Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Temple.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m an actor living in Los Angeles. As the acting business began changing over the years, it became clear that actors were expected to create their own content. I’d done some writing but never took it very seriously. When I realized I had to get serious if I wanted to keep up, I got a serious case of writer’s block. But I kept at it, and broke through my writer’s block in 2019 by writing, producing, and starring in my first web series, “Judgment Call, A Series About Mood Swings!” And I’m so grateful to have found an almost exclusively female cast and crew!
“Judgment Call” is a comedy about five middle-aged career ladies who are dear friends, navigating that ‘other’ change of life: menopause. Think of them as the ladies between “Sex And The City” and “Grace And Frankie.” They all just want to celebrate and enjoy middle-age and getting older, even though they struggle with intense hot flashes, 180 degree mood swings, and inconvenient leaky bladders. Since there are already tons of shows about Generations X, Y and Z, the series invites you to get to know some groovy ladies in their 50s, an under-celebrated demographic!
The Series Regulars shown above (from the left) are Karen Kahler, Patricia Mizen, Lisa Temple, Toni Christopher and Christina Ogunade. The Production Team includes Exec Producer Rich Brunner, Director Indy Saini, Asst. Director Anna Remus, and Line Producer Jaclyn Lehrer.
We hope you’ll visit our YouTube Channel and watch Season One! Join the ladies as they make life-altering decisions like: Do we really want another donut, or is it just our hormones talking? Will we ever be able to drink red wine again without breaking into a sweat? Can any of us find true love after 50? Getting older isn’t for the faint of heart. Ain’t that the truth?!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you.
I grew up in a small midwestern farm town. Very small. Just a little over 700 people. My dad was the banker, the mayor, and in charge of the Annual Rodeo, where I barrel raced my horse Candy Girl. I sang in church choir, played in the marching band, was on the basketball and volleyball teams, and was a cheerleader. I was even voted Miss Kickapoo (that’s a long story).
But despite how idyllic it may sound, “Stars Hollow” it was not. You can read the poignant and humorous book my husband and I wrote about my childhood in this small town. It’s called “Caution Light on Hwy 37” and is available on Amazon. Years later my dad was quoted as saying, “Lisa’s the smart one, she got out.” I’m so grateful I had the courage to follow my dreams.
There’s no doubt I’m a late-comer to acting. In college, I was a music education major and became a high school choir director. During my first teaching job, the band director encouraged me to go back to school for a Master’s Degree. Thank goodness, because that move changed the course of my life. During my Master’s Degree, I was suddenly double cast in an opera when a singer got sick. Though I did well with the very difficult singing, it was my acting that stood out. After that, I took some acting classes and started seeing what was possible. And best of all, I met my husband singing in that opera!
After college, we moved to Chicago and I was cast in musicals and plays and auditioned for film and television. My first-ever film role was in an indie film, “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” which was an eye-opening experience. After being cast in several other indie films and some tv work, I got my SAG card doing a national commercial for Shout Detergent. But soon Los Angeles beckoned and I told my husband one day, “I’m moving to L.A.!” A month later, we were packed and ‘Movin’ to Beverly…Hills that is!’
Since moving to L.A., I’ve kept very busy. Most recently, I portrayed Judge Erin Engel on the Shondaland TV Show, “For The People.” I’ve also appeared on “Masters of Sex,” “The Newsroom,” and “Boston Legal.” There have been a number of film roles, including the award-winning films “Dependent’s Day” and “Incest! The Musical.” My favorite role was Penny Ingram in “The Fortune Theory,” opposite Evan Williams, of “Versailles” fame.
But as I said, times change and actors need to constantly find new ways to stand out, so they can ‘blip the screens’ of the casting directors. Everyone kept saying, “You have to create your own content.” This wasn’t welcome news for me since I had no writing training and didn’t think it was fair that actors had to write their own material. I eventually saw that this negativity wasn’t getting me anywhere, and I would have to change my thinking. So I thought, “write what you know”. At that time, I was cast as a judge on “For The People”, and it occurred to me that I could write about a judge’s life outside the courtroom. Thus, “Judgment Call” started to take shape in my mind.
Once I started writing though, it became clear that I’d have to do some rewriting, and I confess I resisted it a lot. After all, a perfectionist does not want to admit that the first draft needs work. I knew I needed help, so I went to a SAG-AFTRA seminar about creating your own content, and also got some really useful feedback from a few writers. Thankfully, “Always Ask For Help” and “Writing Is RE-Writing” are now etched on my forehead!
