TONY TAMBI

CON$EQUENCES

Tony Tambi is a US based actor of African origin. We are highlighting some of his achievements in the following days.... we also had an opportunity to interview him. Wait for it.

He has a TV series , 'Consequences' and he was also one of the main actors in the CBS hit sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola. He spoke to us about Consequences.

In his own words:

''I co-wrote, produced and starred in the short film CHAPTER ONE. It played at various festivals nationwide, culminating in multiple airings on PBS as part of its Shorts Showcase Festival. CHAPTER ONE was the basis for CON$EQUENCES, a web series that I created based on a TV pilot I wrote.

In CON$EQUENCES, reformed internet scammers get a team together to reinvent their old business, this time only targeting immoral people. It’s a modern-day serialized drama that follows the lives of culturally diverse con-artists; but unlike other similarly themed shows and movies, this one is anchored by adult Yahoo Boys. Seasons 1 & 2 are available on YouTube, Amazon, Tubi and various VOD and streaming platforms''.

The cast members include Tony Tambi,-himself, Constance Ejuma, Bambadjan Bamba, Dele Ogundiran, Eboni Adams, Kofi Boakye, Sahlima.....and many more.

In the next few days we will introduce you to Tony Tambi. His incredible journey from Africa to Hollywood and do not miss his exclusive interview with BronzePage.

ABOUT TONY TAMBI

Tony Tambi was born in Nigeria where he spent the first 7 years of his life, then his family relocated to Cameroon where he lived for the next 14 years. He moved to Minnesota where he studied Accounting and after graduation, he set off to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.

It did not happen right away, but he persevered until slowly the roles and credits started to come.

He received an NAACP Theatre Award Nomination for his role in ''The God Botherers.'' Then followed ''Butterflies of Uganda,'' ''A Providential Occurrence,'' then ''The Fair Maid of the West,'' and ''Saturday Night at The Palace''. He had a co-starring role in ''The Unit'', he made appearances on ''Scrubs,'' ''NCIS Los Angeles'' and also was a regular on ''Nip Tuck.''

Tony produced, directed, co-wrote and starred in the short film ''CHAPTER ONE.'' It won an Award of Merit (Best Shorts Competition). Then came the dark comedy, ''OSCAR.'' and there was ''THE ASPECT RATIO'' and also ''LORALA''.

His screenwriting debut ''LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT'' was one of the few projects selected to join Forest Whitaker's JuntoBox Films Inaugural Feature Film Incubator Program in 2014.

He was in ''Bob Hearts Abishola'' where he took on the role of the Pharmacist known as Chukwuemeka in the CBS hit sitcom sitcom, ''Bob Hearts Abishola''.

Tony Tambi directed the pilot episode of ''CON$EQUENCES.'' He would also direct the 4th and 5th Episodes and the Season Finale as well.

JOURNEY TO HOLLYWOOD

(THE INTERVIEW)

BronzePage: 'Let's start from the beginning. You are from both Nigeria and Cameroon; please explain that to our readers. Which of your parents is Nigerian or Cameroonian?

Tony: ''I was born in Enugu in Nigeria to a Nigerian mother and Cameroonian father. Our family moved to Cameroon when I was 7 years old and I spent the next 14 years of my life in Cameroon before moving to the United States. I call myself a high-breed hybrid, who is 'half-Nigerian and mostly Cameroonian' because that was where I spent my teenage and formative years''.

BronzePage: ''So it was a choice made for you?''''

Tony: "My parents made the decision for us to live in both countries. I’m the third of five children; the first four children were born in Nigeria, while our last sibling was born in Cameroon. My parents met at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and moved to Nigeria for work when they finished medical school, with the ultimate goal of settling in Cameroon''.

BronzePage: 'Most African parents are very skeptical and unhappy when their children choose any career that is not Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Nursing, Law.... did you get any push back when you informed them you were going to make a career out of acting?

Tony: ''Lots of push back, especially coming from two medical doctors like my parents. They weren’t happy and understandably so. I was a recent graduate, who had just quit my job as an accountant to pursue a dream.

