Producer and director Antonio Polk of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., always keeps an eye out for interesting stories, often drawing inspiration from the people and communities around him. What he did not expect was to discover a story for a film in his own home.
Polk’s wife, Marsha, is a writer with published books, but Antonio admits he isn’t much of a reader and paid little attention to Marsha’s work—until she rewrote one of her stories as a screenplay.
“That’s when I read ‘Angels in the Rye,’ and I was blown away,” said Antonio. “It was exactly what I was looking for—an original story based on true events.”
Antonio gravitates toward clean, meaningful projects that families can watch together. Originality drives his choices.
He is putting the final touches on “Angels in the Rye” as well as “Better Off Dead,” a film co-directed with writer and actor David Sanders. Antonio met David through the Screen Actors Guild, where he has been a member for more than 30 years.
“David’s story sparked something within me,” Antonio said. “I used the connections I’d built over decades of acting to help launch this project.”
Both films, set in Chicago and Wisconsin, are in post-production editing and will be released later this year on Amazon, Tubi and other streaming platforms.
While Antonio is increasingly focused on producing and directing, acting remains the foundation of his career.
Over the years, he has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including “Joseph Oliver Brown,” “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” “Detained,” “Halfway,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago PD,” “Empire,” “Mind Games,” “Barbershop 2: Back in Business” and the “Arrest & Trial” TV series, among others.
Most of his acting work has been in Chicago, arranged through his agent at the Shirely Hamilton Talent Agency.
Antonio didn’t set out to be an actor, and when he first got into acting, his only acting credit was in his elementary school’s production of “The King & I” in Evanston, Ill., where he grew up.
His career started in modeling, which took him to fashion runways in Chicago and across the country. At one show, a woman named Eda Travica asked if he had ever considered acting.
“Ever since my school’s theater production, I’d wanted to act,” said Antonio. “That spark from my youth had an opportunity to flourish.”
Three decades later, Antonio has taken on nearly 40 acting roles.
“I enjoy playing different characters,” he said. “Acting gives me a creative release and the freedom to explore lives that aren’t my own. It pushes me to test myself and discover what I’m capable of.”
Through the years, Antonio has kept notes on his industry connections—producers, directors and fellow actors, and he’s collected ideas along the way. That groundwork eased his transition into producing and directing. He formed Polk Motion Pictures LLC in 2021 and often collaborates with Aaron Fischer at Piranha North Studio, also based in Sturgeon Bay.
His work keeps him traveling frequently between Chicago and Door County, but Antonio considers Door County home.
“From Evanston, my parents, Frank and Carolyn Pok, moved to Green Bay and always wanted to migrate to Sturgeon Bay but passed on before that ever came to fruition,” he explained. “My brother, Mike Polk, eventually moved there and kept bragging about what a great place it was. When I visited this quaint, quiet city, I fell in love with it. I’m a nature boy at heart, and it immediately felt like home.”
Antonio has become an active part of the local arts and filmmaking community. He serves on the panel for the Door County Film Festival (Thursday, Feb. 12, at Northern Sky Theater in Fish Creek), where he screens films and collaborates with festival founder Chris Opper and fellow panelist Kurt Krauss.
After a long career in acting, Antonio understands the importance of the arts and uses his position to uplift others.
“My main objective is to keep people employed, especially in the Black community,” he said. “We are limited when it comes to the arts, so I create opportunities for people of color and showcase a wide variety of diversity in my films.”
Antonio plans to begin new projects soon, including a feature-length screenplay, which takes place in Sturgeon Bay, and a documentary, but first he is focused on completing the two films currently in production. The work is demanding, but he believes persistence makes the difference.
“You have to work hard and keep going, never give up,” he said. “Believe in yourself, stay committed to what you love, and the sky truly is the limit.”
