Rising Star Judi Beecher of Beecher Productions On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
Opportunity + Preparedness= Success — When you do finally get the opportunity give it your all! Make sure you are the best one out there! There is only one you as long as you’ve given it your best, you can not fail!
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Judi Beecher.
Judi Beecher is a multi-award-winning international actress, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker.
Her first professional acting job was with Woody Allen in “Coop Italia,” a string of TV commercials for the Italian market. She was in “Taken 3” with (Liam Neeson) and Dany Boon’s top-grossing film, “Family is Family” produced by Pathé. On television, recently Judi was a series regular in the popular French mini-series “Boyish” produced by Mother Productions (Call My Agent), a 1919 period drama. Now on VOD you can watch Ms. Beecher staring in the multi-award-winning hit comedy “Tango Shalom” from the makers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She also was an executive producer of the film. Judi is also well known for her voice-over and motion capture work in Sony’s highly acclaimed video game,” Heavy Rain,” where she performed the popular lead character Madison Paige for which she was recognized by the magazine, The Complex, as one of the “25 Best Voice-Over Performances of All Time.” Judi produced and starred in the Romantic Comedy, “Only in Paris” in which she received Best Actress, Best Romantic Comedy, and Best Short Film at both the New York and Los Angeles Independent Film Festivals. Judi just released her debut single and music video “Paris Ooh La La” a joyful celebration of an American woman’s obsession with Paris, now on music streaming platforms.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Sure! I was born in Bayside, New York and moved to Great Neck, Long Island when I was three and a half years old. I was raised in a loving upper-middle-class family, my mother was an elementary school teacher who was super creative and always positive and loving. She was born in Germany and was also a hidden child during the Holocaust. My father a civil engineer was strict yet loving. He was born and grew up in Brooklyn and his family came from Ukraine.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’ve always loved singing and performing it makes me feel good. As a child, everyday after school, I would sing loudly into a CB radio microphone which I plugged into the stereo. I would also star in and direct, basement performances of the Beecher sisters, with a cast of cousins and friends. In the real world, however, I was very, very shy. I auditioned for school plays and talent shows but sang so softly no one could hear me, so I was never chosen as the lead. I was always in the chorus or in ballet school they made me the clown. A career in show business did not seem in my future.
While I was modeling in Europe, I began singing professionally on a dare. To quench my lust for travel I busked my way from Italy to Spain passing through the South of France. Back in the States, in my early 20’s, I started a company representing five lines of Italian clothing. A college friend asked where I wanted to be in five years, I realized it was not in sales, so I closed my business and enrolled in acting school. I was led back to singing while searching for the right sound for a short film I was producing. The words and music of my song “Paris Ooh La La”, came to me in a dream. I was having difficulty finding the right artist and sound and realized that I was the one for whom I was looking!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I had just finished a very intense two-year Meisner program with a supercritical acting teacher that I had chosen because I wanted to be the best actress ever. Most of the other students in the class had become disillusioned and had dropped out of acting because she was too hard on them. I was on my way to my final school performance, I was in a taxi and crying because everyone would be in the audience, agents, casting directors and my parents and I felt I didn’t deserve to be on stage with the other students. I had lost all confidence in myself. I looked at myself In the mirror and realized my crying had smudged my makeup all over my face. I said, “Fuck it I don’t care what anyone thinks!” I got up on stage and kicked butt! I was super present in my body and I was the only one out of the class to get an agent!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I had just come home from Europe where I had been singing professionally in jazz clubs and piano bars. I was eager to show my sister that I was now a professional singer so we went to a Karaoke bar in NYC. The bar was filled with smoke and I sang every song at the top of my lungs before it was my turn four hours later. I got up on stage to sing “You’re So Vain”, but the strangest thing happened. I opened my mouth but there was so much noise in the room, I couldn’t hear my voice, it was as if I was singing but nothing was coming out. I looked at my sister for reassurance, she gave me a funny look. When I came off stage a guy ran up to me and told me I was great!! I asked my sister how I did, she replied, “Well I’ve heard you sing better”. I bought the videotape of my performance because my parents also had never heard me sing professionally and I was excited to show them. I brought everyone into the den and turned the VCR on. I looked really cute on stage with my leather jacket, but then…. I opened my mouth! I sounded like I had been smoking all night and was screaming the words completely off-key like a frog. I had never seen anything so funny. We all just rolled on the floor hysterically laughing!!!
