Recently, I caught up with Tonja “The Shoe Lady” Ayers! She is an author, director, shoe guru, writer, producer, and playwright. When it comes to film, she is known to slay! Her pen game is elite! With over ten published books and twelve plus movies under her creative belt, she has made major strides in the writing and film communities. You can catch some of her amazing films like “Stay in Your Place”, “The Landlord”,” “M.O.E.T.”,” “Rotten”, and many more on Tubi! I recently received the opportunity to interview her! Check it out below!
Where are you from?
I’m from Detroit, Michigan.
I have to ask. What’s the significance and inspiration behind your name, “The Shoe Lady”?
I started selling women’s shoes over 25 years ago. My customers started calling me Shoe Lady, so I changed the name of my store to The Shoe Lady.
I’m a true lover of all kinds of films and shows! I LOVE your work and the stories that are born out of you exercising your creativity. What led you on a journey of writing and filmmaking?
Thank you for watching! I truly appreciate your support, but I still can’t quite believe how I got here. I wrote my first book as a joke in 2009, and now I have ten published books and have produced over a dozen films. My friend, Melissa Talbot, suggested turning one of my books into a play, which we did, and it received a great response. This success led us to transform that stage play into my first movie, Stay in Your Place.
When you began this journey in filmmaking, what was your mission in regards to the kind of impact you wanted to make through storytelling?
I honestly didn’t and don’t think about the impact. I simply have stories to tell, and I tell them. I think establishing guidelines creates limitations, and I want to be free to create whatever and however I want. Rick Rubin said, “The audience comes last. I’m not making it for them; I’m making it for me. It turns out that when you truly make something for yourself, you’re doing the best thing you possibly can for the audience.” I love this philosophy.
Out of all the films you’ve written thus far, what has been your most memorable one, and why?
My most memorable project is my first film, Stay in Your Place. We had no idea what we were doing, but the crew came together, figured things out, and worked for free. It took us four months to finish, filming only on weekends. Starting in January during the snow season meant there were weekends we couldn’t shoot. A lot of hard work and determination went into that project.
Rotten is also special to me because it was the last project Melissa and I worked on together. She passed away a few weeks before the premiere. If it wasn’t for her, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be a filmmaker today.
Recently, I watched “The Landlord” on Tubi. I never saw those plot twists coming! It was also thought-provoking! To the readers: be sure to watch it if you haven’t already! That is a great movie! Bravo Queen! What ignited this story, which led to it being played out on film?
The Landlord is inspired by true events. I had a landlord who was spying on me. I changed the story, and added some more drama for entertainment purposes. Hopefully, she’s found some friends. Lol
When you’re not busy, how are you practicing self-care?
I’m always busy like seriously. I always have something to do. Shoes, books, and films have to be promoted, continuously. New writing has to be done and then the business side of everything. I plan to take more vacations. I’ve had one so far this year.
Before you go, drop a gem or some great advice for our readers out there. Feel free to say whatever compels you. I like to call this section UnpackingHer Thoughts. Let them know, Queen!
Never give up! Set achievable goals and start working towards them. Sometimes we aim too high, so choose realistic targets and shorten the deadlines. For example, if you’re a writer, commit to writing three pages a day. If you keep that pace for a month, you’ll have a completed script.
Connect with Tonja:
Instagram: @theshoeladyprouctions
Thank you so much, Tonja!
A Women’s Magazine 