Film Courage: Your movie Lola has 27 executive producers?
Antoine Allen, Filmmaker: Yes.
Film Courage: Can you explain how that works?
Antoine: I did a crowdfunding because I didn't have all the money to pay for it so I did
crowdfunding just gave everybody AP [associate producer] credits and no equity, just credit.
Film Courage: This was on which platform?
Antoine: Oh no, I just hit people up, text, email blast. I did a little bit
in Indiegogo but it wasn't good so I just hit people up regular.
Film Courage: So you did the Antoine Allen crowdfunding campaign?
Antoine: it okay yep okay.
Film Courage: And so where do you post the people's names just in the credits?
Antoine: Credits and on the IMDb and in the movie.
Film Courage: How many people do you think you actually text or emailed?
Antoine: A lot of people.
Film Courage: How many?
Antoine: Maybe 40 50 people okay and so around half or so said yes closed mouth don't get fed
if you want something you got to ask for it okay and how may I ask what was the amount that most
people put in $5,000-$10,000 R and what did you have to show them well they already knew my resume
already I've done tons of films already so it was a yes or no and sometimes r one said no they just
didn't have the money right okay and so by what how like how long did it take to raise that money
a month one month okay and so how much money was that so I put in $65,000 of my own money and I
raised like an extra $25,000 and this is for Lola 1 yes okay and then Lola 2 now has five executive
producers yes are you one of them yes okay so then you reached out to how many people really
one person and then a lot of other people just friends that had me a connection a location I just
gave them a credit okay so now you have aside from yourself four executive producers what changed how
how come you had 27 before and then for Lola 2 now you have four aside from yourself proof of
concept Lola one no one believed in but it won't work so now I don't have to I went to like one or
two people to get the money I need and that was it one of the the biggest invest I have that PID
for majority of the whole film was a producer I met on clubhouse her name is Monica Floyd from
True Vision Media Group, she's an angel, she’s a guardian angel because around Covid happened
I want to do Lola 2 but I didn't have the funding like that so she invested majority of film and I
love her for that and clubhouse is? It's a social media app I like it because not like Instagram and
Facebook you actually talk to people you have a human human conversation with them and we was in
a room was talking about film and I said something about I don't know so many people that's own their
content and she checked me she said what are you talking about I'm a producer in La I owe
my contact and I was like wow I didn't know so she educated me most people they would have an
eagle like who you talking to but no I was here to learn and she educated me said an you don't
know about me but I do this and this and when I found out who she was I was like wow and she
believed in me she wrote the check and produced the whole film with me so from the time that
you met her on clubhouse what was the time span then that you started filming Lola 2 so it was a
miracle I met her on clubhouse in March I went to LA to meet her face to face in like April May and
July we start filming oh wow she was I said she a guardian angel because with me my words match
my action in this industry most people talk with her she was like what you want to do let do it and
now we unstoppable because you don't meet people like that in the regular but that happened because
I was ready prepared the old saying stay ready you have to get ready so I had all my ducks in a row I
did projects before and we just hit it off and it was a blessing what was it about Lola 2 that made
her want to invest it was really me that's not I tell people too sometimes people want to invest
in your project they want to invest in you so I tell people L of times be a good person be about
your business be kind but really I right now if it was another movie she would just be invested
in me because she believe in my hustle and she see that I'm out here doing what I got to do and
she's giving back so Monica will be watching it so I appreciate you okay so shout out to Monica shout
out to Monica Floy okay and Lola 2 is finished or couple more scenes we in post almost done rap
and it we releasing next year wow yeah do you have like an email list where you keep all the
Lola one people so sometimes when they when not sometimes when they go buy my merchandise I got
the email address I'm really act on social media so I talk to people get the information I try to
I try to stay active I learn that from Tyler Perry when Tyler Perry first came out he still does it
but not so much he have a email list he us to email send an email back thank you everybody
have a human human connection I learn that from Tyler Perry to really connect with your fans make
one fan at a time those are people that gonna keep the lights on let's go back to Monica for
a moment so what was the pitch you said you met her on clubhouse which is a social media app so
once I met her on social media once she checked me because I didn't know I didn't know who she was we
talk on the phone went back and forth I show her Lola one but really wasn't even a movie she really
believes in me and sometimes you help people like I help a lot of people help a lot of actors,
filmmakers I help a lot of people because I believe in giving helping people but this
was just karma coming back to me everybody I help everybody looked at it could be any movie I think
she still would invest because she believes in me and sometimes not about your project it's about
the individual sometimes I help people or I invest in people had nothing to do with their project
it's because of them so there was no pitch it was a pitch people don't realize when you open your
mouth you're pitching it don't have to be a form to be a PDF you're pitching when you walk in the
room it's your brand soon you open your mouth so people don't realize that's a pitch so be ready so
when someone say hey I'm interested in what you're talking about be a man in your word be about your
business so people don't realize that you're pitch is yourself you're pitching yourself when
you walk in the room you he a brand so that was a pitch is Lola a brand or is Antoine Allen a brand
it's all together that's my baby which brand do you think is stronger Lola why because me I'm an
individual but Lola is a story that takes someone emotional roller coaster and deals with pain,
