Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Tucker.
Before “Straight Outta Compton” was a t-shirt slogan, there was a time when screenwriter Camille Tucker felt she had to defend her hometown. As daughter of the city—both her father and brother formerly served as mayor—the rap group N.W.A.’s incendiary and revolutionary song “Straight Outta Compton” profiled gang life and police brutality while bringing international recognition to Compton, CA as a city dominated by gangs and violence.
As a youngster, Camille was bused to an affluent, predominantly white private school 23 miles away in Palos Verdes, holding strong to the knowledge that the characterization of her hometown was not—and is not—entirely true.
“It was a crazy time, especially for someone ‘straight out of Compton,’ so to speak,” says Camille. “It was disconcerting to bridge two worlds—one where kids were dropped off in Benzes and Bentleys, and one I understood and love as home. It made me an object of curiosity in my predominantly white school.” What helped Camille make sense of things was when she began reading the works of black women writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Ntozake Shange, Maya Angelou and Octavia Butler. Not only did their words change her world forever, Camille says, they sparked her passion for writing– poetry, songs and raps, and eventually plays and screenplays.
Today, Camille has sold screenplays to many of the major studios such as Sony, Universal, New Line Cinema, Fox TV and Disney, and has worked with producers such as Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Stacey Snider, Marc Platt, Todd Garner and Debra Chase. One of her most memorable experiences was co-writing the screenplay Golddiggaz with the late Oscar-nominated director, John Singleton, a friend and mentor. Camille has produced and directed six short films. Her short, Cellular, won Best Short Narrative Film at Boston’s Roxbury International Film Festival.
In 2018, Camille was one of eleven filmmakers selected in the Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Workshop. In 2019, she was honored to be a finalist and the drama alternate in the prestigious Disney|ABC TV Writing Fellowship.
Camille holds an MFA in screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West. Fun fact—she once rapped under the moniker DJ Cammy Cam and if she likes you, she just may spit you a few rhymes.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like many, I have had my up’s and down’s in life. When I was bused to an all-white school, I became profoundly aware of my blackness. I constantly struggled to fit into two different worlds and that became a big theme of my life. My father was the mayor of the city I grew up in. That also meant constantly needing to be “on” as my parents entertained dignitaries a lot. He was also a dentist and pastor. It was hard being the daughter of such an accomplished man. Not to mention, going into the arts when, to my dad, that was not practical. My dad’s death from cancer in 1990 was also very big. I realized years later that I did not properly go through the grieving process. During that time, I had to learn how to make it through the financially lean times of being a screenwriter. That is what led me to getting my masters and ultimately also becoming a screenwriting professor.
Pneuma Entertainment – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am primarily a screenwriter focusing on biopics and dramas. I have recently transitioned into TV writing. Yet, through my company I also consult screenwriters and script doctor. Overall, I am multi-hyphenate. I write, direct and produce. I am unique because with my stories, I bring the marginalized and disenfranchised front and center and into the light. Passionate about breaking barriers for women in front of and behind the camera, I grab my pen and stir my mind to dream up female characters in strong, imaginative and courageous roles. I believe I am such an insightful writer because I come from an acting background. Therefore, I think like an actor. How do I give the character depth? What would I want to do on screen?
Through my other company, The Write Righters, I consult screenwriters, providing coverage, script notes and script doctoring. I also coach writers, working with them, sharing the skills and secrets I have learned in over 20 years in the entertainment industry.
November 22-24, I will be teaching a 3-day screenwriting class in Burbank, CA, in which writers will complete an outline for a TV pilot or screenplay. And in January 2020, I will be teaching a part-2 class (online) in which the writers complete the script of that outline.
I am extremely proud about my upcoming biopic on Lifetime, “The Clarks Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel,” that I co-wrote.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Working with Robert De Niro as the produced on the first script I sold was like a dream come true. He mentored me and my former writing partner for over a year as we developed the script for Sony studios. It’s hard to describe what’s it’s like to have an Oscar-winning actor help you hone your craft. I remember sitting back and listening to his wisdom about writing, acting, filmmaking– and I was speechless. I learned from the best and, at such a young age, I don’t think I truly appreciated until years later. I still marvel at the people I have been blessed to work with like the late John Singleton, Debra Chase, the producer of Harriet, Marc Platt the producer of LaLa Land, and many more. I look back at sitting in story meetings with these top producers and I’m like, wow. One of my mentors always said, “When preparation meets opportunity that’s when you have success.” So I’m always learning, always preparing myself for the next opportunity. We are in a new era. We are seeing more stories featuring women and people of color than ever before. It’s an exciting time and I’m here for it!
Pricing:
- Short Script Notes $300
- Long Script Notes $500
- 3-Day Screenwriting Class $495
- 8-Week Screenwriting Class $750
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thewriterighters.com
- Email: [email protected]
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