Joy Cheriel Brown

Joy Cheriel Brown is an accomplished filmmaker, with an MFA in creative writing from National University and a bachelor’s degree from Howard University, where she studied film and English and graduated summa cum laude.

Joy is the founder of Third Person Omniscient Productions, a production company whose mission it is to produce powerful, meaningful, thought-provoking movies, plays, and television shows that enlighten audiences about the human condition, shed light on the meaning of life, and raise the collective consciousness. Her first feature film is currently in development by her production company.

She has served as a screenwriting mentor for the DC Shorts Filmmaking Mentor Series and a panelist for the screenwriting panel at the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council’s Festival of Literary Arts, and she writes for Script Magazine and other media outlets. She is also the author of “The Secret of Life Through Screenwriting: How to Use the Law of Attraction to Structure Your Screenplay, Create Characters, and Find Meaning in Your Script,” which is available on Amazon.

Furthermore, her short film, N.O.S., was acquired by ShortsTV and is also available on Amazon Prime. In 2019, she produced her stage play, Stuck, for the Washington, DC Capital Fringe Festival, and received Playwright of the Year from ACHI Magazine.

Where did the idea for Third Person Omniscient Productions come from?

I started writing screenplays at the age of 10, and when I embarked upon the journey of becoming a screenwriter, it was to write screenplays that helped people make their lives better, and the only way to ensure the creative integrity of my scripts was to produce them myself. Therefore, I became a producer and ultimately started my production company, Third Person Omniscient Productions 11 years after I wrote my first screenplay at the age of 31 in 2012.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I am currently in a program to be certified as a hypnotherapist. So every day I wake up and meditate, eat breakfast, and then I work on my hypnotherapy program and then I work on directing my next project– a feature film.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I am able to bring ideas to life by making sure that I do at LEAST one thing (sometimes more) towards accomplishing my goals.

What’s one trend that excites you?

It excites me that more and more people are able to bring their ideas to life on their own without having to play by the rules of big corporations, or in my industry, studios.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I am very goal oriented and driven. I literally don’t feel well if a day goes by and I don’t do one thing towards accomplishing my dreams and goals.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I worked really hard as a kid. I often didn’t do regular kid things because I was writing a screenplay or trying to “make stuff happen.” I would tell my younger self to have more fun and to break some of the “rules” that didn’t serve me– like letting other people dictate who I could date. So, my advice would be to not work so hard and live a little.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Frequency music does help solve problems.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I read. I find that many people never read another book once they finish with formal schooling. I’ve also noticed that people seem to really like paying for webinars from experts who have written books. Most of the time the webinars cost more money than the book and you get less information in the webinar. So, usually, if I want to learn about a subject or topic, I will read a book before signing up for a webinar. The only time a webinar is better is when it’s a topic that frequently changes. In that case, a webinar is probably worth the money over an outdated book.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Publicity.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The hardest part about producing movies, TV shows, and stage plays is raising the money. There was an avenue where I could get money to make my short film. I was turned down, but didn’t ask them why. Eventually, someone from the organization reached out to me and told me why I didn’t initially get the money, and I did ultimately get money from them. I learned that it’s always worth asking questions when something doesn’t work out the way you thought it would.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Vegan fast food.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Last time I spent $100 or more was on a subscription for Mindvalley. I actually spent I think $500 on it. They have educational courses called Quests, and my favorite quests were the ones by Jim Kwik. I learned how to eat foods that really made my mind sharper, and that has been worth the money.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Calendly is great. It helps people set appointments with me, and it’s keeps me organized and it automates a simple task and makes it more streamlined.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Spirit Means Business” by Alan Cohen is a gem of a book. So many entrepreneurs believe ideas that don’t serve them ultimately like you have to work really, really hard to have success. That belief, for example, just leads you to stress, burnout, overwhelm, and bad health. This book really teaches you how you can use spiritual principles in business that lead to even more success at the end of the day.

What is your favorite quote?

“Every thing happens for my highest good and in my favor.”– Joy Cheriel Brown

Key Learnings:

• Don’t work so hard all the time.
• Accomplish goals step-by-step, day-by-day; the easiest way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
• You don’t have to believe what everyone else believes if it doesn’t serve you.