Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Tedrick.
Hi Debbie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the Detroit area, although I’ve lived in Los Angeles, CA; Austin, TX; Orlando & Daytona, FL. My parents owned a photo processing business (before digital imaging took over) and so I grew up around creative and entrepreneurial people among the photographers, editors, artists, and people associated with print and advertising. My parents were musicians as well, my dad a jazz pianist/organist and my mom a singer. So, music and art were always a part of my life. I started “gigging” with my dad’s band when I was only 12. It was a great upbringing. After high school, I went to MSU for a year majoring in Business Administration, however, I left school after a year to go on the road with a band as a singer/keyboardist/woodwind player. For 3 years we toured the USA and Canada. Travel has always been a huge part of my life, whether for work or pleasure. I left the band to go back to school and get a music degree. I headed to California State University, Los Angeles, and got my Bachelor of Music in Voice and studied jazz and musical theatre as well. I was in the October 1, 1987, Whittier, California earthquake and will never forget that experience. Other than the earthquake, I loved my time in Los Angeles. I wanted to continue to train in the arts, so I moved to Austin, Texas to pursue postbaccalaureate work in music theory, jazz, and theatre. Through my association with UT, I got to go to the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, where I met Queen Elizabeth in 1990 and got my picture taken with her in the Aberdeen, Scotland newspaper. That was a thrill! I started my company, InterACT Entertainment during this time as I moved back to Detroit, Michigan for a while and went to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor to pursue my Master of Music Education. Sadly, due to family issues, I had to leave the university before finishing that degree, though it’s a “bucket list” for me to complete someday. During the interim, I joined the cast of Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding, an off-Broadway interactive theatre show playing in Detroit. I became the Music Director and actor/singer/keyboardist of that show in both Detroit and Orlando for several years. This was a very healing time for me, and my TNT family are beloved friends to this day. After a few years, I decided to finish my master’s degree, but I wanted to focus on Musical Theatre more intensely, so I decided to go to the University of Central Florida in Orlando to get my MFA in Musical Theatre. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I got my MFA, was a graduate teaching assistant, and then was hired as a professor after graduation at UCF. I loved it! Meanwhile, I fell in love and married a man from Detroit that I had met in the TNT show. So, I moved back to Detroit again and have been here ever since. My husband, Alan Canning, is a drummer and owns a company called A2Creative, a video/graphics/animation production company. We produce, direct, and perform a lot of shows together, and since we both own theatrical businesses, our unique skills and abilities help both our companies. – I have written script/copy for Alan, project managed and event coordinated for him, and he has produced video, built sets, played drums, and helped me and my company in a myriad of ways for me as well. And during all that I also opened a Soaps, Candles, Bath-n-Body Products company, Second ACT Soaps-n-Such which took off during the pandemic, as I pivoted to other creative pursuits when the theatres were closed in 2020. I unexpectedly had two close calls with death in 2018 & 2020, and these experiences were grounding for me, as neither one was anything I could have predicted or prevented. So, I don’t take any moment or any relationship for granted. I cherish every second. And my life after those trying times is richer because of the crises. Nowadays, both businesses are thriving, and it’s as common to see me teaching a college course, directing a youth theatre show, playing/singing a church job, or substitute teaching for a middle or high school as it is finding me at an art fair or retail store surrounded by my soaps-n-such! I love it all. I teach summer theater camps and soap classes! As cheesy as it sounds, I think that “making lemonade out of lemons” by being resourceful and tenacious is important to keep focused, reach your potential, embrace change, and make your mark in this world. My students have gone on to great acclaim on Broadway, tours, cruise ships, movies/TV/film, as teachers, and as amazing parents too! I keep in touch with as many of them as I can; they are still “my kids,” and I’m so proud of them. As for me and Alan, we have our dog, Coda (a Keeshond, I call her my little Direwolf) and we go kayaking, biking, hiking, and boating whenever we can with her. I am a professor of music and theatre at Rochester University, I have several private voice and piano students both adults and youth, through InterACT Entertainment, and I am the co-director of a youth theatre at St. Dunstan’s Theatre Cranbrook. I coordinate and cast many theatre and music events for corporate and private companies. My soap company, Second ACT Soaps-n-Such is featured at Bizzy Buzz Artisan Market in Downtown Rochester Hills, art fairs, and festivals in the metro Detroit area. I love what I do. I love working with, entertaining, and inspiring people. Genuine interaction and authentic connection are something I strive for in my work and personal life. I look forward to the lessons each day brings, and I thank you so much for the opportunity to share some of my stories with you. Please connect with me at www.interactentertainment.com and/or www.secondactsoapsnsuch.com, I’d love to serve you in whatever way I am able.