By Candice Richardson
The Seattle Medium
“Looking back, I believe the greatest asset you can have is a mentor,” Anita M. Cal said over the phone from her home office in Sherman Oaks, CA. The Seattle native is what one in the entertainment business would call a “quadruple threat,” being an accomplished journalist, television writer, and film producer, who’s in the midst of attaining a double doctorate in Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) and Education (Ph.D) at the prestigious Pepperdine University while also finishing her first novel.
Having grown up a champion athlete in basketball, volleyball, and softball before graduating from Chief Sealth High school, Cal knows a thing or two about not only the power of mentorship, but also the importance of sisterhood, teamwork and going for the gold, no matter what industry she’s in.
Both entertainment industry insiders and education higher ups agree that her loyalty is an attribute that stands out.
“Hollywood is a lot of smoke and mirrors,” Cal said to me. “It’s been great meeting people like Will Smith and Tom Cruise. But at the end of the day, it’s family that’s most important.”
“She’s a very supportive individual, and very wise when it comes to people and relationships,” said Vernita Adkins Barlow, a fellow doctorate student and Administrator in Special Education in the Los Angeles area. “Not only is she an excellent writer, but she’ll take the time to show you the ways you can improve professionally and socially.”
Those who know Cal best are quick to agree, the desire for improvement for self and others, continuing to grow, to learn and do more has long been the fuel that drove a young athlete to pursue a career in sports journalism before making the leap into the entertainment industry.
“I was a Communications Major at the University of Washington and thought I wanted to be in front of the camera and so I was focused on broadcast communications,” Cal said. “But I knew then I was good at writing.”
Having acquired an internship as a sports writer first for the Beacon Hill News and then the Seattle Times, Cal ended up winning a spot as one of 10 minority students out of hundreds to be accepted into a prestigious training program that rotated intern reporters to various Times newspapers around the country. It was during her stint as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times that forever altered her life and career at the age of 22.
“I went to a few parties and I began to learn about entertainment behind the scenes, I got bit by the bug and I decided to go to grad school for film,” Cal said. “I learned about writing and how to tell a story, things like 3 act structure. While I was at school I received signs I was good at [screenwriting] because I was winning awards.”
Cal received her Masters in Communications and Screenwriting from Cal State University, Northridge, where she won the Best Graduate Screenplay Writer Award, and Best ScreenplayWomen In Film Scholarship from legendary Director Garry Marshall. In addition, she was recognized by the prestigious Nicholl’s Fellowship (Finding Forrester) and Chesterfield Writers Film Project (Traffic, A Walk To Remember) contests as a semifinalist for her feature screenplay Fathers Of God.
“She’s a very talented writer and she works in all types of mediums from comedy to horror to drama,” said actress Nicki Micheaux best known for her role as Jennifer “Jenn” Sutton on “Lincoln Heights”, and who is one of Cal’s closest friends. Micheaux, who met Cal at a Black Filmmakers Association Event shortly after they both moved to Los Angeles, has worked with Cal on numerous film and television projects over the years.
“She’s fun, disarming, really bright…and she’s going to shock you,” added Micheaux.
That “schock” factor seems to stem for Cal’s tendency to completely ignore any preconceived boundaries on what’s possible on any given career path she may be on.
Her passion for business, education, and the arts has allowed her to transcend from writing, producing, and directing for talent such as Academy Award Winner Mo’Nique, Academy Award nominee Taraji Henson, movie star Vivica A. Fox, and Golden Globe winner Rutger Hauer, among others, to being invited as a guest speaker to address members of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) in Paris, France. There she shared her research “Celebrities and the U.N.: Status, Leadership, and Referent Power of Global Film Ambassadors,” which will appear in the December 2015 edition of the IJAS peer-review magazine. That same month, Cal has been invited to Germany and Switzerland where she will speak on Special Needs Education for the gifted and talented.
For some, the concept of higher education and the entertainment industry may have seemed mutually exclusive, but Cal has made it a mission to meld the two worlds in a way that not only serves the interests of either industry, but that also provides a benefit to society.
“I like education and my ultimate dream, in thinking of my retirement years, I’ve always wanted a school for top-notch athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, etc.” Cal said. “The goal is to bring in the best and brightest in athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs and then they’ll in turn be taught by the best and brightest in the world.”
“Eighty percent of the most successful people in the world had powerful people who told other powerful people about them,” added Cal. “My first powerful mentors were at the Seattle Times, where I learned it is essential to have those power people behind you.”
Barlow echoes Cal’s sentiments on the importance of mentorship, counting Cal as one of her key sources of support.
“I value her friendship. She’s a valuable person overall,” stated Barlow. “She’s in the process being published, which is excellent for a first year doctoral student…and she’s encouraging me to do the same. We do support each other in that regards, keeping each other focused and preventing each other from giving up when [we’re challenged].”
Challenges are something Cal doesn’t seem to fear facing head on. Her most recent is the epic novel, Eighth Wonder, based on the true story of Thomas Bethune, a slave born blind and feeble who began playing Mozart at the age of three. Cal discovered this story of the first slave to ever visit the White House who became known throughout the world as “Blind Tom” as she was researching prodigies for her Masters’ thesis.
“Writing this novel at first I thought this might be too big for me,” Cal said. “But then…You never know until you try.”
Not just content to strive for the stars herself, Cal hopes to continue to use her skills, gifts, and talents to encourage others to do the same.
“When I’ve looked back and asked what has made me the happiest in my life it was on a church mission in Thailand,” said Cal. “Not the famous people I’ve met or interviewed…[Or] To go from writing for Tyler Perry and then getting called in to be a substitute teacher [at home in Los Angeles] – that to me is awesome. Pouring into the minds of young people.”
