Tamia Dow retired in 2012 from the Metropolitan Police Department as a detective specializing in domestic violence cases.
Now, nine years later, she has developed a second career as a filmmaker.
“Fictionalized dramas, but they’re educational dramas,” Dow said of her films. “I draw from my many years of experience. I’ve worked on cases (as an officer), so the elements in my films are elements of things that happened. “
The army veteran, chaplain, Chaparral High School and UNLV graduate has made several short films since 2018. She deals with difficult issues such as veteran welfare, mental health, sex trafficking, domestic violence, and child cyberstalking. The titles include “Toxic Love”, “Turn Back Time”, “Meet Me After School” and “Why Should I Care?” Next up is a post-apocalyptic tale called “Angel on the Roadside”.
Every film, like her police career, aims to help others.
“My ultimate goal is to really take people to another level,” she said. “This is my thing. I believe violence is not what we are here for. I believe that love is what we are here for. “
Inspired by #MeToo
Dow joined the police force in 1989 as a patrol officer. She worked in the Naked City area of Las Vegas near The Strat for several years.
She was eventually promoted to detective and has worked on domestic violence cases for the last eight years of her career. It was a rewarding, frustrating, sometimes heartbreaking task that made her a witness to the dire consequences of domestic violence.
“When you’re a police officer, you will generally get calls three to four times per shift about domestic violence, depending on your shift,” she said, adding, “We know that domestic violence kills people when they try to leave. “
Dow traveled the world for two years after retiring. She returned to Las Vegas and started thinking about what kind of second career she would do.
“I am a woman of God and I believe the Lord is charging our tool bag for a reason,” she said. “We have every experience we have in life for a reason. So I always say, ‘God, how am I supposed to use this? What should I do with it?'”
Her adventure in filmmaking soon followed when the #MeToo movement gained prominence in America in late 2017. Dow was concerned about reports of actresses being abused by directors and those in power in the film industry.
“There were a lot of actresses who came out and said they had these ‘director’s couch’ situations where they had to do anything with the director to get their role,” said Dow. “I saw an online comment from an actor: ‘The only way to solve the problem is to get more filmmakers. More female filmmakers. ‘ When he said that, I thought: ‘Hmmm’. “
Then, in 2018, a friend challenged her to take part in the national 48-hour film project. A team shoots a film in just 48 hours. She started out as an actress and then received another challenge from a local filmmaker, Joe Lujan, to make her own film.
“Hey, I’m up to a challenge,” she thought. “Of course, right?”
Since then, she has learned the arduous path every director has to go through to get a movie to work. The raising of money, people, equipment, and cutting requires endless attention.
“We made them both out of our own pockets,” said Dow. “I find very creative ways to make it happen.”
Dow does it under the Triple 8 Spirit Productions business with business partner Stephen Cibo who runs Action Shot Productions.
“She’s a daredevil,” Cibo said of Dow. “She’s adamant.”
Dow’s films have been screened and awarded at several festivals, including the Silver State Film Festival. She will be traveling to Barcelona, Spain, for another film festival this fall.
“What I really enjoy about filmmaking is that I love telling a story and showing someone how to be victorious no matter what situation they’re in,” said Dow. “The reason is that I am doing all of this for the glory of God. God saw through me. “
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