trauma, underdog triumph and Lola I'm the first person ever to make a female boxing franchise
never been done before it's my female version of Rocky like with Million Dollar Baby nope
do you I know it wasn't a franchise what what similarities are in that character and then how
is she totally different totally different one she African-American two a Million Dollar Baby
was a old woman getting into boxing so it's like night and day but with Lola Lola is a a woman that
had nothing do with boxing and she used training and self-defense because she didn't want to be a
victim no more and she in boxing so most boxing films or all boxing films the family is a boxer
they want to be a boxer she never wanted to be a boxer she just wanted to do self-defense and
she fell into boxing so it's almost like Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby and in some
similarities no no no it's Lola one one of one Lola's her own person yep does Lola feel real to
you yes it's a underdog story it's she turned her pain into to purpose she took her pain instead of
dwelling in it she took a power back she was a her on her story and same thing with me I came from
home beginning now I'm a hero in my story but yes it's amazing it's amazing that this was a short
film I did eight years ago split decision was Lola it was a at the time I have the money for it so
I did Split Decision I did a short film so I tell people to do baby steps sometimes we can't get the
big budget so do babies to do little pebbles and it was a short film and eight nine years
later we had a franchise what prompted you to do the short film I wanted to do a film after I got
the the music business I wanted to do something that stand out and every time I go to the film
festivals it's the same exact stories dramas so let me what did I could do to stand out and
I did a female boxing film and that was expired because of Rocky like I love the Rocky franchise
and Sylvester's own story is just amazing if you if it and so would you go to rings and see some
of these women boxers or or or mixed martial art fighters when I was young I used to box I used
to box in Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn and I love boxing I see female box and I was like why never
been African-American boxing film a franchise so with me a lot of times we look at things we
complain I'll say what send me complain let me be the solution that's what happened did you used to
see a woman that reminded you of Lola no oh no never I just this was I use my imagination so
you're working on Lola 2 now almost finished yes what happens after Lola 2 we put it out next year
and next summer hopefully we get ready for L 3 I'm going to do a trilogy do you think you'll stop
at that no I'm probably to Lo to TV series why do you think people want to see her journey why does
why is one movie not enough two movies and maybe three and Beyond it's me I I don't think the story
is complete and then I want to do my own female Rocky franchise and I just love the franchise let
me do something different because as filmmakers we don't think about franchise we think about one and
done I'm big on franchise like I love franchise so this would be one of my first franchise but
I have some more and it works how do you pitch Lola what you mean when when you go to pitch it
or when you're sort of in your mind if you do go and Pitch this TV series what what is the pitch
well actually Lola one two is a pitch because it's proof of concept I did it already so really when
anything if you pitch in a project it's already done already you already have the proof of I PE
so it's an easy pitch to be like hey I did one and two it's doing really well it's do a series
so well let's say there was a party and let's say this is so you and I are there at the party
and I'm like oh really you're a filmmaker oh and you have this tell me what is tell me about Lola
Lola is a female boxing film it's Underdog Story it's my female version of Rocky franchise and
is the first ever African American female boxing franchise in the history of Cinema and and why is
Lola for a broad audience because it's an unusual story the average person means unusual story when
you see the rich people as 1% the average person I know more poor people than rich people and
that's why they connect to it and women run the world yeah good answer yeah but do you think even
rich people so the quote unquote 1% maybe can identify with being an underdog in a sense that
maybe they've been crushed in a business deal or they can family squabbles or whatever yeah they
can they can but I know the majority of people are underdogs and they're looking for their fight
so we could go to the movies and see the big hero movies that's great but I'm big on watching movies
that have a human connection I didn't go to film suit I didn't have no mentor this is a straight
gift like I said before someone told me I’d be doing this I laugh any face this I don't have like
I don't like things I'm doing I don't just it's God gift I don't have no training I don't have no
mentor I didn't go to no big film so I have nobody it's just my god- talent do you think people are
taking you more seriously because you've created a franchise people taking me more serious because
I'm consistent when you consistent and you're not going away like I've been doing this a long
time like a long time most of my life I've been entertaining business so yeah take my I'm not
going no still around I'm not stopping some people have seasons my season hasn't end yet so it's just
I'm being more consistent when you consistent and they keep seeing you year after year it's like
wow this guy is not playing around how have the conversations changed dramatically because most
independent filmmakers are not making money like I done 20 over 20 short films three to four features
like I'm consistent and I execute because at the end of day you have all the money in the world or
connections world it's all about execution so now Lola 2 is it's amazing I can't wait everybody see
it how can you tell though that people are taking you more seriously what do they ask or what do
they say that's different than before they want to give me money okay I think that that's a good
indicator yeah they want to give me money and they want to help me they see the vision now they see
what I'm doing you put in your work you put put in your hundred something hours and you will get
rewarded so I'm seeing that now I'm working with name actors Lola 2 is my first film i l one too
I work with Taja V. Simpson amazing actress she's on to per hit show The Oval and I'm working with
name actors now so that's another indicated like wow people want to work with you it's a journey.