Filmmaking is as much an art form as it is entertainment. The camera and big screen are to a director as a paintbrush and canvases are to a painter. Many try to master filmmaking, hoping to achieve some measure of immortality through their work. More often than not, they fall into oblivion.
Thankfully, one filmmaker dares to defy the odds and is making his mark on the film industry. Get ready to meet, Devin J. Ricks, a true auteur and rising star!
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
What brought me to this career path were my childhood fascinations; creating my small film projects with family and friends. As I got older, I just stuck with it & did my very best to take it to higher levels. Like the wise say, I won’t complain. The journey has been rewarding. I’ve learned a lot about this industry & myself as a creator (film director).
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? Do you have any stories?
Well if we’re talking about in Hollywood, I met a handful of high profiled/credited film directors. It really put things in perspective because it assured me I was on the right path. Over my career, I’ve met Preston Whitmore, John Singleton (rest his soul), David E. Talbert & Doreen Spicer, just to name a few. Some stories I’d rather keep out (laughs), but if you know, you know.
One I can share is with Preston Whitmore. He’s a great guy. I met him back in 2016 and the funny thing is I was sitting right next to him in a waiting room and I didn’t even realize it was him. I always knew his projects/his name, but never knew how he actually looked. When he was introduced by a mutual associate of ours, I was like wow. I was sitting right next to him, having a whole conversation with him and never knew who he was.
He created the popular movie “This Christmas” which is one of my favorite holiday movies. It was funny to me because it’s like; you never know who’s sitting right next to you. We laughed about that. Afterward, we’ve kept in touch over the years. It’s been fun meeting creatives in the entertainment business. Some you can leave with genuine connections and some are just for themoment, but collectively, I appreciate each interaction. It assured me I was on the right path.
Incredible! What are 5 things you wish someone told you before you started on this career path and why? Please give an example for each.
5 things I wish someone told me would be:
1. It would require so much sacrifice.
I never knew in a million years it would be like this (laughs), but I’ve come so far and seen great fruits from my labor. I regret nothing nor would I turn back around, but had I known, let’s just say it would have been nice to know what I was signing up for.
2. Family/friend ties would be broken before you.
That was one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned. I guess that would be part of the sacrifice. Who would have thought success would bring so much drama (laughs). It comes with the territory. Now I just wish everyone well and I continue on with my destiny.
3. Everyone can’t go with you.
Now that is an understatement (laughs). Of course, we wish people could continue on with us, especially if they were on a level with you already. People & situations come and go. It’s always better to realize that early on than to keep people around past their expiration date. That alone can damage you in ways you won’t even see coming until it’s too late.
4. Everyone loves you until you become the competition.
It’s odd that everyone wants you to be successful until you actually become successful (laughs). It’s only a few people who actually want you to do great. I can’t even begin to tell you the people I had to let go of simply because of their jealousy/envy. It’s disheartening, but you learn to live with it.
5. You can’t make everyone happy.
Now I probably should have started with this one (laughs), but no matter what you do, everyone will always have something to say; so, you might as well go ahead & do what you were going to do anyway. I had to learn to just focus on myself (happiness) and leave the people who speak negatively etc. alone. Collectively, I wish I knew these things prior but learning them at the stages I did in life, was even better. It’s not just you manifesting your dreams; you have to realize not everyone is going to make it.
People simply don’t know how to handle that & those 5 things I listed show up every now & again. So, I learned to accept the spaces people are in and just focus on the positive; but yes, it would have been great to be prepped of all these things and so much earlier on. Overall, I wouldn’t change a thing; it made me who I am today.
Amazing! How can our readers further follow you online?
Yes, you can follow me on social media at: @prime_time_devon Instagram. Twitter: @devydev09. And on Facebook at: @theofficialdjrp. If you would like to check out my latest works (film projects), you can visit my productions page (Devin J. Ricks Productions) at: www.TheOfficialDJRP.com. or @thelovecyclesaga. It has been a pleasure speaking with you all. Thank you for having me & the well wishes. You’re Welcome. Take care! 🙂
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success! To see the full questionnaire interview series, head over to: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/devin-j-ricks-5-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-when-i-first-became-a-filmmaker-dbf3da457405
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