Tamra Davis facts for kids

Tamra Davis (born January 22, 1962) is an American director. She directs movies, TV shows, and music videos.

Tamra Davis: A Director's Journey

Early Life and Inspiration

Tamra Davis was born in Studio City, California. She was the second of four children. Her family was involved in the media world. Her grandfather wrote comedy, and her grandmother was an actress. Tamra grew up watching many films. She dreamed of becoming an actress herself.

After high school, Tamra worked at an art gallery. She soon left to work at American Zoetrope. This was a film studio owned by Francis Ford Coppola. She learned a lot about directing and the film business there. Coppola suggested she go to college. She then studied at Los Angeles City College.

Directing Music Videos

Tamra first made a film using a small 8mm camera in college. After school, she sent out her videos. She was hired to make a music video for the band Hüsker Dü.

Tamra says music videos helped her become a director. She felt there was less sexism in the music video world. It was also a place where women could get opportunities. Music videos pushed her to try new things. She has directed over 155 music videos in her career. She worked at MTV and used her platform. She shared ideas about different cultures and women's rights.

A writer from the Los Angeles Times noted her work. Tamra Davis became known for directing cool music videos. She worked with popular artists like N.W.A, Sonic Youth, and Black Flag.

Making Movies and TV Shows

Tamra Davis also directed a short film called No Alternative Girls. This film was part of a program for AIDS education. Her short film talked about how boys and girls are sometimes treated differently.

She directed the movie Guncrazy (1992). This film starred actress Drew Barrymore. It was a new version of an older movie from the 1950s. Many people compared her film to Bonnie and Clyde. Some thought her film was too violent. Others felt the violence was important for the story. Tamra said she wanted a strong reaction from the audience. She wanted to show how society can hurt people. She also looked at how a teenage girl's life changes after difficult experiences.

Tamra Davis is also famous for directing other movies. These include CB4, Billy Madison, and Half Baked. She also directed Crossroads, starring Britney Spears. She has directed many TV shows too. Some popular ones are My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris.

For the movie CB4, Tamra was the second choice to direct. The movie was a comedy. It made fun of serious rap music videos. It also looked at how Hollywood used African-American culture. Tamra was not part of writing the film. But she used her knowledge of music videos and rap in the movie. She faced challenges while making CB4. These included a short filming time and hot weather. The script also changed often. Despite this, Tamra enjoyed working on CB4. This film showed her talent as a comedy director.

Tamra Davis was supposed to direct a Western movie called Bad Girls (1994). She had trouble finding a good filming location. Many sources say the studio did not agree with her ideas. Tamra wanted to show a strong female perspective in the film. The budget was also not enough for her needs. In the end, another director took over the project. The script was rewritten, and the earlier filmed parts were not used.

Today, Tamra Davis has a cooking show online. It features vegetarian food. You can find it on her website, www.tamradaviscookingshow.com. She also wrote a cookbook called Make Me Something Good to Eat.

Personal Life

Tamra Davis married Mike D in 1993. He is a member of the band Beastie Boys. They are now legally separated. They have two children together, Skyler and Davis.

Filmography

Film

• 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 Film

Television

Music Video