Pretti Beast: Film Producer Keema Mingo Discusses Her Journey and Recently Released Project, Goodbye Butterfly

 

I swear Clubhouse has been a God send, the amazing women that I am meeting and connecting with I cannot wait to introduce you all to each and everyone of them but this woman here! Keema Mingo is a writer, director, producer, and casing director in the film industry. I have had the pleasure of talking to Keema about what she dubs her "second act", and I cannot wait to further dive into that in my interview with her coming later this month, but as part of this transition, sis co-produced the bomb ass film Goodbye Butterfly, a thriller that came out last month and I just had to talk to her about it.

How long have you been in the industry?

I've been in for 20+ years. I have a degree in Mass Communications and started my career in broadcast TV and public television. I also have a Master's degree in Film and later transitioned into filmmaking full-time. 

Have you always wanted to work in the film industry?

Yes. I was that kid who memorized all of the commercials and loved watching TV shows. I also won my first writing contest in the 4th grade. I knew then that I'd work in this industry.

What roles did you play in the making of Goodbye Butterfly? 

I am a co-producer and the casting director for the film. 

What was the best part of working on Goodbye, Butterfly?

The best part about working on Goodbye, Butterfly was seeing it evolve from a script to the finished product. I love the process of filmmaking. Although we had long days and lots of work to do, watching the pieces fall into place as we got closer to the production date was exhilarating. It was an amazing experience working with everyone on the team. They all were uber-talented and extremely dedicated to getting the film done. Everyone made sure it looked its best and it does.

I also loved working with the officials from Salisbury, NC. The vibe and feel of the city was the perfect location for our psychological thriller. The city officials rolled out the red carpet for us and played a major part in ensuring that every resource and location we needed was available to us. I am so grateful for their help.

What made this project different other projects you’ve worked on? 

This film presented new and exciting elements I had never worked with before. This is the first feature film that I've produced AND cast. I cast a feature in 2016 but hadn't produced one yet. I have produced and cast smaller projects but nothing to this magnitude. The skills I use when doing short films are the same ones I used when doing this feature.

As a producer, I was entrusted with putting the project together from the start. In the beginning, I was the only person on the team that actually lived in Charlotte, so I worked daily to find crew, locations and cast as well as doing paperwork and connecting with city officials in Salisbury, NC (shooting location). This is also the first psychological thriller that I've worked on. The genre influenced  the locations we used-we had to find places that were dark and devious looking as well as an abandoned house that played a major role in the story. It also required that I hire a stunt coordinator. She taught the actors how to fight, fall, throw and take a punch as well as how to clear a room as a detective.

What’s the thing you hope viewers take from seeing Goodbye, Butterfly? 

I hope that viewers sit back and enjoy the story. Every element of Goodbye, Butterfly was carefully and meticulously considered from the casting and locations to the writing and the shooting of it.  I also want them to know that you don't have to have millions of dollars to create a film...just make it look like you did. You don't have to have a major Hollywood studio supporting you in order to have an amazing project. We did it independently and it is a major success. Use what you have, surround yourself with amazingly talented people and do the work. You will be impressed with what you create.