I learned that if you don’t want to sound like a frog you need to use an earbud to hear yourself sing when you perform on stage and don’t sing every song in a smokey room as loud as you can before you have to go on stage! :)
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I just released my song and music video today called “Paris Ohh La La”! I released it on Valentine’s Day because it is about a woman’s crazy love affair with Paris! It is a fun, sexy, campy song in the style of Blossom Dearie, Edith Piaf and Moulin Rouge, with lyrics in both French and English. It’s available now on all streaming platforms!!
I’m also the lead actress in the feature film “Tango Shalom” from the makers of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” about a Hassidic Rabbi that gets a calling to dance the tango! I play his wife. “Tango Shalom” was co-written by the Laniado brothers and Joe Bologna and it also stars Renee Taylor, Lainie Kazan, Karina Smirnoff, and Jos and Claudio Laniado. It was the #1 indie release of the summer! You can watch it now available on Amazon and most other VOD platforms.
I’m also in production on a 1950’s film noir and am currently fundraising to complete production on a documentary whose working title is “Run Ronya” which I have written and will be producing and directing. The film is about my grandparents who escaped the prison camps and my mother who was a hidden child, during the holocaust. I’m also finalizing a channeled book that I’ve written called “Pray Meditate Write: The teachings of Zolace”.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Don’t give up It really is important to be ready for success because when the opportunity comes, you have to be prepared always in your craft, it is like a muscle, use it or lose it!
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Our world is made up of all sorts of people, races cultures and creeds. Some of us have disabilities, some of us think differently, some of us have different color skin, but it is what makes up the human race. We are not born with prejudice, racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism. It is learned and it is because we look at others as being different than we are when in actuality we are all the same, with the same feelings, thoughts and needs. Film and television is a powerful medium with the ability to educate others who may not be exposed to diversity to illustrate that we are all the same, and hopefully eradicate hatred towards others.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Ask for what you want- Asking for what I want, got me the financing for Tango Shalom.
2. It may not happen right away- well here I am after almost three decades of a career and finally, I’ve achieved my goals.
3. Opportunity + Preparedness= Success — When you do finally get the opportunity give it your all! Make sure you are the best one out there! There is only one you as long as you’ve given it your best, you can not fail!
4. Trust yourself — I used to ask everyone else what they thought. I showed ten directors my demo reel as I was editing it, each one gave me completely opposite feedback. I realized I needed to trust in myself, that my choices were just as valid, if not better, than theirs.
5. Visualize your success — Everyday I visualize what I want, and give thanks as if I already have it. It is the most powerful thing I do everyday and changes everything.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Keep a to-do list!
Award yourself after each little success! (I give myself raw chocolate).
Keep yourself healthy: eat good food, exercise, meditate,
Give yourself downtime: a walk in nature, see friends, dance!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I’m very big into meditation it was life-changing to me. My movement would be the daily connection where everyone at a certain time would connect to each other and meditate for five to 10 minutes, to be supercharged and possibly to bring peace to the world.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’m grateful for my parents, my mother, in particular, she is someone who always is doing things to improve herself, and always inspired me to do the same. She gave me so much help along the way and what I learned is that it is our own choice to take what we are given, and to make something out of it. I thank both my parents for always being there for me no matter what.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Happiness is a choice. I recently realized that everyday when we wake up we can choose to be happy or not. It has made all the difference to me. Now when I wake up in the morning I put my feet on the floor and say today is going to be a great day!!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-).
Steven Spielberg. He is so talented, I’m such a huge fan of his work. He is so creative and talented. I love all his films. I hope one day I will be able to work with him.
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
