(Newswire.net — August 22, 2020) — The Founder & CEO, Clyde C Harris, hopes his company will be a catalyst to bring Nashville up in the Film & TV industry as well as shine a light on minority ran businesses.
Nashville has long been known as Music City, yet in the last several years many television and film stars have moved to this wonderful part of the country to call home. Nashville has also been an epicenter for ballroom dance, which is where Clyde C Harris, Founder & CEO of Native Soul made the transition from ballroom dance superstar to founding a production company.
“The whole reason I started my company to begin with is because I wanted to give other people opportunity. It started with wanting to bring dance to TV more to give more opportunity to dance.” Mr. Harris said, “I see it as the natural progression for dancers who get to the top is to go into film. Not every actor is a dancer, every great dancer is a good actor. The best dancers are also great actors. Because they have to tell a story in dance without saying any words.”
Mr. Harris chose Nashville, TN as the base for Native Soul, relocating his headquarters here to Skyway Studios where productions for national and household brands – like Maybelline, Dollar General, Impact Wrestling, and the Dick Clark Show – are filmed. His company got its name “Native Soul” as a way to honor both his Cherokee “Native” and black “Soul” heritage. Clyde C Harris is no stranger to success in the entertainment industry before this production company growth began. He is an American filmmaker, writer, producer, actor, television choreographer, world champion country cabaret dancer, British exhibition finalist, and national rising star theater arts champion.
Harris said of why he chose Nashville, “Because I feel that Nashville is the next superhighway to film. And I want to be a catalyst to help bring this city up in Film & TV. We are able to still shoot now in Nashville when they are unable to in Los Angeles and have been unable to in Atlanta and New York as well due to the pandemic. This is another reason why I believe Nashville will be able to pick up the slack for the industry right now.”
Native Soul Pictures is an original content production company that seeks funding for original projects for TV and Film. They also network with top level filmmakers, producers, directors, writers, choreographers, and songwriters with sync licensing rights to thousands of songs in their catalog and are an advisory source for those looking to get their story told. Clyde C Harris created the television series ‘Good Grief’ and shortly after forming Native Soul Pictures, Clyde was invited by two teams of producers to join them, as a producer, on ‘Ascendants’ and ‘Iron Men of 99’, two major television shows which are currently in pre-production. The experienced filmmaker’s short film ‘The Perfect Love’, which stars TikTok celebrity Jack Andrade, was officially selected for the ‘Dekkoo Love and Distance’ short film challenge (LGBT). Native Soul Pictures has several other TV and Film projects in development that are not yet public knowledge, and Clyde C Harris and his team are always on the lookout for other great opportunities for production in the Southeast.
Clyde C Harris’ advice for other for entrepreneurs: “Just do it. When I was in 7th grade, my science teacher was trying to give some levity on us dissecting frogs. And he put up a transparent project pic up of a pelican eating a frog & the frog choking the pelican not allowing him to eat him. At the bottom it said, “don’t ever give up.” If you’re thinking about going to film school – go. But when you get on set, don’t just be on the phone, ask questions of EVERYONE. The cameramen, the film crew, the director. They love questions. They are the experts! People don’t stop and talk and ask questions. They love to talk and give advice. Just ask and absorb their wisdom. Take the time and ask questions of everyone. Watch the conversations they have with everyone and pay attention to the details. Then ask about things you don’t know.”
It’s been an exciting journey for Clyde C Harris and the team of Native Soul Pictures, as it seems people are beating down their doors to find out what they’re doing. Their quick growth is due in part to their affiliates in the TV and Film industry. They are also seeking stories that feed the soul and also the desire to be produced, created, or written for television or film, feature or short to submit for film festivals around the world. Native Soul Pictures is also interested in hearing from investors looking to be involved with television and media production with options for investors to become equity partners.
Clyde C Harris’ advice for getting investors: “You always have to do your 3-act presentation. 1. Formulate and present your plan, 2.Educate them with pertinent information in a language they can understand, it’s different for everyone, 3. Service out the plan so they can really feel the benefit and they will not only trust you in the future but will bring you others of the same caliber and sophistication.” Clyde further explains, “Most importantly, you need to have the understanding that just because they have money doesn’t mean it’s ‘your’ money. Sit and absorb that for a minute. When dealing with other people’s money, your responsibility is to make sure that every decision you make is not for yourself. They should feel an inclusion, that they are in it with you and not purely used for their hard-earned money. Your investor also needs to know the benefits of investing in TV & Film. One key benefit is that they also gain access to connect with people they wouldn’t usually in their normal course of lives. This is important; your investor should also experience the thrill of saying “Hey that movie that Brad Pitt was in, I helped fund that and bring that to fruition”, this way they get to know they’re a part of some greater purpose in bringing entertainment to the world.”