Twenty-five years ago, there was only one place for people who wanted a career in show biz – Hollywood.
But times have changed in the film industry which has grown beyond California, and Choice Skinner, who spent 23 years there, has his eyes on establishing an entertainment complex that will produce feature films that are fully made in Augusta.
“Augusta has some of the most brilliant talent in the world,” said Skinner, who appeared in shows such as “How I Met Your Mother,” “Reno 911!”and “The Shield.” He’s also directed and produced short and feature length films including “Black Lightning: Tobias’s Revenge” about a Black superhero. He’s also an accomplished martial artist and in 2022 was inducted into the Ultimate Warriors Hall of Fame, an organization under Ron van Clief, known as The Black Dragon.
COVID forced his return to the area.
Over the past five years, Skinner has developed a community of writers, actors and filmmakers. With them, he filmed and released his own dream project called “A New Life,” in August 2023. It was nominated for a 2024 NAACP Image Award and received a 2024 World Entertainment Awards’ honor for best writer.
He penned the screenplay about 20 years before it was filmed. “A New Life” is about a Black father who is reluctant to get back into the dating scene after the death of his wife. The film highlights the main character as a loving family man.
“There wasn’t anything like it,” he said in a 2023 Augusta Good News article. “You don’t get much media about Black men being great fathers and seeing them loving their kids and finding a way to overcome loss.”
The project lay on the shelf for two decades because he couldn’t get the funding at the time, but the delay didn’t diminish its success. In addition to its honors, “A New Life” has garnered more than six million views on streaming platforms, he said in a recent phone interview.
Skinner’s current focus is a film called “Not So Bright,” a feature film written by two cousins Skinner is coaching. Skinner will direct the film.
“’Not So Bright’ is about ‘two unlucky brothers with a knack for making bad decisions (who) embark on a hilariously chaotic journey filled with misadventures, absurd twists, and unpredictable outcomes,’” according to the Kickstarter campaign.
Skinner said they’d like to start filming in the fall, and there will be roles for actors as well as extras. Learn more at the film’s Instagram page.
He’s also scouting locations for his entertainment complex. He’s looking at a space that can be modified to suit and is in talks with city officials. The space would include a 99-seat theater with room for acting classes and to put on show.
He hopes to have the location secured in the next few months and wants to produce two feature films a year beginning in 2026.
And he said there’s plenty of room in that community for others who are interested. They meet once a week.
Last year, he sponsored a talk where creatives gathered to learn more about the film industry and it produced positive results, he said. The event helped people make connections to expand their reach.
To learn more, visit Skinner’s website.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s a Georgia Press Association winner and the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
