Since those first scolding waters consumed the stranded leaf, tea has spread throughout the world. Bringing with it an onslaught of health, inspiration and relaxation.

Now, centuries later, tea has made its way to Los Angeles, California, where it currently resides in the cup of Miss Effie Brown; producer and creator of Duly Noted Inc.

With a gentle and comforting tone in her voice, Miss Brown speaks to me about her rise in the American film industry. From her early beginnings as a line producer, to her current success with producing such acclaimed films as Real Women Have Curves and In The Cut.

"I'm from Jersey. South Jersey actually. I was born on an army base, which is probably one of the most uncinematic places you can get. Early on I took a liking to the movies, but it really wasn't thought of as a viable career. You know, my father being the military man and my mom a social worker. I'm sure they would have loved it if I would have gone into one of those fields. But now that it seems like it's working out, they're actually quite supportive. But growing up in Jersey was so far from Hollywood, but it was still close to New York. And my dad and I would go to the movies all the time. So I guess that was our form of escapism from daily military base life."

After graduating from high school, Brown enrolled in the theatre program at Loyola Marymount University. It was there that she first became involved in the hands on process of filmmaking.

"I like theatre a lot. And you know, one of the things about going into theatre is that you get to act out and I was always fine with that. I love theatre, and really what I love more is actors and seeing their whole process. And one of the things that I realized going into it, which also spurred on my whole change into film, was people not really knowing how to work with actors, or how to identify someone with potential. That person just needs a chance. And I thought with a little bit of training, and being in that company of people, I would be able to produce something more significant."

Soon after receiving a degree in Film Studies from Loyola Marymount, Brown was honored by being selected for IFP's Project Involve. An intensive fellowship program for people of color seeking a career in the film industry. With the aide of Project Involve, Brown quickly worked her way up through the ranks to become the Director of Development for Tim Burton Productions in 1995.

"One of the things I did when I was in school, because I knew it would be a little harder for me, and this was something my parents really drove home, was that you're going into a really competitive field, and you are the other. You are a woman of color and you have no connections in the business. So I made sure I did an internship before I graduated to sort of get a leg up on people. And then I got invited to be a part of Project Involve. And that's where everything really kicked off for me. It was through the program that I was assigned a mentor. Someone who would show me the ins and outs of the film industry. And my mentor, she's still like my best fried to this day. Her name is Laurie Parker, and she did some of Gus Van Sant's films like Even Cow Girls Get the Blues and My Own Private Idaho. So she, by the grace of God, took a liking to me, and I am so grateful for that. Because even now, like I used to run her company and it was through her that I went to Tim Burton and became his director of development and ran his low-budget division. And we both produced In The Cut together."

From there, Brown landed line producing jobs on such feature films as Desert Blue, starring Kate Hudson; But I'm a Cheerleader, starring Natasha Lyonne; and Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, starring Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz and Holly Hunter.

"Well, that was another woman. Her name is Andrea Sperling, who's like a badass producer. She's absolutely great. You know she actually helped me out coming up as a line producer. Because sometimes you think about how your childhood sort of helps you out in your career. My father being a military man, someone who's very orderly with a master plan, those were principles I could adapt to line producing. So it was through Andrea that I did a short film with Anne Heche. And then we just started working together doing But I'm a Cheerleader, which is one of my favorite films I must say. I mean we worked so hard to make that movie. And it was really a great experience. And we were all on location with like no money. I don't even know how we pulled it off? But it was great."

Despite her growing success and popularity within the Hollywood system, Brown has still had to face adversity. Being a woman of color in a competitive, male-dominated industry creates a barrage of obstacles one needs to successfully leap past. Obstacles though, that Ms. Brown is ready to bound over whole-heartedly.

"What I find amazing when I'm traveling around making movies is that I'm never allowed to forget that I'm black and a woman, not that I would ever want to be anything else, but it's like right, you're from a small town and have never had to deal with a woman of color in a position of authority. You know, you have to keep your cool and see things from their perspective.  But people a lot of the time, I don't even think they realize they're doing it. That's 's frightening to me more than anything. You just have to see the situation from a different perspective, and come at it a different way.  Because being combative is what they know, and how to deal with things. So you can't give them that. You have to solve the problem in a different way."

After completing the HBO film Stranger Inside, and the 2002 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner Real Women Have Curves, Brown founded Duly Noted Inc. A place where cutting-edge artists and narratives could be nurtured and developed into worthwhile projects.

"When I started doing Real Women Have Curves, I sort of had the courage of my convictions to start a place where filmmakers and stories that weren't often told could be told. So it started just after Real Woman, and now just this year, I have a slate of films and a deal with HBO. I'm finishing up the first film now called Rocket Science with Jeff Blitz

"I guess I'm eclectic genre wise. I'm sort of drawn to the little guy stories. Like the people you pass by on the street that no one really notices. Like the ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. And I haven't yet been able to get behind something that didn't have a bit of social relevance. And I think that might be more of a common theme. Even Rocket Science is more of a high school and adult teen movie, but it's definitely about fitting in, and considering what is normal. "

"I hate movies that I've seen a million times. Why are we rehashing that same idea? Surely, there's a new or different story that could be told.  Everyone has a story to tell. Humans are naturally creative beings. I really believe that."

In many ways, Brown is like that first leaf that slowly slipped into the emperor's brew. Finding a spot amongst the scolding waters of the film industry, Brown has gradually filled the cinematic cup with her ideas of progress, originality and intelligence. And in turn has created a comforting and hopeful drink for all of the industry to consume.

“People just don't realize you know. When we're producing a film there's like a hundred people on set and we're looking at the actor, and that one person has to be in character, and you have a grip messing with electrical light and we got one hour till lunch, and other people are thinking something else, and the whole time they have to focus and remain in character. I mean, ''s a really hard job. And they're like make magic, make magic. I always feel better when I can relate to that person, and let them know I'm aware of what they're going through."

Evidently, Ms. Brown's Magic has paid off. From her humble beginnings on a New Jersey army base, to her current position as head of Duly Noted Inc., Brown has overcome the shouts and murmurs gliding through the air, and instead has displayed the determination and potential to create a fantastic collision of voice and vision.

"I think I like putting together the dysfunctional family, and the pieces and the people together to make something great. There's nothing more enjoyable to me than gathering up the best and brightest during preproduction to make this one thing happen. And actually meet the director's vision, that's what makes me go wha-hoo! It just makes me tremendously happy."

Matthew Vasilauskas is a writer and filmmaker living in Chicago.
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