Tamra Davis facts for kids

Tamra Davis (born January 22, 1962) is a talented American director. She has directed many movies, TV shows, and music videos.

Early Life and Learning

Tamra Davis grew up in Studio City, California. She was surrounded by the entertainment world from a young age. Her grandfather was a comedy writer, and her grandmother was an actress. Tamra loved watching movies with her family. She dreamed of becoming an actress herself.

When she was a teenager, Tamra met a film producer named Ibrahim Moussa. He invited her to work in Italy for six months. This was an exciting chance to learn about filmmaking. After returning to the U.S., Tamra worked at an art gallery.

Soon, she started working at American Zoetrope, a film studio. She learned a lot about directing and the movie business there. The famous director Francis Ford Coppola suggested that Tamra go to college. She then attended Los Angeles City College.

Starting Her Directing Career

Tamra Davis first made a film using a super 8 mm camera while she was at Los Angeles City College. After finishing school, she sent out her videos to different companies. She was then hired to direct a music video for the band Hüsker Dü.

Tamra believes that making music videos helped her become a better director. She said that the music video world was very open to women. It also encouraged her to try new and creative things. Over her career, Tamra Davis has directed more than 155 music videos.

While working at MTV, Tamra was encouraged to explore topics like different cultures and women's rights. She wanted to help young women feel confident about themselves. Tamra used her platform to share ideas about women's empowerment.

A writer for the Los Angeles Times once said that Tamra Davis was known for directing cool music videos. She was a top choice for artists like N.W.A, Sonic Youth, and Black Flag.

Directing Movies and TV Shows

Tamra Davis directed a short film called "No Alternative Girls." This film talked about how boys and girls are sometimes treated differently. It was part of a program that featured short films by independent directors.

She also directed the movie Guncrazy (1992), which starred Drew Barrymore. This film was a new version of an older movie from the 1950s. Some people thought the movie was too violent, while others felt the violence was important for the story. Tamra wanted the audience to have a strong emotional reaction to the film.

Tamra Davis is also known for directing other popular movies. These include CB4, Billy Madison, and Half Baked. She also directed Crossroads (2002), which starred the pop singer Britney Spears.

She has also directed many TV shows. Some of these include My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris.

When Tamra directed the comedy movie CB4, she added her own knowledge of music videos and rap music to the film. Even though she didn't write the script, she helped shape the movie. This film showed how skilled Tamra was at directing comedies.

Tamra Davis was supposed to direct a Western movie called Bad Girls (1994). However, she had trouble finding a good filming location. Also, the movie studio disagreed with her ideas for the film, especially her focus on women's perspectives. Because of these disagreements, Tamra was replaced by another director.

Current Work

Today, Tamra Davis has a cooking show online called Tamra Davis Cooking Show. In this show, she shares recipes for vegetarian food. She also wrote a cookbook called Make Me Something Good to Eat.

Personal Life

Tamra Davis married Mike D from the music group Beastie Boys in 1993. They later separated. They have two children together, named Skyler and Davis.

Filmography

Movies Directed

• Guncrazy (1992)
• CB4 (1993)
• Bad Girls (1994)
• No Alternative Girls (1994)
• Billy Madison (1995)
• Best Men (1997)
• Half Baked (1998)
• Skipped Parts (2000) (also executive producer)
• Crossroads (2002)
• 13 (2022)

Documentary Films

Television Shows Directed

Music Videos Directed