Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Willoughby Jessica Chaney.
Hi Amanda Willoughby, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Our story begins in a place not often associated with film production—a public library. We (Jessica Chaney and Amanda Willoughby) first met while working at CLOUD901, Teen Learning Lab at Memphis Public Libraries. CLOUD901 Teen Learning Lab is a state-of-the-art facility that teaches youth ages 13-18 21st-century skills. As filmmakers and teaching artists, we were both deeply committed to using our creative skills to empower the next generation. At CLOUD901, we taught Memphis youth the fundamentals of filmmaking, photography, creative writing, and project management—equipping teens with the tools to tell their own stories, many of which went on to screen at festivals across the country.
Amanda, who also served as a Youth Mentor and Coordinator with Indie Memphis, mentoring dozens of young filmmakers through community partnerships and festival programs. Jessica, a storyteller with a background in journalism and nonprofit leadership, brought her eye for powerful narratives and passion for elevating unheard voices to the work. We quickly realized that we shared not only a deep love for storytelling but also a commitment to producing authentic stories that reflect our community.
That’s how Not Your Ordinary Films was born.
Founded in 2017, Not Your Ordinary Films is a Memphis-based production company that centers stories often left on the margins. We’ve produced a range of work—from web series to short films—and most recently, our first feature-length documentary, I AM: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health, which explores anxiety disorders among Black women. The film premiered on WKNO-PBS (Channel 10) and continues to spark conversations around mental health access, stigma, and healing in our community.
We’re proud to say that what started as a shared vision between two creatives in a teen learning lab has grown into a platform for impactful storytelling. We remain rooted in Memphis, collaborating with nonprofits, schools, and cultural institutions to create films that inform, inspire, and empower.
And we’re just getting started.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all— We say that with both pride and perspective. Our filmmaking journey has been full of passion, but it’s also come with real challenges. One of the biggest hurdles has been funding our own films. Whether it’s applying for grants, launching crowdfunding campaigns, or dipping into personal savings, financing a project can be emotionally and financially exhausting. Grant applications are time-consuming, and there’s never a guarantee—even when your story is powerful and your intentions are clear. Crowdfunding requires you to be not only a filmmaker, but also a marketer, a promoter, and sometimes even a cheerleader for your own dream.
When you’re working with a limited budget, every decision becomes strategic. You learn to be resourceful, to make magic with what you have, and to build a crew that shares your vision. We pay our crew, but we don’t take salaries; we create art. That means countless hours, personal sacrifices, and a whole lot of faith in the process.
Navigating the film festival circuit adds another layer of complexity. Submissions are costly, and figuring out where your film fits—who your audience is and what festivals will embrace your work—isn’t always straightforward. For Black women in film, the path can be even more layered. But there is so much beauty in our resilience and community. We lean on each other, learn from each other, and lift each other up. This is a community-based world, and our love for storytelling—especially our own stories—is what keeps us going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Not Your Ordinary Films, we specialize in independent filmmaking with a strong focus on community-centered storytelling, youth mentorship, and culturally resonant narratives. As a duo, we bring complementary strengths to every project we take on.
Amanda Willoughby brings the visual heartbeat to our stories—her intuitive eye behind the camera, her talent for capturing authentic moments, and her deep skills in post-production shape the emotional texture of our work. She’s also an incredible youth mentor, having guided dozens of young filmmakers whose work has been featured in festivals across the country.
Jessica Chaney handles the production heartbeat—she’s a strategic producer, skilled director, and writer with a strong sense of narrative flow, logistics, and execution. With a background in nonprofit leadership and youth programming, Jessica ensures that our creative work is not only artistic but also impactful and organized from concept to completion.
Together, we are known for producing authentic, community-rooted films that elevate underrepresented voices—especially Black women and LGBTQ+ communities in the South. Our work spans scripted and unscripted projects, short films, web series, and educational storytelling. One of the things that truly sets us apart is our ability to take a project from the earliest idea through to the final edit and distribution—entirely in-house. That independence gives us the freedom and flexibility that many production teams don’t have.
What we’re most proud of to date is our feature-length documentary, I AM: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health. The film highlights the mental health experiences of Black women through the lens of anxiety disorders. The documentary premiered on WKNO/PBS and has opened the door for much-needed conversations around healing and mental wellness in our communities.
At our core, we are storytellers—but we’re also educators, collaborators, and culture shifters. That’s what makes Not Your Ordinary Films… not so ordinary.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
For us, luck hasn’t played much of a role—good or bad. As Black women in the independent film industry, our path has been built on intentionality, hard work, and relentless commitment. Every step we’ve taken has been earned, not given.
We’ve bootstrapped our way through projects, made the most of every resource available, and leaned into community relationships and mutual support systems to keep going. We’ve invested in our education, sharpened our technical skills, and worked tirelessly—often volunteering our time—just to create opportunities for ourselves and others.
What some people might call “luck,” we call strategy, sacrifice, and staying power. We’ve never waited for a lucky break—we’ve created our own lanes and invited others to join us. That’s how Not Your Ordinary Films was born, and that’s the energy we carry into every project.
So no, there’s been no luck here—just vision, grit, and purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://notyourordinaryfilms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyourordinaryfilms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NotYourOrdinaryFilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@notyourordinaryfilms7867