However, I didn’t say that was what I was going to do. I just said I was moving to LA for work, and wanted to see what my career options were. I said acting was one of the options and if it didn’t work out in two years, I would focus my energy on something else. I tried my best to soften the blow, but yes...lots of push back from family and friends alike.''

BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA

BronzePage: ''You made a bold move to relocate to Hollywood. How was that? Did you know anyone in that city and how difficult was that decision?''

Tony: ''I had just graduated from college, was struggling with work and not exactly doing a job that I found fulfilling. I figured if I was going to have job insecurity it might as well be with something I was passionate about. I had been bitten by the acting bug all the way in Nigeria but never had the guts to pursue it. Upon graduation, I felt I had fulfilled my contract with my parents, so it was okay for me to follow my dreams. It had to be New York or Los Angeles, and I didn’t know anyone in the former. One of my college roommates had relocated to LA a year prior. I moved in with him and his girlfriend and they made the transition quite comfortable. Moving was a simple decision for me, simply because I didn’t know any better. The difficult part was the actual journey. I drove from Minnesota, got into an accident where my car was totaled and I spent the night in the ER. I took a Greyhound bus from Sydney, Nebraska for the rest of the trip to LA. I still don’t regret my decision to move to LA''.

BronzePage: ''How long did it take before you were able to break into the movie business?'''

Tony: "It took four years before I got my first TV credit on a show called The Unit. However, I did plays, documentaries, music videos, student films, short films, joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and even worked as a background performer in that four-year span.''

BronzePage: ''You were in Bob Hearts Abishola. Many Americans saw some parts of the cultural makeup of the Nigerian / African community. Did it hit you that you

were working with one of the most prolific people in Hollywood....Chuck Lorre? The guy with the Midas touch...his work in Hollywood speaks for itself: 'Big Bang

Theory', 'Two and a Half Men',' Moms,' ;Mike and Molly,' 'Young Sheldon', 'Cybill'......how does it feel to work with such a genius and how did you get that part? How did he know so much about Nigeria? Did he have Nigerian writers or he just relied on you guys?

Tony: 'Bob Hearts Abishola was an amazing experience and definitely a career-defining moment for me. I was

already a huge Chuck Lorre fan, and when I realized that he was creating a show about Nigerian immigrants, I couldn’t be more excited; I wanted to watch it; I wanted to be in it! When my agent and manager informed me that I had an audition for the role of Chukwuemeka, I read the breakdown of the character and something just felt right. I knew I was Chukwuemeka. I knew the role was going to be mine. I did the work and prepped for the audition – with a little extra zest and confidence. After two auditions, I got the call, and the rest like they say is history.

Chuck Lorre was great to work with. In Season 1 he was very hands-on as the show creator, and was there every time we were shooting. He was soft-spoken, friendly and gave me great notes a couple of times. This was always done in collaboration with the director. At the end of shooting my very first episode he came up to me, shook my hand and told me thanks for doing a great job. He said they were happy to have me and appreciated the job I had done. Needless to say that was the highlight of my time on set. In subsequent seasons due to COVID restrictions, there was less interaction but he was always warm and gracious every time we met.

In terms of the Nigerian aspects of the show, most of that came from Gina Yashere who was initially hired as a consultant but ended up becoming one of the show creators, producer, and a series regular. She was also one of the writers along with other Nigerian writers.''

BronzePage: ''Besides Bob Hearts Abishola, you have done a few Hollywood movies such as: Hollowpoint, Blood Corral. Sugar babies, Acceleration, even shows like

Scrubs....you most likely saw some of these actors on the big screen while growing up in Africa. How does it feel to see them up close and personal and work with them?''

Tony: ''My career so far has been nothing short of amazing. It feels great to have worked with some legends of industry and every single one of them has been a class act. I remain eternally grateful for the kindness of Gina Yashere, the wisdom of Vernee Watson, the knowledge of Barry Shabaka Henley, just to name a few. Every single time I’ve met actors I knew and respected, the meeting was pleasurable and memorable. I feel I’m lucky in that aspect and I pray it continues that way.''

COMING UP:

TONY TAMBI SPEAKS ABOUT NOLLYWOOD.