We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leon M. Brown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leon below.
Hi Leon, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
As one musician said, we “started from the bottom, now we’re here.” I’m not “here,” but I’m no longer at the bottom.
I lived on that rock hard, cold, unwavering bottom for 15 years. I was born a crack baby in Los Angeles. My entire family (i.e., grandmother, mother, aunts) were affected by the crack epidemic that swept the city. Early childhood through adolescence was a cycle of watching my family smoke crack, sober momentarily, and relapse. My father was never in the picture. In his stead were a myriad of men who gave me money to frequent the neighborhood convenience store while they had sex with my mother. She eventually abandoned me, leaving me homeless as a teenager. Gunshots nearly every night, bullying weekly – this was my bottom.
I believe my family did the best they could with what they had (my childhood did contain elements of joy and love), but having experienced all I did, I know the only place for me to go is up, and, interestingly, I wouldn’t take any of it back. It provides the platform from which I’ve learned many things (e.g., critical thinking, resilience, hard work), and it offers the life experiences I’m able to infuse into many of my characters. Yes, I’m an actor now (Snowfall, Obliterated, All the Queens Men). I’m also a writer (Manifest Evil), director (If Only), producer, and owner of 7 Point 5 Films.
From crack baby to actor, homeless to owning a 7-figure house on a hill in L.A., high school drop out (I had to leave school once my mother abandoned me) to having 4 degrees, wife of 18 years, father of 4, military veteran, and…and…and…
My “here” hasn’t arrived, but I won’t stop until I achieve it because there’s a bigger story being told, one that influences my family and the little boys who were born in dire circumstances like me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Recently (2023), two of my films (trailers: https://vimeo.com/795776865 & https://vimeo.com/787789639) premiered at the Burbank International Film Festival. It was a delight to see a nearly packed room watch films I wrote, acted in, produced, and directed.
Currently, my time is occupied with writing and producing, under my company 7 Point 5 Films, another horror feature film (Every Wednesday) and a horror anthology (Echoes in the Alleyways).
I’ve been greatly inspired by the writing of Jordan Peele, Misha Green, Demian Rugna, Robert Eggers, and others.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three important areas for personal growth are wisdom, discipline, and patience.
Early in one’s career, it’s quite difficult to possess the wisdom required to achieve one’s goals. Therefore, it’s absolutely necessary to surround yourself with experts who maintain that wisdom. Over time, it’ll eventually rub off on you. Secondly, discipline is necessary to accomplish almost anything. It’s stronger than motivation but less enduring than prayer. Thirdly, patience is a must. As a person who desires things almost immediately, I’ve learned that patience is paramount because it prepares you for the long run.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m looking to collaborate with investors, particularly equity investors. My current slate of films and production company operations would do well to team up with motivated, committed, and wise equity investors who believe in my trajectory, vision, and goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.7point5films.com
- Instagram: @7Point5Films
- Other: Personal Instagram: @LeonMBrown
Image Credits
Photography: Main photo (Patrick Marcigliano), Black & White photo (Adam Sheridan-Taylor), other photo (David Zaugh). Film posters: Neil Fraser.
