Lisa Simmons

Lisa Simmons has been acting in the Boston area for over 20 years.  She has appeared in a number of commercials and industrials in and around the Boston area and has also appeared in theater productions such as Israel Horovitz’s play Free Gift, which won a best of 1997 award for best small theater production as well as the Horovitz play, Stations of the Cross.

Ms. Simmons is the founder and president of, The Color of Film Collaborative, Inc. (TCOF), an organization of actors, producers, directors and others with an interest in creating and supporting positive images of people of color in film, theater, and other media.  The Color of Film Collaborative co-produces the Roxbury Film Festival, a festival that celebrates the vision and the voice of independent filmmakers of color.  

Ms. Simmons has been producing independent films in the Boston area for over 10 years and  serves on the Board Filmmakers Collaborative and The League of Women for Community Service, Massachusetts Production Coalition, and is a former member of Women in Film and Video/New England for which she served for 2 years. In addition Ms. Simmons has received an Image Award from New England Film and Video foundation, a Diversity award from Our Place Theater Project an a leadership award from the Urban League Guild of Boston.  Currently Ms. Simmons spends most of her time behind the camera producing, mentoring and creating more and better opportunities for filmmakers of color. In addition to producing other filmmakers’ work, Ms. Simmons’ current passion is producing and writing a documentary on the history of Boston’s Black theatre during the Works Progress Administration, a subject that is near to her heart as many of her family members participated in this project in the 1930’s. Ms Simmons lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts with her family and her son Nicholas.