Women Who Lead Online Feature | Amber Deas

Meet Amber Deas... A Woman Who Leads!

“You’ve got to stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.” - Lisa Nichols

Who or what has influenced you as a leader?

What influences me to be a leader is having people who look up to me and staying motivated. Taking initiative and getting things done are key traits to be a leader. There's not one person who I can think of that I look up to. I'm instilling leadership qualities in myself to be an inspiration to others. I follow my own lead and create my own path so I can pave the way for others and create opportunities for others to be the best version of themselves.

What book would you recommend to a young woman beginning her leadership journey?

The book I would recommend is my eBook entitled Who Do You Think You Are? This book is about self realization, self motivation and self-help. It's a great read filled with motivational and self-help content. This book is available on my website.

In your opinion, what are three barriers or challenges women in leadership are still facing today?

One of the barriers women in leadership face today is people don't take us as seriously because we are women. People don't think you have the skill or knowledge because you're a woman, whether it's work, leadership roles, relationships, etc. People think being a woman can equate to having an inferior skill set and that's a false narrative that is changing.

Also, trying to grow as a woman owned business, you have many responsibilities and duties as well as personal obligations to manage. People put their unwarranted opinion of what we should or shouldn't be doing and how that impacts.

An additional challenge is the pay gap between men and women who do the same job, yet are paid differently.

What is your "why"?

My why for being a leader is that I want people to look at me as a brown skinned woman and feel like they can do whatever they put their mind, effort and time into. It's harder to thrive on the same level with our counterparts. I want people to be able to look at me and be inspired by seeing my journey along with the challenges faced, so they see it can be done and is within reach for them. When you see people who look like you, it puts things in perspective and they feel they can do it too. I want people to feel motivated and inspired to do whatever they want to do.

Please share your WORDS OF GRATITUDE for women who have come before you.

Thank you to all of the women who came before me and paved the way for me to be a Black woman in media, in film and photography. I appreciate every woman who has come before me to create this pathway to allow me to be a trailblazer and keep going to inspire others.

Please share your WORDS OF WISDOM for those young women who will come behind you.

Keep going! Please keep going and keep focus. I know it's a long road. You have to keep pushing. In 10-20 years you're going to look back at your younger self, and say, wow, I did it! You don't want to deal with the pain of regret. Keep making the right choices so you can be a trailblazer.

Amber Deas is the owner of A1 Lenz Productions, a film production company that offers a variety of services, including music video production, photography, videography for weddings and other events, editing and hosting. Amber, who was born in St. Petersburg, FL, started her company in 2015 and quickly grew her business and brand to become one of the top videographers and photographers in the Tampa Bay area. She produces, directs, and edits all of the work and travels for events as needed.

She is a talented and driven individual who has worked with models, artists, producers, and more from all over Florida and beyond. What sets her apart from others is the passion she has for her craft and the relationships she builds with her clients. She has produced two films, The Crunkamentary, and Muzikal Chairs the Movie, and is currently working on a film about the Wave Football Team.

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