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think I would cherish it as much if it were always smooth. I’ve had a lot of weird stuff happen to me: I was in the 1987 Whittier, CA earthquake, the 2004 hurricanes in Florida, and I almost died twice between 2018-2020, to name a few hurdles. I lost all my income in March 2020 due to the pandemic and had to start all over again to pivot to find new/different income sources to survive. I think those experiences challenged me and helped me cherish the life I have. I consider them an important part of the journey.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own two businesses, very different, but both creative pursuits. My original business, InterACT Entertainment, is an instruction/production/event company that specializes in teaching classes, workshops, theatre productions, and event coordination for private and corporate parties and events. I’m known for the atmosphere I create and foster, as I want all aspects of the process and product to be high quality and fun – with no unnecessary drama or negativity for the client and the participants. I’m most proud of the mentoring I’ve done with my students and employees who have gone on to great acclaim in their own fields. For instance, one of my students/mentees, Matthew Britten, just sold a lucrative business, “The Broadway Briefing.” He graduated from Syracuse and worked with Aaron Sorkin before making his mark in the theatre business world as an entrepreneur. As an interesting side note, Matt is the person who, when he was about 17 years old, named my company, InterACT Entertainment. I had a contest with my students regarding names for the new company, and he won. He and I are still close, and I’m headed to his wedding this fall to his beautiful bride, Val. As for what sets me apart from others – since I don’t have kids myself, I have so much time and energy to invest in other people and their kids. I do a lot of mentoring in both the musical theatre and the soaping community, and I love the “life lessons” and “resourceful and tenacious” ideology I’m able to impart to the students. In the Soaping world it’s very similar; I specialize in an atmosphere of can-do content, mentoring, and positivity. The Bath-n-Body creations my husband and I create are different than what is typical in the market. We own our own 3-D printer and make our own molds to create a combination of visual art in soap. Items such as our 3-D Vintage Clock soap are something truly unique. Some of my music and theatre students have worked for and with me in the Second ACT Soaps-n-Such endeavors, managing my art fair booths, learning to label, bag/tag, and QR code items for retail and fairs. They often work in the Soapery, helping me make items from scratch as well. I love every minute of working with students and colleagues of all ages as I help them learn, grow, and achieve their artistic and professional goals as much as I’m able to assist them. I am a natural-born connector; I love to notice what someone is good at that other people (including the person themself) may not realize. I love connecting them to the right job or organization that will help them reach as much of their potential as possible. And then when I see them flourish, I think to myself, “I got to be a little part of that.” And that is one of the most fulfilling feelings I’ve ever felt.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risks – how we feel about them, how we assess them, and what we do about them reveal a lot about ourselves. I try to embrace risk as much as I can in both my professional and personal life while calculating the best outcome so I don’t make poor choices, whether they be financial, personal, or professional. I’ve had the opportunity to take “safe” jobs rather than freelance/entrepreneurial many times in my life and for me, the riskier choice of being a freelance and entrepreneurial artist is the better choice for me. I work harder to make sure ends meet since I don’t have sick days/holidays/vacation days and such as paid time off. I don’t have stable job perks or other types of benefits that full-time employees have. It’s hard, and sometimes I have to admit I’ve wondered if the traditional path may have been better in the long run, but so far, I have to say that I have been happier and more fulfilled (though maybe a bit more exhausted at times) than if I had taken a more traditional path. I think when you assess risk you must first assess yourself, your true strengths and weaknesses and look at the pros and cons and at a certain point, decide to jump or not, and do the best you can to make your decision work for you. I read a lot of books and subscribe to many groups and organizations for inspiration and education. I have had a yearly MasterClass subscription (www.masterclass.com) which I feel has been truly invaluable to me in terms of listening to and learning from entrepreneurial and creative individuals who, like me, have taken “the road less traveled.” These like-minded people have helped me immensely and the classes are truly educational and inspiring. Sara Blakely of Spanx has a class I’ve taken three times because she’s such an inspiration. Nothing worthwhile comes without risk, so assessing which risks to take and which to avoid is a constant and worthy pursuit. Getting it right more times than not should be the goal, not getting it right all the time or avoiding it altogether. I believe relishing the ups and downs of the entire journey make the ends more satisfying.
Pricing:
- Voice/Piano Lessons $60/hour
- Soaps $5-$20 depending
- Candles $5-$50 depending
- Bath-n-Body $3-$25 depending
- Event Planning/Show Production $ varied
Contact Info:
- Website: www.interactentertainment.com and www.secondactsoapsnsuch.com
