With a career that spans from author to film producer and motivational speaker, DeVon Franklin is laying the foundation for carving out an unmatched legacy for himself in Hollywood. Making it clear that his Christian faith and determination to succeed is what took him from an intern under Will Smith’s production company to an executive at Columbia Pictures and CEO of his own company, Franklin continues to prove that he understands the responsibility of success in Hollywood.
In an exclusive interview with BlackEnterprise.com, the University of Southern California graduate dishes on remaking the classic film Annie, the importance of social activism in Hollywood and why he’s always conscious about the content he produces.
BlackEnterprise.com: How did the remake of Annie come about?
DeVon Franklin: It was Overbrook, which is Will Smith and James Lassiter’s company, who came up with the idea to do Annie and do it with Willow. As the script was being developed, Willow decided this wasn’t something she wanted to do, so we were trying to figure out what to do and how we could keep the project alive. While we were figuring that out, Quvenzhané Wallis had just got nominated for the Academy Award for Beast in the Southern Wild. We ended up meeting with her and during the meeting everyone said “this is Annie.†[We] said, “You know what, we have to make the movie because she really embodies exactly who Annie is.â€
How selective are you in the projects that you decide to work on and what qualities do you look for before you say “yes?â€
I’m very selective in the projects that I choose to work on. There is a Frank Capra quote where he talks about people wanting spiritual and moral reassurance when they go to movies and I really believe in that. I really believe that film is a powerful medium, as is television, and content can really shape the way we view the world, the way we view each other and the way we view ourselves. So I’m always looking for content that can do that and I’m looking to hopefully make more movies that can fall in that box where people can walk away feeling better than they were before they watched that content.
You’ve been in the business for years, what’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received and who did it come from?
I’ve been in entertainment for over 18 years. I started when I was 18-years-old. I’ve gotten tremendous advice from so many great people, but I will never forget that time during college when I got a chance to interview Quincy Jones. One of the things I was asking him was how do you become well known for what you do and how do you make progress in your purpose and your passion and the thing he said to me is “Do the thing out of your thing and they will come to you.†And what he meant was, so many times we’re focused on the publicity around what we do and not focused enough on what we do. If you become great at what you do and an expert at what
you do, people will know about it and they will come to you to keep doing the thing that only you know how to do. That’s advice that I took to heart and I began to see it really take shape over the past few years. As I focus on the work in front of me and try to be of service and make a contribution, people come to me and say “Hey DeVon, can you do this? Can you do that?†And I don’t even talk about it, I just do the work.Check out Franklin’s career advice and opinion about social activism in Hollywood on the next page.
What advice do you have for someone who’s looking to break into the film production industry?
One, you have to be determined. You have to be obsessed and what I mean by that is if you can do anything else in life then this is not for you. This has to be the thing that you know you’re supposed to do, and you also have to uncomfortably put yourself in situations where you can get evidence if it’s what you’re supposed to do. It’s one thing to think you want to do it, but it’s another thing to get the validation and evidence that you’re supposed to do it. You have to get out of your comfort zone. You have to apply for jobs. You have to network. You have to speak up. People are going to tell you “no.†You’re going to get rejected time and time again, but all you need is one “yes†to make the difference so you have to keep going.
Another thing is you have to do your research. When I was coming up there wasn’t Google and all of these resources available. Now, you have millions of resources available just at the click of a button. People I come across say they want to be in entertainment and I say, “Oh really! Have you been reading Variety? Have you been reading The Hollywood Reporter? What was the last movie you saw?†These are questions that can sometimes betray someone’s interest because if they don’t know the answer to a lot of these questions it means they aren’t really doing the research. When you’re passionate about something I don’t have to tell you where to go for it, you’re already seeking it out for yourself because you’re passionate. The other thing I would say is always look to be of service. So many people that I’ve counseled or so many youngsters that are coming up in the business are like “Hey, I want to be a producer. Or hey, I want to do this.†Great! Nothing wrong with your aspirations, but the way you’re going to achieve your aspiration is by serving someone else. I started as an intern working for Will Smith’s management company. I was unpaid, getting coffee, getting scripts, picking up dry cleaning, running personal errands. This is how I started and the only way I was ever able to get a conversation with Will was through service. He would see my work before he saw me. It was like
“What kid is doing this and how is he doing that? Who’s this DeVon? Oh, he’s the one doing all of this? Cool.†So, when I had something to say to him, he was receptive and responsive because my work was the first thing that did the talking for me.Now with the news of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and the list goes on, do you feel that Hollywood has a role in using its platform to speak out on those issues?
Yes, I think the role of Hollywood is actually very critical in all of this because it’s an industry that can shape perception. I think it’s really important to look at how we are showcasing and portraying people of color in film and television because those portrayals absolutely shape the perception and the reality of how people of color are viewed day-to-day. So I think that’s one area of responsibility. I also think it’s important to use the platform that we’ve all been given to bring a voice and activism around these issues that definitely need our attention and certainly need our action. I feel a responsibility as someone in the industry to not only champion and produce content that can shape the perception, but also on a personal level use this platform to bring advocacy and awareness.
Be sure to catch DeVon Franklin on this weekend’s episode of Our World on Saturday via your local station (check local listings), and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. EST on TV One.