As of late, we’ve all heard the term “creative” used to describe someone’s profession or work ethic. The word creative is usually defined as having the power to bring something new into being, or to evolve something original from one’s own thought or imagination, as a work of art or invention.
Pamela Bright-Moon has been a professional creative before the trend. In her recent interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel, the L.A. native got her start in television broadcasting with CBS, and later evolved her career into advocacy and community building through art.
Moon spent a total of 32-years in broadcasted television. From the mailroom, scheduling, working in post-production houses, to slow motion instant replays for the Dodgers, editing assistant for “The Young and The Restless,” videotape, and finishing as a master control broadcast engineer in satellite transmission, she has held many roles and has worn many hats. Describing her experience in broadcasting, Moon shared “back in the day live via satellite, we were bringing in feeds, as shows exiting the building before they hit the air. Live T.V., like the news, specials, the Superbowl, anything live with CBS had to come through our room in order to get out. I was the only Black woman, and the only woman until 2018 that did that work.”
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After her time at CBS, Moon was interested in bringing creativity to her work. She started her production company, With Grace Productions in 2006. She began working with her church, Holman United Methodist Church on Adams, filming different groups on campus, while developing her first video production. Within the last five years she produced the films “What Really Matters (2018),” “The Voicemail” (2020), “Greater Than Ourselves – The Legacy of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.” (2022), and her most documentary, “Respect My Crown: The Rise of African American Women in California Politics,” which is in post-production set for release this year.
Transitioning to non-profit work, Moon covered special events in the city and provided clients with video packages. She met local leaders where she began to build clientele with her production team.
Through her strong connections in the community, Moon was able to join the 10th District Women’s Steering Committee, a political organization founded by Councilmember Dave Cunningham, and she was a 2009 alumna of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute, (LAAAWPPI), which trains and acclimates women wanting to run for office, engage in politics, and civic leadership. When Mark Ridley-Thomas became a County Supervisor, she was selected for a position on the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Board, representing the Second District.
“The 10th District Women’s Steering Committee was my intro into women being Black leaders. We did luncheons and social gatherings to show support for up-and-coming council members. I have this intersection of politics, T.V. production, and film that were colliding and that’s when I approached Mark Ridley-Thomas about his commissions. I was appointed to the Arts Commission in 2012 and then reappointed by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, for now over 10 years,” she said.
In 2015, Moon began working to develop the Community Impact Arts Grant Initiative. She found there were a lot of resources within L.A. County to advise on grants and money for programs and venues that weren’t reaching the Black community.
Moon committed herself to bringing creativity back to the community, “I’m proud of my work on the art commission because I brought attention to our district and our needs with getting additional funding for programing for anything south of the 10 [freeway].”
Moon started her non-profit, Moon Global Foundation Inc., after noticing that Black creatives weren’t securing employment in their preferred fields. She focuses mainly on engaging and training youth to prepare for jobs in production. Starting as young as the 3rd grade, Moon Global works to help broaden students’ minds and expose them to opportunities they aren’t aware of. Their mission is to provide access to a creative environment, with an opportunity to participate in programs in media and arts to enhance skills and prepare for careers in the entertainment and art industries.
“On the first day of class I ask ‘what is that you want to do when you grow up?’ We hear the traditional jobs like the doctors, lawyers, firefighters, and nurses. Then I ask ‘what about jobs in T.V.?’ Everyone loves T.V., going to the movies, and watching videos. We watch movie credits, we teach them there’s job available in T.V. and film.” Exposing the children to the possibilities of a non-traditional career, Moon is helping mold their curiosity with something familiar.
“We start with the genre, asking what genre they’re interested in. We break down into groups per genre and they come up with story ideas, the characters, their ages, where they live, and what they do. Then we script it, and we shoot the short film based on their characters and their stories. They get to act in the film, and we edit together, they get to see it on the last day of class. It’s really good for them to see from beginning to end what goes into a production. One of our advisory board members, Jaleesa Hazzard from Yes2Jobs, is very instrumental in guiding us to help our kids into her program as a collaboration with her students so there is a pathway from 3rd grade to internships and administrative assistant positions.”
Her most recent passion project, Moon Global Studios located in Inglewood, helps artists with photography, podcasts, streaming, editing, videography, and studio recording services in the community. The creative compound is used to house all her interests while also offering space for other creatives opportunities to explore their ideas and support their dreams. Providing the resources for the next generation of producers, film makers, and writers.
Moon has personified support, community, and opportunity for art in Los Angeles. As a woman making history, she has expanded what it truly means to be a creative.
She encourages readers to keep dreaming. ”There’s nothing too big that you can achieve, work at it every day. My dreams are coming true. I dreamt of a space that holds all my interests and now I’m creating that for myself and for everybody else. Success is right around the corner, just stick with it.”
