been able to before, so I appreciated the journey. I started looking at storytelling in a different way and began to understand that those stories that I grew up loving were not devoid of darkness and challenge they were the victory of such, and I had a new determination to do the same with and through my story. Throughout my life, I became very outspoken, an advocate for change, and a voice for the voiceless. Which I was able to do once I came out as a queer, non-binary, female-bodied human being and fully realized and embraced who I was. When I realized how much power and privilege I actually carried, I was determined to use it all to be the change I wanted to see.

I started writing when I was very young and finished my first novel at 15 years old. I continued to write, became a theatre actor, and practiced speech and debate. Through that I found film and after one class where I learned to hold a camera and create a scene via moving images, I was hooked. Everything that I had ever wanted to do, create, and say I could do through this medium. So began my journey as a filmmaker. I went back to school after struggling to graduate high school and working in the real world for a bit, odd jobs here and there. I started by going to multiple community colleges until I could get enough classes and grades to matriculate, which was a journey in itself teaching me many lessons along the way. I finally got to a level where I could transfer, and I applied and got into Cal State Long Beach for my undergrad in film studies and then to USC for my Masters in Film and Television production. During my time at USC and found lifelong friends and partners and worked to hone my craft and my voice. It was about the time I was going to graduate that I started Eagle Peak Entertainment LLC. My professional journey since graduating allowed me to work at such companies as CAA Creative Artists Agency, Sundance Film Institute, as a mentee with the Time’s Up WITR mentoring program, and Netflix.

The desire to start my own company stemmed from a lack of support and understanding of the types of stories I wanted to tell and the films I wanted to make as well as an overall lack of value for stories that not fit the mainstream paradigm or propagating the false narratives of all groups outside of the dominant. I am so many things, none of us are one thing and the lack of understanding and value of that truth is where Eagle Peak Entertainment came from. A journey from inner clarity to outer expression. It is my goal to connect all of those intersecting lines that make human beings beautiful and multifaceted. I want to expand the world of media and representation so that generations here and now and those that come after me no longer have to ask the question can I be both Black and Gay. Can I be female/male-bodied and non-binary presenting. Can I be both masculine and feminine. Can I be all that I am as I am, can I just be? The answer I came to was yes and there need to be more stories that express that sentiment and show that reality.

As an independent producing entity, Eagle Peak Entertainments’ determination is to create, develop, produce, and finance original content from Women identified creators and creators of all gender expressions from the BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and person/s with disabilities communities. Our mission is to elevate and normalize both the lived and imagined reflections of the intersection of these varied communities in the commercial and genre space of film, television, multimedia, and augmented reality platforms. We most recently produced “The Liberator” by Patrick Fritz. On a personal note, I am a writer, producer and director currently working on getting my first feature made as well as in the process of publishing a book of poetry and a self-help book. In a full circle moment, I now work at USC in the School of Cinematic Arts as the Career Advisor, Industry Events and Film Festival coordinator. I feel very blessed and honored to find myself in a space where I am able to be the change I want to see and be the person I needed when I was a student. As I am helping to support the next generation of filmmakers, I am also continuing my own creative journey and continuing to learn and grow as an artist.

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?
It has not always been a smooth road. There have been an incredible amount of challenges from my time in school where I encountered overt sexism, racism, and homophobia and constantly being barraged with ignorance and microaggressions. This is funny because these are things I have always had to face in my life ever since childhood. Hard to escape in this society where the many identities I embody are constantly under attack and or dismissed/unvalued. What was new was that this was a new world and an adventure for me it’s something I really wanted, I think more than anything in my life and I was fearful and did not think I deserved it or that my voice was important or powerful enough to share. It was scary to be vulnerable and I constantly felt like an imposter. I returned to school at an older age and had to fight ageism which was new for me. I was constantly trying to keep up with my younger counterparts and instead of leaning into my experience and wisdom I allowed myself to be swayed by what I saw other people doing which is hilarious, I felt like I was in high school again!

