Who else has mentored you on this journey or how have you gone about finding mentors?

2025, the word for me was mentorship. I was like, I need to find as many mentors as possible. But also I wanted to become one. I was like, well, if I want this thing, how do I become this thing? In that case, it starts to attract what you need, but also you get to like give it away immediately. Always offer this kind of like,

hey, can I have 10 to 15 minutes to ask you about something very specific? Come with real questions and come with gratitude.

Hey, hey, BA fan. Welcome back to Brown Ambition. I'm really excited to introduce you to my guest for this episode. Her name is Gia Rain Harris, a Mississippi-born writer-director. I had to do it. I'm from Georgia, y'all, whose work centers the interior lives of women and Bipoc communities. Yes, her films feel like love letters to the people and places that have raised her.

And right now that lens has stretched from intimate shorts like her award-winning short film pens and pencils,

which you can watch on HBO Max and it's 16 minutes that you will not regret.

Please go watch it.

To episodes of network TV shows like Chicago PD and a little upstart show Netflix as Bridgeton.

I don't know if you all have heard of it.

I hear it's pretty okay.

Gia Rain, welcome to the show.

Thanks for joining me.

Thank you, man.

Thank you so much for having me.

Yeah, it's exciting to have you.

I mean, I think that any anytime I can see a woman of

color, you know, getting her shine as a filmmaker and a director, I am on all for that. And

I love talking to artists like you because especially artists, you know, in this day and age,

where I know it's like almost impossible to have a film only or like an art first career. You have to be working nine to five. Like the, you know, the true hustlers out here who are working, working, working, and grinding until you get that break, you know? And then we all get to meet you when you've hit that break, right? And now it's like you're in articles and news about you.

But I want to start at the beginning. You know, when did you know you wanted to be a director? And how did that journey begin for you? Great question. To be honest with you, my family would tell you probably when I was pretty young. I was already pretty bossy. That's why they'd say that. But in truth, I think I was always imagining, right?

Like so I, my mom taught me to read.

My mom and my grandmother taught me to read when I was like three. And so by the time I was seven, we were reading a chapter book together. And my grandmother took me to the movies for the first time. She was the first person to like, take me to a film. And when I left, I was like, It made me, I think they did it wrong. And she was like, what? I was like, yeah, they did it wrong.

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