Full Given Name: Ray Virgin
Current Project: The Promise
Where were born, where were you raised? Money earnin’ Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Zodiac Sign: Virgo, September 2. We celebrate the entire weekend.
Who are your personal idols in the industry:
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee.
A performer you would drop everything to go see?
I would drop everything to see Penny from “Good Times”… like a moth to the fire burnt by the flame … Janet Jackson.
Pop culture guilty pleasure?
I don’t have to talk as much with Facebook and texting.
Mac or PC?
Did you have to ask? Mac w/Final Cut Pro – all day long.
Three things you can’t live without?
Milkshakes, my 4G HTC, collection of cables, connectors and adaptors.
Worst job you ever had?
The worst job I ever had was a nighttime janitor for a dialysis clinic, had to clean things that I try to forget about.
Last good movie you saw?
Surprisingly, Hunger Games, who would have thought? And I don’t like Harry Potter.
What’s on my music playlist?
John Legend, Jill Scott, Common, Mary J Blige and Anne Nesby.
Most visited websites?
Craigslist and Facebook.
Last Book you read?
Dream So Big, Believe & Achieve written by one of my Studio 11 mentors Christopher B. Pearman, who is actress Raven-Symoné’s father.
What are some films you consider classics?
Scarface and Malcolm X
Favorite screen or commercial opportunities?
I got my start working with Lee Haney’s “TotalLee Fit” and Candy Staton’s The Disco Diva “Say Amen,” which both aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Also “Born to Succeed “with Pastor Mason and Twyla Betha. In addition to these projects, I enjoyed working on Clark Atlanta University’s “ATL Insider. ”
What do you hope viewers walk away with after seeing this project?
I would hope that each viewer understands that it’s never too late to pursue your God-given talents. As you know some of our choices in life can put our hopes and dreams on the backburner. It’s in these times that we should have faith in God and that our prayers will lead us to the promises of total life prosperity. Therefore, in knowing whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.
What drew you to the project?
On November 11, 2011, while I was attending the BronzeLens Film Festival, I was approached by a petite, humble, and soft-spoken woman. This person’s name is Sharon Tomlinson; she’s one of Atlantas’ emerging movers and shakers in the growing film industry. She presented me with an opportunity to be part of her startup film company, Studio 11 Films. Personally, this was the corresponding action to a prophecy spoken by my Pastor Mason Betha, during a 6 a.m. prayer service four months prior. I was actually meditating on a scripture that stated, “A man’s gifts make room for him and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18:16). The Studio 11 Films 11Eleven11 Project was the challenge that I needed to take me to the next level. This project has given me a chance to direct a short film with the possibility of becoming a full feature. This would not have been possible without the guidance and leadership of Breyuna Williams, Shandra McDonald, Howard Gibson, Lisa Raye-McCoy, Sharon Tomlinson and Mel Jackson. It’s all love to the fam.
