It started with a belief in the power of place.
In 2016, I partnered with director Tate Taylor and producer John Norris to launch Crooked Letter Picture Company. Tate had just wrapped Get On Up with Chadwick Boseman, and we shared a vision: build a world-class production studio in Mississippi. Not LA, not Atlanta. Right in the heart of the Deep South.
Natchez became home. A small river town with antebellum architecture, complex history, and a community hungry for opportunity. We weren't just making movies. We were betting on a place most Hollywood executives couldn't find on a map.
Two sound stages. The only ones in the state.
We built Crooked Letter's production facility from scratch. 40,000 square feet of stages, production offices, and post facilities. For the first time, Mississippi had infrastructure that could compete with major production hubs.
The bet paid off. Productions that would have gone to Louisiana or Georgia now had a reason to stay.
Stories that found audiences around the world.
From psychological horror to dark comedy, each film pushed the studio's capabilities and put Mississippi on the industry map. Working alongside Academy Award-winning talent taught me that great stories are built on trust, creative freedom, and knowing when to get out of the way.
"We didn't just want to make films here. We wanted to build something that would outlast any single production."
Film Natchez: Building what lasts.
Productions come and go. We wanted to leave something permanent. So we founded Film Natchez, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to education, workforce development, and building a sustainable film economy in the region.
Through a partnership with the local HBCU, we created training programs and a talent pipeline that ensures the next generation doesn't have to leave home to work in film. That's the real story.
What I learned.
Building Crooked Letter taught me that the best creative work happens when you trust talented people and challenge them with worthy problems. It taught me that place matters, that stories are stronger when they're rooted in real communities. And it taught me that marketing, like making movies, is about showing people what's possible.