Meet Kevin Coleman-Cohen | Director & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Coleman-Cohen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I have continue to take risks. If I do not believe in myself then who will. Lots of so called friends have abandoned me because I will never give up trying to make Coleman Entertainment, LLC a brand that bring great stories to all types of audiences. Even some family members have asked, “what is the film thing you’re trying to do”? I usually just respond, I tell stories and leave it at that. Unless you’re standing next to Spike Lee, too many members of my family do not understand. It’s okay, I am doing me. LOL.

But I moved to LA to attend the AFI without housing. I literally lived in a shelter for a month until I met two other fellows and we rented a one bedroom apartment. We put up a sheet in the living room to give each other some type of privacy. I moved to DC to attend Howard University without having secured housing. I never lived on that campus. The point is my faith is bigger than my fear. So yes, it’s a risk but you have to jump and sometimes just know that God will make sure you do not hit the ground head first.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a film director, producer, educator and the CEO of Coleman Entertainment, LLC. I graduated from the American Film Institute with an MFA in Directing and a BA in Film and Television from Howard University. I say this all the time when asked this question, I want to tell stories of the underheard and undervalued and bring their stories to a heightened consciousness. It’s not to say that I wouldn’t love to direct a Batman movie too. lol. But this is a hard question. I think what sets me apart is I am a student of film. While I teach a variety of film subjects from directing, short film production, visual storytelling, film studies, and script analysis, I do not pretend to be a master, I am the ultimate student. I learn from watching films, I think that is the key. Films truly show what a society accepts and what a society rejects.

In my old neighborhood of north St. Louis, MO sometimes nicknamed “murderville” is about 3-5 miles from Ferguson where all those riots took place back in 2014 due to the killing of Michael Brown by the police. We were taught to get a job after high school. That area was and still is a poor working class community. It’s no one’s fault, it was how everyone thought i.e. get a job at the post office or something. There nothing wrong with a secure government job but I wanted something else, I wanted something more.

I originally wanted to be an actor. As a kid, I would pretend to be in movies all the time. After high school I moved to Baton Rouge, LA to attend Southern University to major in acting/theatre but quickly had to drop out after one semester because I didn’t have enough money to cover expenses. My family tried and we couldn’t come up with the last $500 that was needed to stay. I didn’t have the attitude back then to fight. I truly believe the administration would have said let him cut the grass or something to pay off the debt. had they known of my situation. I let some silly little financial aid staff person have too much power over me, NEVER AGAIN! I had to leave school. I was devastated and was too embarrassed to go home. So I moved to Virginia to live with an aunt until another uncle was killed during operation desert storm, so I returned to St. Louis. My family was on the cover of the St. Louis Dispatch during his funeral. There weren’t many American casualties during that conflict but my uncle Roddy was one of them and one of eleven from Missouri. We were horrified and obviously devastated. My uncle Roddy (Gerald Anthony Cohen) was the best!!

Back to acting; I was terrible mainly because I was very shy, heck I still am in many ways. When I tell people I am shy, they absolutely do not believe me, but I promise it’s true. I did a little play but was so stage scared that I couldn’t do it. But I didn’t want to stop creating a world of disbelief and take an audience on an emotional journey. But I was working all sorts of jobs from nursing homes, dish washer, waiter, janitor, you know name it. I was just going through life like everyone else. But this film thing still had a hold on me and that’s when I discovered directing and enrolled at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. I enrolled because someone told me I wouldn’t do anything with my life. A staff person at a nursing home I was working at literally laughed at me when I said I wanted to make movies. He said I would be at that job like everyone else for the rest of my life. I actually thank God for him. The next day I enrolled at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park and never looked back. I quit that nursing home job soon after because I was taking 5 classes and volunteering with the student newspaper and the student video production program. For me, I needed that push. Hearing someone say what I could not do was enough to show what I can do.

I have gone on to teach at the University of Missouri at Kansas City as a visiting assistant professor, an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, Santa Monica College, Columbia College Hollywood, and my favorite place for personal reasons, St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Standing along side my former teachers now as their peer was great fun. I credit Kathe Dunlop, former Chair of Mass Communications at the school who is a friend, mentor, and dynamic educator for throwing me into a classroom and allowing me to land on my feet. I love that woman too death!!!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am relocating to Atlanta really soon and I cannot wait. The film community and culture there is rich and very vibrant. My itinerary will be about the food. lol, I am such a foodie. Let’s eat!!! There is nothing like some good ole ATL food. “The Select” Restaurant has a really good brunch, everyone should start their week there or end their week; depending on how you look at it, lol. But one cannot escape the history in the ATL with its place in history due to the civil rights movement. Visitors must attend a service at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and yes, the King Museum. What I like to do in every city I visit and live in, I travel around several neighborhoods and get a real sense of the city and various communities sometimes by bus or train. When I lived in Kansas City, St. Louis, Oakland, New Orleans, DC, Los Angeles, and Dallas; I did the exact same thing. It’s a great way to explore the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Youth In Need, Inc is one of the greatest employers I ever had. Working with them all those years ago inspired my current film, PRETTY BOY. I also like to give a shout out to the producer of my current film, Jonathan D. Boyce, a former ATL resident. He is amazing and is well-deserving of such an honor. He has the southern hospitality that southerners are known for having.

I also want to recognize my cousin and executive producer on my latest film, Courey Carrawell. He stepped up to support me when very few people stood by me through the heavy lifting to make PRETTY BOY. Courey still supports me. I will never forget what family means. Courey has incredible energy in believing in the power of potential. Courey is a positive, hardworking,  husband and father. He represents what men can be in this world.

Website: www.colemanentertainment.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevin_coleman_cohen/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-coleman-cohen-9b359924

Twitter: @kevinmovies

Facebook: facebook.com/kevin.coleman.cohen

Image Credits
Kevin Coleman-Cohen