We had the good fortune of connecting with Teressa Wickham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teressa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I absolutely love risk. I truly believe that there’s no point in doing something if there isn’t a little bit of risk involved. Playing it safe is boring – there’s no opportunity for growth or reward that way. In both my personal life and my professional life, I have always looked for opportunities that others would shy away from and that scare me a little bit. I think I am further along in my career than I ever would have been because of my willingness to jump in and bet on myself. Of course I have failed – and it has hurt – but the lessons I have learned by trying, failing, getting back up and brushing myself off have been invaluable. I have taken all of those failures and used them as stepping stones to further my own self journey and my career. Deciding to invest in my first feature film was one of the riskiest things I had ever done. I poured my entire life’s savings and all of my free time into it and risked losing everything I had worked for – and time with my kids – and wasn’t sure if it work out or not. If I hadn’t taken that risk, however, I never would have met my business partners and started Final Stop Pictures. Taking that risk has led to two feature films, representation and the realization of my dreams.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What I am most proud of is what sets us apart from every other film production company and that is our team. We have the most dedicated, professional, talented and inspired team that I have ever had the honor of working with. Each and every person on our team – from the crew on set to the crew in the editing room – love what they do and treat every project and piece of work with the focus and attention as if it were their own. It’s that sense of pride and ownership – that sense of personal accountability – that separates us from the rest. I’ve never been more proud of the work I’ve done than I have been at Final Stop Pictures.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A week in San Diego is like a week in heaven – especially during baseball season! There are so many things that I love about San Diego, I almost don’t know where to start. We would definitely start down at the water in Seaport Village and walk up to the USS Midway and the Maritime Museum – all three places are always my go to spots here. If it’s baseball season, we would definitely catch a game at Petco Park. The stadium is absolutely gorgeous and there are plenty of fantastic bars and restaurants around for after the game. Hiking would also be on the itinerary – Torrey Pines, Annie’s Canyon Trail, Iron Mountain. We would definitely rent a boat and spend at least one day out on the water and another day would absolutely be spent walking the zoo and Balboa Park. You can’t leave until you’ve hit up a few beaches – Ocean, Mission, PB. As far as restaurants, there are far too many great places to chose from here. We would definitely make a point to hit up Hash House A Go Go, Baja Bettys, Hodads, the Corvette Diner (for the atmosphere alone), and – obviously – a few taco joints. Honestly, a week in San Diego just isn’t enough. That’s probably why most people come for a visit and stay for a lifetime!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This shoutout is absolutely dedicated to my kids. I would be absolutely lost without them. They have given me reason and purpose and have pushed me harder to go after my dreams than words could ever accurately describe. When you’re staring down at a five year old little boy and trying to explain to him why you said no to an opportunity that would get you even a half step closer to where you’ve always wanted to be, you suddenly realize that you can’t let your own fear and self doubt stop you. You don’t want that to be your story and definitely don’t want them to grow up thinking that it’s ok to give up on yourself. There’s no denying that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the unwavering support and love from my parents when I was growing up. They went out of their way to be there for me and help pick me back up when I fell. They constantly reminded me that success isn’t built in a day and that there would be far more failures than wins along the way, but that the journey would always be worth it. While I struggled to believe them at the time, I can definitely say that they were right. The journey has been spectacular and I owe my success to them.

Website: https://finalstoppictures.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teressaw/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teressa-wickham-38b3aa6/
Other: https://www.instagram.com/finalstoppictures/