For each day in the month of February, the African American Steering Committee will be highlighting Local 700’s African American members, both past and present, and their accomplishments. We look forward to showing the contributions and influences African Americans have had on the industry.
Name: Tonieh TK Ellis
What’s your job? Freelance Avid Picture Editor
List the credits you’re most proud of. MTV’s “Teen Mom” docudrama series for speaking to teens about the realities of sexual education.
What are you working on right now? Taking a break to attend to my TTRPG hobbies.
Who and what are your influences and/or mentors? My mother’s creativity and my father’s work ethic.
What books are you reading, shows are you watching and/or movies you’re excited about? My biggest hobby is videogames and has been since I was a child. It’s amazing to finally see the merger of film and videogames taken seriously at this time with the success of “The Last of Us” series on HBO and “The Witcher” series on Netflix.
What would be your superhero name? Nightblade
What are your black history month memories and any cultural or historical impacts on your life? When I was a child my mother was a co-author on a children’s book about female black heroes from slavery through the civil rights era. Every year through early grade school when Black History Month came around I would push for my mother’s book to be a part of class or to have my mother come in to my class to do a reading.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? “It doesn’t matter where you start because you can decide where you finish.” – My Father
If you could time travel, when would you go and why? Anywhere in the future. Probably at least 1000 years ahead? I love science-fiction. I want to see where we progress to.
What’s a little known fact about you? What are your hidden (or not so hidden) talents? Thanks to the pandemic I have become very good at trying to realistically paint miniature figures and create dioramas with them.
What’s your favorite (Black) television/movie moment? All of “Black Panther.”
Was there a television show/movie that inspired you to pursue your career? “The Red Violin.”
What’s your personal/professional mantra? Do your job and do it well.
What’s the last show/movie that left you speechless? “No Country for Old Men.”
What would be your dream project to work on? I would love to work on a “The Expanse”-like sci-fi series.
