About

Lisa the Filmmaker

Lisa's filmmaking career began with a desire to share a story. While the flood waters were still rising in Houston due to Hurricane Harvey, Mercy Response—a nonprofit flood relief organization—was strategizing how to get volunteers, tools, and supplies to the Houston area. Lisa and her husband Elgin were both amazed at what lengths this team of volunteers went through to get to the waterlogged city and setup their basecamp. For six weeks, the pair followed a team of volunteers as they salvaged collectables, hauled furniture to the curb and tore out drywall at no-cost to the homeowners. The documentary, "What Mercy Looks Like," won several awards at regional festivals including the WorldFest Houston Film Festival. Lisa went on to write, direct and produce two more documentaries for clients through her creative agency, PrettyWork Creative. With three award-winning films under her belt, Lisa wrote her first feature film, "My Father, The Queen," and is set to direct and produce the project. "My Father, The Queen" is currently in preproduction and is anticipated to be released in the winter of 2024.

Lisa the Writer

Storytelling through the written word is something Lisa has excelled at since elementary school. In high school, instead of writing an essay per her teacher's instruction; Lisa wrote a poem instead. The poem still earned her an A+ but also a warning to follow instructions for the next assignment. Lisa has self-published three books; What This Woman Knows, (2013); Put It Out There: 5 Steps to Kick Fear's Butt and Move Your Dream Forward ,(2014); and What Million-Dollar Brands Know: Marketing & Branding Strategies for Today’s Entrepreneur, (2019). This author of numerous articles and blog posts began writing "My Father, The Queen" in 2020. It was originally set to be a novel but Lisa but trying to write the novel and the film adaptation proved to be a Herculean task so she shelved the project. In 2022, she picked the project up again but this time decided to to focus only on the screenplay. "My Father, The Queen" has been described as "A really well-rendered and emotionally engaging series of moments” and has already won two best script awards.

Lisa the Speaker

One of the things that brings Lisa great joy is speaking to audiences. This form of storytelling is how her career began. She delivered her first presentation at the age of eight to a packed church and received a standing ovation. Since then, Lisa has had the privilege of speaking to professional women's groups, and national and international conferences including the Practically Perfect PA Summit. Lisa even created training programs such as Me, Incorporated—a personal branding program and presented it to Texas Children's Hospital, and the Golden Key International Honour Society. Lisa is the kind of speaker who leaves her audiences, inspired, informed, and empowered! Lisa cherishes the honor of speaking to the women of the Mission of Yahweh—a shelter for women and their families through her beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.