MONDAY MORNING HOLLYWOOD
Deon Taylor. To call him a vibrant, inspiring filmmaker full of life and driven by his dreams is an understatement. He’s brought us Nite Tales with Flavor Flav, The Hustle starring David Alan Grier and most recently the horror/thriller Chain Letter. As an ambitious artist with a head for business, this proud father and connoisseur of all things basketball has a full plate with everything he’s ever wanted on it.
Deon Taylor Enterprises is tackling music, film and television with a full production facility and design house under their umbrella, while the writer/producer/director takes on the resurrection of the American Basketball Association, which he will be bringing into the homes of the American public and the rest of the globe in 2012.
What was the first job you ever had? As a student I got a job with the conservation corps. I dug holes and ditches. I cleared out creeks. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done. I think about that often. I quit after nine days.
What made you pursue a career in Hollywood? Growing up in Gary, Indiana I never had any aspirations of being a writer, director or anything like that. I was focused on getting good grades and being the best basketball player that I could be so I could make it to the NBA. That was my goal.
Now when I look back at my life I was the biggest movie fan in the world. We didn’t have the money to always go to the theater, but renting movies was big. My mom would take me to the rental store and get four or five movies at a time. I’d watch them all in one night and return them the next day for more.
During the summers I played basketball all day and watched TV and movies all night. That is the time I became really passionate about movies. I wanted to understand how they were made. I saw anything and everything when it came out on rental and I remembered the details. I can’t remember phone numbers, but I remember films. I have over two thousand movies in my collection now.
Later in life I went to Germany as a basketball player. I didn’t speak the language so after practice I just watched movies over and over again. Then I started watching the “Making Of” each movie over and over again and that’s how I learned how to make movies. I was just as entertained watching the behind the scenes as I was watching the movies. I wanted to know how to do what they were doing so I ran out, left the team to raise money and I made a movie. Dead Tone. So the first set I ever stepped on was mine. I was the writer, director and producer of a three million dollar movie with no experience. Talk about taking a risk.
What is your dream job? The ability to remake the film Spawn.
What do you do on a typical day off? I have no days off. I wear many hats. I’m an Aquarius and obsessed with working. My days off from film are focused on the ABA (American Basketball Association). I acquired the ABA with Jay Irving and we’ve partnered to bring back that league in the summer of 2012. I’m really excited about it.
What inspires you?
Thoughts of where I came from. I think I’m self-motivated because I was raised by a single parent in Indiana. I’ve been poor. I’ve slept in cars. I know that there’s more you can get out of life if you work really hard. Now I have a seven year old little girl and I’m inspired to give her a life that means she never has to go through what I went through. I want her to have a fair chance at doing what she wants to do.
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers? Don’t take, “no” for an answer and believe in yourself when the whole world goes left and you’re alone.
What are you working on now? The ABA and all of the TV and films that will go with that.
What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? This. This is the dream.
To learn more about Deon visit www.deontaylorfilms.com
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