Author: Tanya Perez

“Wanna join me as a panelist for my book launch tour at NYWIFT?” Essentially that is what I heard when Naomi texted me back in February and if you know me, an invitation to play is all I need to get excited about you. Of course, I said yes. Now, I have been a fan of Naomi for a long time because of her full transparency and fearless approach to independent filmmaking so to convene with her here about her book, The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution To Dismantle The Gods of Hollywood, is an absolute treat. What…

I met Toni Kamau in the CNN Lounge during a Brown Girl Doc Mafia mixer at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and within moments we were hugging and laughing.  The pure joy she brings in the room is magnetic, so when I heard their film Softie walked away with a World Cinema Special Jury Prize in Editing, I wasn’t surprised at all. She is surrounded with incredible storytellers like herself. A little about Toni Kamau… For the last seven years, Toni’s career has focused on producing stories about outsiders, rebels and change-makers. Toni has two ongoing feature documentaries projects -…

I had the absolute pleasure getting to know some of the creative team of the very timely film MARISOL , Director Zoé Salicrup Junco & Producer Lauren Sowa. Not only is this film beautifully shot, but the subtle performances in this story of a hardworking young undocumented mother making a life for her and her daughter brings humanity  to the real issue of immigration in America. What was the inspiration for this film? Zoe: I didn’t write MARISOL. It’s actually the first film I directed, but didn’t write. The writer is Tim Eliot, who also plays Frederick in the film.…

NEW YORK – I made three short films within this last year. Three. I didn’t plan to nor did I have the budgets to even do one, but I did it. You see, when I don’t work for awhile I get nervous that I will never work again.  That was a huge motivator for Joan Rivers and why I still think her work is unparalleled to her colleagues. So, I enrolled in a class to learn new skills at the Manhattan Neighborhood Network here in New York back in 2016.  One class led to another and then to another and…

I had the golden opportunity to talk with director Meera Menon and screenwriter Amy Fox about their independent feature EQUITY that premiered at this year’s Sundance. Of course, I was excited about lady powered teams in film, so excited that I stood in the middle of my rental’s cul-de-sac in the 28 degree weather in Park City with a microphone and my iPhone to chat about bringing this first female driven full length about Wall Street from script to screen. TANYA: I got to see Equity last night and it was great! One of the best lines in Equity was…

I thought I found my dream survival job. Back in February, I had no jobs lined up as I headed into pilot season with an ever dwindling bank account and had to make a decision: get a steady day job. I have been down this road many times and no matter how much saving and preplanning for work baron winter months, I still end up short because of unexpected expenses or that no one was hiring anyone freelance until mid-March. So I scoured my usual leads and after a week of “sorry, not right now”, I took the plunge in…

The Sundance Film Festival has always been on my bucket list and this year I finally got to go. Even though I wasn’t starring in any buzz worthy independents, I jumped at the opportunity to write for Ms.In the Biz at this illustrious festival. Here are my tips and take aways from spending 8 days tucked away among the snow capped mountains. Going to the festival Get a pass I went on press credentials that I submitted online in November, and I got the official approval on Dec. 14th. If you are writing for a recognizable site that features entertainment,…

I am the queen of the job hustle. Since I decided to live the life of a performer, I have learned that not every work place is flexible with our ever changing audition schedule. Through extensive research (Me getting hired and fired A LOT in jobs that were not the right fit), I have discovered a few thrival jobs that have stood the test of time during my tenure as an actress. Here are some of my favorite jobs that value you being the incredible performer that you are. Standardized Patient For those of you that remember the Seinfeld episode…

I left LA in 2012 defeated. I thought my career was over and decided to commit myself to a fulltime job at one of the places I had been freelancing for during my bicoastal tenure. Now I had been living in New York since the early 2000s, so this place was really my home. LA was a great respite and my MFA in this business of show. So I packed up my studio apartment in the Valley and flew to back to my Manhattan rental with my Chihuahua in tow. Little did I realize that my plan to do the…

The Art of Play by Creatively Independent I have known Jess Pillmore since our college days at Florida State in the illustrious theater program that has churned out quite a few Broadway stars and a shit load of us on TV. Jess was this powerhouse choreographer and director, far too wise for most of the student body and I was lucky to be her side kick during the development of our creative paths. Let’s just say we bonded really well both on and off the stage. So when I got a message from her about a year ago to come…

After reading the stories of all the survivors of Bill Cosby’s rape accusations, a friend pointed out on Facebook one common theme that no one is talking about: the agent’s role in this. I had noticed it too. Now whether or not they knew what was going on, one thing is very clear in this industry: the young and impressionable are easy prey for predators, especially when the carrot is making it in entertainment. I should know. It has happened to me more times than I care to admit. Here is a story I will share: Years ago I was…

148. That is the number of pounds on my 5’3″ frame that was weighed in on my last doctor visit. I peaked over the nurse’s shoulder and saw this glaring red BMI of 26.2. When she left, I googled the ideal BMI for my size which is 18 to 24. 25 and higher puts me in the overweight category. My “booking” weight is 130-135lbs. I have struggled with weight all my life. I had a round belly as a kid but by the time I was tween, I was anorexic because being curvy in dance class was unacceptable and the popular girls I wanted to hang with…

I never imagined I would be a funny lady. I went to drama school and did dramas. I studied serious theatre. Now say theatre with a stuffy English accent. I thought that drama was my path. Nope! There is something totally freeing about being funny. After my trip to Boston that past April, I discovered I totally fit in to this wonderful community of funny women at this year’s Women in Comedy Festival. I made one (and only) episode of this web series called Resuscitation! A Love Story, that after …um, “creative differences” with the writer, I shelved on You…

Don’t expect me to be fluent in Spanish. I am a Southerner. My parents moved us from Flushing to a motel off the beach in Florida. One day, we were riding on subways and the next cruising along A1A beach side where everyone was in a bikini and sun burnt from the glorious Tropic of Cancer sun. My Puerto Rican family wanted to live a better life: own a home with a yard and a dog. They wanted to send us to schools where my sister and I could not only fit in but thrive and get a college degree.…