In the professional world, I experienced the same thing but even worse, again I was in a mailroom where I was one of the oldest, the only black, queer non-binary person. I also had a wife and a son in high school. Honestly, I do not know how I did it, and thinking back I probably did not do it at the highest level. I had a dream and a desire and despite my obstacles and challenges I was never going to give up and I still haven’t. I spent five years as an assistant never finding my way to a promotion. I was always told how talented, helpful, and great I was just never great enough to move up. So, all of my time, hard work, and the support of others who found their ability to move up while I stayed where I was. That was the result of all of my time and effort and I was super frustrated and bitter but I still keep going. I realized later that nothing is ever wasted and although I never got the promotion, I was seeking to become the executive I thought I should be, I have been able to use all of the skills and lessons I learned in the job I have now as well as in my growth as an artist and I have no regrets. I will not say that there are not unfair systems and unnecessary roadblocks to making it in this industry, but I will say that when we run into them, notice them, and face them our very presence changes them and we become the change we want to see and the change others need to see! When it comes to obstacles and challenges, I do not allow myself to ever give up or ever be defeated, no matter what!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
EAGLE PEAK ENTERTAINMENT

WE ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST STORYTELLERS OF OUR OWN STORY
Creating, producing, and sharing great stories is our goal.
Our stories speak to our voice, experience, beliefs, actions, and values.
We protect and love what we value.
Stories that entertain and show the value of all people are what we are most interested in.
Whether it be a commercial, feature film, television series, web series, VR experience, podcast, or music video, we are dedicated to and capable of improving and expanding the landscape.
It is our intent – our purpose – our mission to create value in this industry one story at a time.

EPE SERVICES

EPE Consulting
We engage in consultation on all types of projects. We focus on stories that center on BIPOC, LGBTQ+, female characters, and storylines. We work to educate, share, and ensure equity, inclusion, and entertainment.

EPE Development

We work with writers and creators who are Women and or from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities to create authentic, impactful, engaging, entertaining, and commercially viable stories from idea to screen.
MyleStone Productions

Commercials | Music Videos | Live Events | Training Content | Educational Content | Short Films | Feature Films

EPE Producing
We bring great stories together attaching the right elements to tell them.

Creative Producing | Financing | HOD’s | Casting | Budgeting | Scheduling | Project Management | Project Coordination | Location Management |

Eagle Peak Entertainment was established in 2016 by O’Shea” Myles with the thought that in this ever-changing media landscape, one thing stays the same and that’s great stories. Creating, producing, and distributing great stories is our goal. Valuing another person’s story means that we can value another person. It is not our differences that separate us but our differences that show us how much we have in common.
It is our intent – our purpose – our mission to create value in this industry one story at a time.

CHANGE THE NARRATIVE!

www.eaglepke.com

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Haha! Okay, I was quite a friendly, playful, and fearless child. I was incredibly creative and I made up stories, created art, came up with stories, and played them out in front of my family with my siblings. I had a lot of fun and I also had a lot of trauma and challenges as a child which I believe is why I leaned into my imagination. When I found the world I lived in was uninhabitable, I created a world where I felt safe and where I could thrive and be powerful and in control of my own destiny. I loved life and I remember that I was a kind child even though not everyone else around me was kind to me. My imagination and my ability to write saved my life and I always wanted to tell stories so I could share with and help others who felt the way I did. As I got older, I showed how different I was from the way I learned, my dyslexia, my neurodivergent way of thinking, my sexuality, my gender expression, and my politics you name it and I was it so my childhood was a beautiful and complex story in and of itself.

I remember that when I was younger what I wanted to be was president of the United States so that I could change the world. I loved fantasy and superhero stories and I was a brownie who dreamed of one day being a Boy Scout. Those specific dreams have changed but not the impetus behind them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eaglepke.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osheamylesfilm/

Image Credits
Picture 1 = Derek Passmore Picture 2 = Eko Canillas Picture 3 = Angelic Molina Picture 4 = Ana Romano Picture 5 = Eko Canillas Picture 6 = Eko Canillas Picture 7 – N/A Picture 8 = N/A