343. Ignoring the Odds, Her Movie Opens Soon
Alyssa Addison
After veering away from her first love—drama—to pay the bills, she’d been easing back into theater with several churches’ drama programs, and was nursing hopes of going back to her native California, where her love of theater had blossomed. Then, her husband’s job took them to Knoxville, Tennessee. She remembers saying, “How will I find any acting opportunities here?”
Alyssa Addison is a screenplay writer, director and actress. She’s the writer, director, and one of the executive producers for the movie, “Laughing at the Moon,” coming out in theaters in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 9, and in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside, California, on September 16, 2016. Her passion is to continue to make films that go beyond entertainment and transform people’s lives, thereby doing what she loves and making a difference at the same time. Sharing God’s love through film, she wants people to know that they are significant, have purpose, and are valuable. Her favorite role in life is being with her family. Her motto is, “jump, breathe, and make a dent in the world.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in Southern California and started acting around the age of 4. I started composing music, writing songs and playing the guitar around age 12. I had a Drama teacher freshman year in high school who was very instrumental in inspiring me, helping me build self-confidence. She was just amazing. She taught us the ropes, and even had us out on the street getting businesses to advertise in the program for our play. We spent the year with her, learning how to do plays and productions. Then, the next year, I won Best Actress award for my school, which really encouraged me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
An impactful but gradual turning point has been the seven-year-long process of bringing “Laughing at the Moon” from Alyssa’s imagination to the theater stage, and then to cinematic release. She heard about a unique group in South Georgia that had produced several independent, faith-based films, including “Facing the Giants” and the 2008 surprise box-office hit, “Fireproof.” The films had been produced using an unconventional collaboration of professionals and volunteers drawn largely from local churches. “They were working along the same lines as I was,” Alyssa recalls, and she began forming connections with them. “Fireproof” had debuted at Number 4, becoming the highest-grossing independent film of 2008 at over $33 million. Several members of the cast and production crew of “Fireproof” are involved in Alyssa’s project, including cinematographer Bob Scott and actress Erin Bethea (“Facing the Giants”).
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s hard to continually have dreams that you don’t see fulfilled. Impatience plays a big part. We live in a society that’s so convenience-oriented—fast food, fast everything—and everybody wants it now. Often, people don’t realize how long it takes to see something worthwhile come into fruition—the number of hours, the effort, and the time just spent waiting. Most of us don’t like to wait. Unfortunately, a lot of people give up right before they might have had a breakthrough!”
Steps to Success from Alyssa Addison
1. Believe in your vision, act as if it’s going to happen, and keep moving forward.
2. Ignore the naysayers. Nothing reduces the odds against you like ignoring them.
3. Cultivate patience and the tenacity to hang in there through the battle.”
Connecting With Alyssa Addison
Website: www.laughingatthemoonthemovie.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/laughingmovie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laughingatthemoon
Theater Showings: Laughing at the Moon September 9 – Knoxville, Tennessee, and in Atlanta, Georgia. September 16 – Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside, California.
Visit website: LaughingAtTheMoonTheMovie.com to pre-order tickets. Click on TICKET button to be notified when tickets are available at theaters. Website also includes the movie trailer and videos about the making of the movie. Also find info about bringing the movie to your city.
