By Paul M. McAlarney
Talli Clemons. Photo by Richard Seymour
While casting for HONKY HOLOCAUST, the Bloody Hammer Films producers and I met Talli Clemons. He was one of the first actors to show up for our open casting call. I was instantly impressed by his ability to transform himself before our eyes into the characters on the pages. We immediately cast him as “Reggie,” a large role in our feature film, and since then Talli has quickly become one of the most admired and revered actors in our cast.
They told me I could never do it, and I showed them
that I could. Talli Clemons
What strikes me most about Talli is his passion, drive, and sincere ambition to make it in the industry, exhibited primarily in his unmistakable belief that nobody is going to just hand him a career, he’s got to chase it down and take it. Since Talli’s invitation onto the cast of HONKY HOLOCAUST, showing up for rehearsal and filming proved to be just the starting block of his involvement; Talli has since brought key individuals to our studio and our attention, introduced us to promoters and radio station DJs who have interviewed us live on the air, and even used his own rising star status to help promote our production company and film. One of the actors Talli Clemons introduced us to proved to be such a high caliber individual that he soon became a co-producer of HONKY HOLOCAUST.
Every time Talli and I talk, he seems to be up to his neck in events, interviews, promotional gigs, acting gigs, music video sets, and photoshoots, hustling his way to the top, and it is that kind of perseverance that is the recipe for success. Too many ambitious actors, writers, directors, musicians, etc. are caught up in the inaccurate belief that talent alone will get them anywhere, but if Talli ever had this belief he left it behind a long time ago.
Despite Talli’s constant vigilance and hectic schedule as he pursues his dream, he has never missed a shoot, never missed a rehearsal, and somehow holds it all together with a perpetual sense of calm and optimism that makes working with him not only an ease but an absolute pleasure. Talli likes to refer to his pursuit as “The Movement” and one that is open to anyone with the same hustling mentality and dedication that he wields. Without receiving a formal invitation, I found myself a member when Talli would refer to gigs that he and I were both involved in as an element of “The Movement”, and I found that I couldn’t be prouder.
Talli has been involved in many projects that feature folks such as Arthur Wahlberg and Lee Simonds in THE TARGET, Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in THE HEAT, Julia Stiles in THE MAKEOVER, Carlyne Fournier in Take My Keys music video and many more. Eight of Talli’s projects premiered in the month of January 2013 alone.
Talli can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Facebook as Talli Clemons, on Twitter @TalliClemons and on IMDB.com.
Co-founder of Bloody Hammer Films and writer/director of HONKY HOLOCAUST, Paul M. McAlarney combines a life-long passion for writing with a radical imagination and a thirst for social change. He studied sociology at UMass Boston and endeavors to create graphic, entertaining, and honest films.
