FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication produces creatives of all trades like journalists, graphic designers, public relation specialists–– and in this case, actresses. Ahmarie Holmes, a fall 2015 graduate of SJGC, recently landed a lead role in Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.”
Holmes’ time and experience in SJGC helped prepare her for her career in the film and television industry. Her consistent dedication helped her to snag the role of Lisa, the girlfriend of Malik Payne, on the show.
Role-playing for a television show was nothing new for Holmes. During her time in SJGC, she was a reporter for News 20, where she covered many packages on her own. That ultimately led her desire to further explore the television industry.
After graduating college, she originally saw herself moving to Los Angeles, California, to begin her career. Although, she had no idea how to get into the industry. While preparing to move, Holmes met an actor, Lance Nichols, who became her mentor. After working very closely with her mentor, she decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia.
While in Atlanta, Nichols referred Holmes to a theatrical talent agent. The agent saw great talent in her and began the journey of setting up auditions right away.
“In both film and television, it takes a lot of persistence, and my time at SJGC taught me on camera etiquette as an on air personality,” Holmes said. “I take everything I learned in the program into my auditions.”
Throughout the last three years, she has landed a variety of roles on different series like “Queen Sugar,” “The Purge” and “Tell Me a Story.” She also landed roles for Lifetime Movie Network in movies like “Homecoming Revenge,” “Hidden Family Secrets” and “A Christmas Wish.”
In 2019, after auditioning and landing small gigs, she was called to audition for multiple shows that Perry had coming out. Two months later, she got a call back from her manager that Perry wanted to speak with her. He revealed that Holmes would become a cast member and play the role of Lisa on his show “House of Payne.”
“Ahmarie has always been the type of person to get the job done, regardless of the task. She works hard and because of her strong work ethic, she has been able to manifest her dreams,” says Toya Womack, a long-time friend of Holmes.
Besides being a comedic addition to the show, she is Malik’s girlfriend and is pregnant.
“I love Lisa, because she is a cool character that isn’t afraid to speak her mind in the Payne household,” viewer Arielle Hall said. “She is sometimes misunderstood, but I think being under Ms. Ella’s wing that she is going to be a great mother.”
Although the show is in its ninth season and this is her first, Holmes is comfortable in her new project.
In her free time, she is working on her upcoming clothing line that is set to release later this year. Within the next few years, she wants to expand her abilities as an actress to becoming a director, producer and writer on every possible platform.
You can catch Lisa on House of Payne, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on BET.