Meet Deonte Staats

We were lucky to catch up with Deonte Staats recently and have shared our conversation below.

Deonte, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Finding my purpose was a journey. I know it sounds cliche, but I was on one path for most of my life and then realized that I was not using a large part of my talents. My parents supported me in most things I pursued, and when I chose to pursue a degree in Computer Science at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, they knew they had sown the right seeds for me to be successful. It was in college that I learned that my creative skills would be utilized and celebrated from the moment I set foot on campus. I performed poetry and spoken word in front of thousands, produced fashion shows and commercials for national retailers, and got paid for it all. I was an Executive Producer, but had no idea that it would lead me down this path. It would take me ten years before I chased my dream across country of being a Writer/Creator. But the moments, experiences, and opportunities I found myself able to take advantage of prepared me for what my purpose truly is…storytelling.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a storyteller. It feels like that needs to be qualified, but I have written in most forms. I began my love of words at a young age, reading, and would translate a lot of my emotions and wonders through poetry as a teenager. Short stories, long form creations, adaptations, and now script writing. I joke that if I didn’t have paper in the future, I would still gather all who would listen around the fire for storytime.

My Hollywood story started with writing a drama script, under the tutelage of my writing coach and friend, Lee Edward Colston II, and I was able to shoot a proof of concept in New York that featured some Broadway heavy hitters. I would then meet Lena Waithe, who paid for me to take a writing course in L.A., and I met three other amazing Black men writers who became my writing group. 10 years later, we still share our wins and losses and support each other’s works and projects.

I was hired as a Writing Assistant for Ali Leroi for his first feature film, “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” and shortly after started my support roles in the Writing Room for Seasons 3 & 4 of Showtime’s “The CHI”. I was fortunate enough to co-write the penultimate episode for Season 4, and it was submitted for Emmy consideration that year. I went on to be the Script Coordinator for Season 2 of Peacock’s reboot, “Bel-Air,” before getting my first opportunity to produce TV. A show called “A LA Carte” aired on ALLBLK, and I was the Head Writer for both seasons and Co-Executive Producer for Season 2, which filmed in Atlanta. Helping bring others’ vision to life has been my calling card through life in business and creatively, so I look forward to showrunning my original shows that blend my experience of dramatic and comedic styles.

While the industry is currently changing with every new endeavor and year that passes, I realize that I have had success in many different forms of writing and that in TV and Film, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of yeses that need to happen before a show is aired. I have been fortunate enough to help mentor over 50 cohorts in their writing journey as they try to break into the industry, many of them untraditionally, like I did. I want to be the first yes for writers who want to take their craft to the next level, and they don’t know where to get started.

This year, I’m excited about newness. Writing a book requires far less confirmation than TV, and that is where I find myself while still scriptwriting. So many of our stories that we pitch to studios don’t get made, and they often die after that. My restaurant experience has taught me that acts of service is how I show up in my professional life as well, but that service is often taken as servitude, and I explore working my way up the corporate restaurant ladder as a Black Queer man. I am currently in the outline stage for what will be tentatively titled “Fish Bones: A Black Link in the Corporate Restaurant Chain.”

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Doing more than just writing to get into TV/Film industry.
Being able to produce commercials for restaurants and brands prepared me for doing the job I wanted and helped me assist directors, producers, and crew. Working with people closely helped me tell authentic stories about my and their experiences.
2. Gumption/Persistence
Updated for 2025: I’m him! You have to believe that, especially when you don’t have a blueprint for someone who has done what you want to do. I applied that to attending a magnet HS, going to college out-of-state, moving for a job, quitting that job for a dream, investing in that dream, and moving across the country. Leading with the ability to make genuine connections with people that you admire but would also like to work with,
3. Find a mentor/Advice
Mentors are important. Some are for a moment, and some are forever. The lesson I’ve learned in my journey is that mentors come in 3 forms.
A Butler: someone who can open and close doors for you. You’ll meet a lot of those.
A Baker: someone who wants to cook with you and will get in the kitchen with you to make it happen. These relationships can be for a while, and also translate into writing groups and peers who are a couple of steps ahead of you.
A Pharaoh: someone who has the financial means to make your dreams come true. They are invested in the finished product/project/person who can bring a ROI or someone they just want to champion.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents taught me the power of Yes. They weren’t lenient by any means, as the oldest, I put them through the paces. But academically and professionally, they allowed me to dream big, make mistakes, but they always were my biggest supporters. I didn’t understand the value of that until I moved to L.A., when I met many writers who were still looking for their first yes. These writers wanted to prove to someone back home that they could make it, despite being told no by everyone out of fear. I was armed with memories of yeses, and when I was told no, things were explained because my parents knew the world doesn’t give them out easily. The same way parents invest in sports, mine attended poetry workshops, travelled to shows, bought books, posted poems, shared stories, and were my supporters long before anyone else. They never told me no to any book I wanted to buy or read. They made sure I had money for the book fair. My Mom passed away from cancer the week after my first episode of TV aired. I think she knew that I would be alright, and that I needed to hear her say yes one more time.

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Image Credits

Donna Pernell

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