Meet Director Graeson | Indie Director/ Visual Creative & A Bunch Of Other Stuff

We had the good fortune of connecting with Director Graeson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Director, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My business is a part of the realization of my life’s purpose. I started GraeScale Films ( & Thereafter, Noir Is Dead Productions) at my “rock bottom”, I was living in a state I didn’t necessarily care for (Maryland), in a relationship with someone that didn’t really care for me and working a job I hated just so I could pay the bills. To be honest I was completely miserable… When I moved to MD, it was to chase my dream of becoming a director and as time passed I seemed to get further from making that dream a reality. All the while, my love of film and overall visual creativity remained, I found myself going to the movies every weekend just to see whatever was playing, it made me feel connected to my dream. However, the more films I watched, the more I felt something stir inside of me. I had no idea what it was until I went to see The Purge: Election Year, I sat there pretty bored with it and honestly annoyed by how stereotypical it was… I started to think “why isn’t it different?”. At that moment it also dawned on me that even though I had been to the movies countless times in that year, I couldn’t remember more than a handful of black women and men in roles of prominence. Again, I found myself asking why… I thought back to my hometown… Newark, NJ and the wealth of untapped talent that goes to waste on a daily basis… “Why?”. For a split second I became angry but I know that we as a people have the tendency to point the finger instead of trying to solve the problem on our own merit… I thought more of home… I left the theater and called family & friends to ask them if they knew how movies were made and specifically if they knew what a Director (my role) actually does… of the many I called, only two knew the answer. I realized that our problem was that we aren’t told that we can do much outside of music and sports… we don’t get shown that we can be more than what’s offered. Then it happened, I knew my purpose… I wanted to be the change that I wanted to see. I wanted to be the one to facilitate and nurture those untapped talents so they can go forward to inspire the next generation and so forth, but I had to start with myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Right now I’m working on two docu-series that I’m filming myself (But I would kill for some help lol!) One focuses on the everyday ups and downs in the lives of entrepreneurs from around the country and the other is a deep dive into all the different cultures of the world and how they affect our lives on a daily basis. I still have a lot of work to do before I’m anywhere near finished but I’ve honestly never been more excited to work on anything more than these two projects. I genuinely feel they will be a large part of living in my purpose.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would literally be able to take them all over lol. Museums, Art Galleries, Car Meets, Drift Events, Arcades!!! (I love arcades), so many places with good food. Traveling has always been a love for me and it has led me to be kind of a Rolodex when it comes to places to go to have fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off, I wanna shoutout my brother Ava! He’s likely the reason y’all even know about me and he’s always had my best interests in mind since the day we met. Even though my internship with them was short, I’ll always thank Nimi Hendrix and Ishell Vaughn for showing me that this path was even an option. Forever thankful to my parents and my older sister for always being the best friend and role model anyone could ask for. Major thanks to my wife for being one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met. Last but not least, I wanna thank every black creative, businessman & Businesswoman and entrepreneur that came before me for paving the way for people like me.

Instagram: @dickgraeson