D’Angela Proctor is a fearless powerhouse whose imagination and tenacity help her achieve success in all she does. Boasting an impressive resume and commendable work experience, Proctor shares some insights into her career journey.
In 1998, while working as an attorney, Proctor admitted she did not find joy in her work. Using her legal prowess, she struck out to do something different. Relocating to Atlanta—home of the illustrious her alma mater, Spelman College, and dubbed the “Hollywood of the South”—she planned to get in on the action. She landed an internship with LaFace Records in the Marketing Department that lasted for two weeks. During that time, a colleague in the music business introduced Proctor to an entrepreneur who owned a concert booking agency. Their friendship eventually led to them co-founding a production company to produce music videos for the booming Atlanta music scene.
Act 1: ATL
Enter Strange Fruit Films, a full-service production company, producing music videos for artists like NAS, Three 6 Mafia, and OutKast, among others. During their first year in business, they were approached by a music video director seeking an investment to replace one that had fallen through. In less than 30 days, they raised $300,000 and were en route to Los Angeles to produce their first film. Producing independent films proved promising for several years until the demise of Blockbuster. Consumers retreated from going to video rental stores for content, opting to forego long lines and excessive late fees.
Unfazed, Proctor pivoted into television, executive producing shows like “Exalted,” “The Family Crews,” and the NAACP Image Award-winning “Sunday Best” for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Three years later, Proctor decided to branch out on her own, giving herself a deadline of one year to decide if she would remain in the entertainment industry or return to her hometown of Houston,Texas to become a real estate developer.
Act II: DC
During that year, Proctor sold the “Love in the City” reality series to the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and began serving as TV One’s interim Head of Original Programming. The six-month consulting position grew into a five-year term.
Proctor’s tenure at TV One was marked by the production of 1000+ hours of news and public affairs programming, 240 hours of true crime & justice programming, 120 hours of reality programming, five NAACP Image Awards, and a host of other specials and programming initiatives. Though she resided in Washington, DC, most of her projects, including 30+ films, “Atlanta Homicide," "The Trumpet Awards,” “R&B Divas: Atlanta,” and “Born Again Virgin,” were filmed in Atlanta. This created significant training and employment opportunities for diverse film and television crews in Fulton County.
Act III: L.A.
Proctor says FOMO (fear of missing out) contributed to her decision to leave TV One and return to Los Angeles. While her initial goal was to launch her own production company, she was presented with an opportunity that she couldn’t refuse to become the Head of Production and Business Development at Codeblack Films, a Lionsgate company. Her position was created to produce original movies for Lionsgate; however, a change in leadership hampered such.
Proctor always lands on her feet. Although the opportunity at Codeblack was short-lived, a new opportunity emerged at Ava DuVernay’s Forward Movement, which had secured a deal with Warner Brothers Television. While consulting Forward Movement, Proctor had her sights set on the sweet life in the C-Suite and moved on to become the CEO Wayfarer Entertainment, a social impact production company. When COVID hit, Proctor found herself having to recalibrate and refocus on her long-standing ambition of entrepreneurship.
New Scene
Proctor turned her attention to Undaunted Content, executive producing “Eggs over Easy,” “The Holiday Stocking,” and “Line Sisters” and directing “Keyshia Cole: This is My Story.” Proctor is concurrently developing multiple projects with Netflix, Lifetime, and other buyers. She is also fundraising to elevate her entrepreneurial efforts.
When asked what advice she would give aspiring entrepreneurs, Proctor says, “The same dedication that you apply to work for someone else should be mirrored in working for oneself. Put in the work and just do it.”
Those interested in collaborating with Proctor can reach her at www.undauntedco.com.
