Dillard Alumni won an Emmy at the 39th Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards this February, producing a documentary titled What We’ll Never Know, which explored the wrongful conviction of a Memphis black teen.
Natalie Linney grew up in a predominantly white suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. She discovered her passion for film at the age of 13 while watching a movie called Red Tails, a war movie about the Tuskegee Airmen. Linney remembers seeing the different shots of the planes in the movie and telling herself that she wanted to do that.
“I remember seeing the shots of the plane in the air and like the shots of the actors in the plane,” Linney explained. “And I was like, I think I want to do this,” she said.
Starting her education at Dillard University, Linney explored her interest in film further. She came in with little to no experience in film, except what she gained from interning with the Forever Ready Production company in 2018 as a producer contractor.
“I had just a little bit of production experience, but not in the sense of like film production experience,” Linney states.
Linney’s journey was shaped by the community she found at Dillard. She credits her peers for pushing her forward, even during moments of doubt. By her sophomore year, she and her friends shot an entire feature film titled Don’t Talk, Just Listen that they were able to premiere at a local theater and sold three packed showings.
“I found my tribe, my people,” Linney said. “Even when I was tired and didn’t want to film something, they would encourage me, saying, ‘Just come on, be in the space, be in the room—you’ll be inspired, ’” she said.
After graduating, Linney landed a job back at Forever Ready Productions, where she also interned while at Dillard. Later on, becoming a producer on What We’ll Never Know under the same company.
Reflecting on the experience of producing this documentary, Linney shares that her biggest challenges were overcoming self-doubt and comparison to other people.
“I didn’t know how I’m going to break into this industry,” Linney explained. “And also being around a lot of talented people, you get intimidated. Because you start comparing yourself to them and like, well, I don’t have those types of ideas.”
What ultimately helped Linney rise above these challenges was surrounding herself with people who recognized her potential, even when she was blindsided to it.
“Surrounding yourself with people who can see the light in you and the potential in you when you can’t is very important,” Linney explains. “Everybody can get lost in their heads. It’s very important to have people around you to pull you out of it and turn you around and to look at your path and look at your journey like look at everything you’ve done,” she continued.
Winning an Emmy was both a personal and professional milestone for Linney. On a personal level, it reaffirms that she belongs in this industry. Professionally, it can open doors to new and bigger opportunities.
“I think, career-wise, the price went up,” Linney states. “Whatever job I pursue next, this is a sample of approval,” she said.
For students looking to follow in her footsteps, Linney’s advice is simple but powerful: take it one step at a time. She admits that those feelings of paralysis or self-doubt have been part of her journey.
“Take it one step at a time,” she says. “As creatives, especially in an industry like film, we often envision this beautiful end goal—this perfect picture of success. It’s so exciting, so inspiring. But when you look at where you are now and see the distance between where you are and where you want to be, it can be overwhelming,” she said.
As Linney looks ahead to the next chapter of her career, she carries with her the same passion that first sparked her love for film at 13. She is determined to carve out a place for herself in the film industry and turn her ambitions into reality.
