Talisha Johnson has won ten commissions for her creative ideas.
A Royal Television Society nominated TV creative – Talisha Johnson known professionally as Tee Cee is a TV Producer, TV Presenter and Author who made her writer-director debut on her new short documentary ‘Too Autistic For Black’ commissioned by Warner Bros. Discovery as part of their Black Britain Unspoken series on discovery+ for black history month.Â
Hailing from Birmingham, we spoke to Talisha about being chosen as one of BAFTA’s 2023 Cohorts …
Please introduce yourself …
I’m Talisha Johnson professionally known as Tee Cee and I’m a Presenter, Producer, Filmmaker and Author from Birmingham, UK.
What’s been the most significant project of your career to date?
Can I be cheeky and have two? My Mate’s A Bad Date (BBC Three for BBC IPlayer / BBC One); this was my first linear commission which went onto have BBC One transmission and earned me my first Royal Television Society Midlands Award nomination. Too Autistic For Black (Warner Bros Discovery for discovery+); this was my debut
Writer-Director credit and first commission as a filmmaker and also the first time I publicly revealed that I am autistic.
You’re a multi-hyphenate creative because … ?
I present, produce, write, direct, sing and am a grade 3 violinist.
And is everything going to plan …?
God’s plan – yes.
Why was now the right time to apply / be submitted for BAFTA Breakthrough?
Too Autistic For Black has been a breakthrough moment of my career and has earned recognition throughout the year including nominations for Edinburgh TV Festivals – New Voice Awards – ‘Debut Director’, Birmingham Film Festivals – ‘Best First Time Filmmaker’ and Royal Television Society Midlands Awards – ‘Diversity Champion Award’.
Applying for BAFTA Breakthrough was timely with the current trajectory of my career and I wanted to leverage opportunities that helped to support and nurture my personal and professional development.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you are part of this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough Cohort?
Did the happy dance and gave God thanks!
What does it mean to be recognised by BAFTA, and what are you hoping to gain from the experience?
It definitely feels like marking a milestone in terms of how far along I’ve come in my career. I’m hoping to develop both personally and professionally by soaking up as much information as possible, making the most of opportunities and using this time to network with other industry pro’s in the cohort as well as those associated with BAFTA and the breakthrough initiative.
Who of your peers would you recommend for next year’s BAFTA Breakthrough cohort?
Shara Johnson; she’s an amazing stylist and has played a huge role in the social media and press talkability surrounding BBC Two’s Great British Menu and the styling behind the host – Andi Oliver.
Tell us about a challenging moment during your career that you had to dig deep to get through?
Being told that I look like I don’t want to be in the room because of my face and having the contributions I had brought to the team at the time completely overlooked. At that moment, I honestly thought ‘What is the point?’. It was a moment that I had to remind myself of why I do what I do and stay focused on the goal.
What’s next?
I’m currently developing and in talks with a production company about a second documentary on neurodiversity as well as working on a book proposal.
How do we keep up to date with you and your work?
@ thisisteecee on Instagram and X
@ teamnyag on TikTok
www.teeceeofficial.com
What are you reading, watching, listening to right now, and what’s the last thing you saw on stage?
- Listening to The Bible Experience
- Watching Diary of a CEO
- The last thing I saw on stage is Sister Act the Musical