Marvin , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic has always been a major part of who I am as a person. I wasn’t born into wealth so the only way to succeed in this society is to work or do illegal stuff and I’m not going to jail so I choose to work hard for any success I may achieve.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a writer above all else, but since I’m interested in seeing what sprang into my head become a reality, I’ve chose to create the projects I write. I love working as a creative in whatever designation I pursue, whether it’s writer, director, producer, assistant director, grip, editor, or whatever. I love the process of filmmaking and love to see what was just an idea become a full vision realized. I’ve been creating independently since 2005, initially starting with stage plays then venturing into web series and short films and finally began producing features in 2021 with my first film “CRUEL AMBITION” set for streaming release in August 2023.
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?
Number One is definitely work ethic; in order to write, cast, direct, shoot, edit, produce, and market a film it takes a strong work ethic to remain focused on the goal. Persistence comes in as the second most impactful, because giving up isn’t an option for me when it comes to my dream of full time filmmaking, I must succeed or die trying. And finally, the third would be patience, although this isn’t a quality I come by naturally, but over time I’ve learned that there are things that just take time and you have to learn to live with that.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m ALWAYS looking to expand my team. I’ve realized I’m not always easy to work with and a lot of people don’t subscribe to the one mind one vision ideology I do, but if you want to work I’ll put you to work. Right now, I’m working to build my crew of behind the scene creatives from camera operators, sound design, production design, or graphic design. I’m VERY hands on, but I don’t micromanage and an ideal collaborator would need to be okay with this. I’m on all socials as marvin dejon and you can reach out to me on my site, marvindejon.com
Contact Info:
- Website: marvindejon.com
- Instagram: @marvindejon
- Facebook: @marvindejon
- Twitter: @marvindejon
- Youtube: @marvindejon
Image Credits
Marvin Dejon Van Simpson