Please tell us about Judgment Call, A Series About Mood Swings!.
My web series is about older women finding their voices and being willing to express it. The world needs to hear stories from all unheralded demographics, and middle-aged ladies are right up there. Thankfully, it seems like women of all ages are really starting to be brave and show up for themselves more and more, and that’s my goal for myself and my hope for others.
On “Judgment Call” I’m the Creator, Writer and Co-Executive Producer. My husband Rich is also Co-Executive Producer, and together we’re realizing a longtime dream to produce, including plays and musicals. Rich is a music teacher and a member of Equity and has performed in over 70 musicals. He’s writing one now called “Sentient: A Robotic Musical”. We’re looking forward to producing it when the world opens back up.
After hiding myself from view for way too many years, it’s been transformational to have pushed through my doubts and fears and taken on a leadership position. I’ve learned a great deal about who to bring onto a production team, by finding the right blend of talent and personalities who all believe in my vision, and want to make it the best it can be. Otherwise, personal agendas can take over and cause divisiveness. True collaboration in storytelling is a key element in any production, and I’ve found this concept to be not only savvy but also joyful and inspirational.
But as the creator and writer, when final decisions have to be made, I have to remember to focus on my vision for the story. This has transformed my thinking more than I knew was possible. My tendency was to alter my writing based on other people’s ideas and opinions, which hindered my true voice and what my instincts were trying to tell me. The result? No one was happy, including myself. Not following your instincts is the same kind of trap actors can fall into, so this has been an incredibly valuable lesson.
In fact, I’ve learned immeasurable amounts about writing and producing, while also being one of the series regulars. I found myself so busy wearing my producer hat, that I nearly forgot to memorize my lines for the shoot dates. I had some close calls but managed to switch to my actor hat just in time. It has been wonderful working with the entire cast of characters, and I’m so proud of and grateful to all the actors who willingly came on board and helped me bring my story to life.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
During this project a magical thing happened: I had a vision for what was possible and declared it out into the universe. What came back to me was a group of hugely talented female filmmakers willing to work on my project. Part of my vision was to work with a middle-aged Director and a DP, who would completely understand my story. Plus, I was specifically looking for as many female crew as I could find. This clearly showed me how the power of speaking what you want, of putting the word out, can create magic. Truly remarkable!
The newest additions to the Production Team are two young filmmakers who’ve already had amazing and eclectic life experiences and have both worked on several well-known projects. Anna Remus is our Assistant Director, hailing from Boston, and Jaclyn Lehrer is our Line Producer, from NYC. I’m thrilled to have not only their highly skilled talent and tech-savvy, but also their youthful exuberance to round out our team’s perspective.
The most magical thing that happened has been working with the extraordinary Indy Saini. Indy has worked with A-Listers, including Ang Lee, Ava DuVernay and David Lynch. I can never thank Indy enough for her belief in and commitment to “Judgment Call.” For Season One, Indy was the Cinematographer and she made us look amazing. For Season Two she’ll be our Director, and I’m so excited to work with her in her new role. I know Indy will bring a special artistry to the series!
Every production always has its breakdowns, which can often bring production to a complete halt. We certainly had our issues in Season One. It would’ve been so easy to just quit. But instead, I chose to focus on the vision I had for the series. I kept seeing the episodes play out in my head and just knew in my heart that this was a story worth telling. I believed that Season One would turn out just fine. And it did.
As for Season Two, it’s currently one of the casualties of the Pandemic, along with so many other productions. But I still believe in magic, so we plan to stay open and ready for the opportunity to shoot. The good news is, “Judgment Call” just received its seventh festival award and has over 8200 views on our YouTube Channel… Even more magic! What an amazing journey this has been!
Contact Info:
- YouTube Channel: Watch “Season One”, and all of our other videos on our channel link! And while you’re there, we hope you’ll SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT!! Go to our YouTube Channel – https://bit.ly/2YIYdF4
- Website: https://www.
judgmentcallseries.site - Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ judgmentcallseries/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
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facebook.com/ JudgmentCallTheSeries - Lisa Temple IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/
name/nm0854703/ - Lisa Temple Website: http://www.
lisatemple.com
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