Carolyn Pierre-Outlar is a producer and screenwriter from New York City. Her first project, award-winning digital series comedy “Rhonda Mitchell M.D.,” remains active on the festival circuit and has been listed as one of the best web series of 2019 by Black Talent TV. It is currently available for streaming on the ON! Channel and AfroLandTV. She is also a proud member of the New York Women in Film and Television and co-founder of Pierre Outlar Entertainment, a production company which she started with her husband, Jerome, in 2012. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in 2016.
Tell us about your experience at Hip Hop Film Festival? I was honored to have been an official selection in both 2018 and 2019. I had a fantastic experience both years. There was an abundance of good vibes and support from fellow filmmakers and the HHFF crew (C.R. you rock!!) I was in awe of how much the festival had grown from one year to the next! I feel like it's not just a film festival, but a cultural event.
Why are stories from the culture important? I think it's important that we have an opportunity to tell our stories, our way, so we can combat the negative stereotypes that others have regarding our culture. We are diverse, talented, intelligent and driven. We excel when given the opportunity, and that's why C.R. is so important to us. The HHFF is worldwide, and we're in control of our own narratives. No one else is giving us the chance to tell our stories across the globe. Now somebody in Greece or Ghana can have access to content told through our own lens--and that's major!
What projects are you working on now? Currently, I'm working on dramedy series called "Harmonal Imbalance" about an R&B group from the 90s who reunite 20 years later. It's an ambitious project but I'm really excited about it because it's written from 2 perspectives for 2 different platforms. The linear story of the group's come-up is a digital series while the storyline featuring the older ladies of the group is written as a half-hour series. I'm also collaborating with other filmmakers whom I've met at different festivals for a short film called "The Recipe."
Why do you think the Harlem film house and Hip Hop Film Festival is important? Harlem Film House and the HHFF are important because of the opportunity and support it provides to the hip-hop cultured. No one is reaching out and giving us the chance that C.R. gives us...to pitch to network execs, to provide fiscal sponsorship, to provide continuous opportunities to a lot of us who probably wouldn't have the chance to do what she gives us the chance to do. Who else is going to screen your film, but then go the extra mile to help you find distribution? In the true spirit of Hip-Hop--it's all love.