Kerron Andrews is truly a man of many talents. He’s an entrepreneur, real estate agent, and motivational speaker to name just a few. But when he stumbled upon filmmaking, no one could have predicted how fiercely his passion would catch fire. In the words of Kerron himself: “It’s either this or die.” Now that Kerron has grown over the years as a filmmaker, we took some time out to chat with Kerron to learn about what makes him tick when he’s crafting stories.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
1. You seem to be a man of many talents. How did you get into filmmaking?
Kerron: Man, where can I start? I would say filmmaking was born out of me. I became so aware I didn’t want to do anything that was committing spiritual suicide, meaning that I had to do something that I believe I was put on this Earth to do.
I realized I needed to do something that I really loved, you know? I used to be a speaker, a real estate agent, I used to help people even write books and I don’t even have an English degree. I did all of these weird different things, which I don’t have any regrets about because everything that I’ve learned led me to who I am as a filmmaker. As a Realtor, I enjoyed doing the videos more than sitting at the open house. And the thing is, I liked being a Realtor but it was spiritual suicide. I had to do something that I love and I’m the happiest man alive now.
2. Why do you feel that filmmaking is your purpose? What about it connects with you?
Kerron: I wanted to get into acting at first. People have always told me all my life, “You’re creative, you should be an actor.” I’ve heard that from so many different sources. The CEO of Reveel, William Cheverie, was one of them and he actually mentored me to be an actor. To be candid, he was the main catalyst to where I am now because he watched me make all these videos. He saw something in me that I really didn’t see in myself, but I know existed.
What started to happen was because, in my mind, I always have these stories in my head. I just always see the underlying message and everything. I walk outside, I see a rock and somebody might just see a rock. I see the minerals in the rock, I see the shape and contrasts in it. So I had stories to tell and decided that I would create my own stories so I won’t have to wait on anybody else. I really hate being a creature of circumstance and I don’t want to wait for life to happen to me. I want to happen to life. So that’s what I did. Instead of just being an actor and doing auditions, I created my own stories.
3. Who were your biggest influences and inspirations before you made the leap into filmmaking?
Kerron: Before I made the leap into filmmaking. My mother, obviously, was there for me, to support me in everything that I’ve done before. There are so many people. I was really big into personal development, so a multitude of people inspired me to become the person I am today, and believe it or not, a lot of those had a colossal part in the change of who I am. I literally became a different person after reading their books. Zig Ziggler, Jim Roan, and Tony Robbins to name a few. These guys are motivational speakers. I was really big into personal development working on me because I was a military veteran.
It’s a struggle for vets when you get out. You’ve been conditioned for so long and then when you leave the military, you kind of lose your purpose. You’re forced to find a new one. Without purpose, you’re in trouble. And so I had to do it on my own.
I don’t think there’s just one motivation. I believe in God too, and I pray a lot. But, it’s a multitude of different people who I respect like Myles Munroe and Les Brown. These guys really gave me perspective on life and how to live as a good person.
4. Every filmmaker has their creative process. Where does the inspiration usually come from for your ideas?
Kerron: If I can be nerdy for a second because I think ideas come from data about the outside world. So in most cases, we say we’re original but in reality, we’re not. We just borrow from something else. Me, I was a big reader of the motivational type of stuff and I draw from that. I wasn’t a big fictional reader and I have to start getting into that stuff more. I also traveled a lot and have seen over seventeen different countries so perspective is key.
Sometimes I just get ideas from somebody saying something as we are talking. I have other creative friends who I talk to and get into a flow state with where ideas are just popping out. It’s a hard question because in order to be creative you need data. I don’t believe it just manifests. So I’d say from all of my life experiences and with that being said, I need to read fiction books more. Another big habit I want to get into more is reading scripts. If you want to be a screenwriter, you’ve got to read the best scripts. Trust me, I’m putting that in the plan to really help me grow.
5. You have worn a lot of hats in your films. What role do you enjoy the most and what role do you find the most difficult?
Kerron: I enjoy directing the most if I was, to be honest. The most difficult role is the logistical part of it like the shot lists and stuff. I’m big on storyboarding. Sometimes I’ll just use my storyboard as a comic book and I won’t even do a shot list because there’s nothing that says you have to have a shot list. If you have a storyboard, that is literally a visual representation of it.
So, I love directing because I’m big on leadership. I love leadership. Been in the military for 13 years. I have always been a leader there. I’m really good with people. I know how to bring the best out of them. People always have fun. No one feels pressure and is running around. Everybody is relaxed.
6. You have five films on Reveel that go back to 2020 and now you are directing Heart of Stars episodes. How have you grown as a filmmaker from when you first started to now?
Kerron: I get anxious when I don’t shoot. I have goals. I want to take over the world without stepping on anybody else’s world and I really want to be the best I can be. So, I’m a big learner, I’m always learning and what starts to happen is the more I learn and implement what I’ve learned, it fundamentally changes you.
If you look back at your old films and you’re not cringing, you’re not growing. There’s a saying that you never really complete a film, you abandon it. There’s no way for you to do everything you want exactly how you want to, especially when you are not an expert. I don’t have ten years in this field so with every film that I’ve made, I have grown.
It took me six months to shoot the film, Cursed. I shot it, I edited it, I directed it, I acted in it. Even the villain in there was me splitting the screen. I didn’t honestly know what the hell I was doing. I knew I had a story, I love horror, and I understand horror most importantly. I’ve heard some people tell me it was one of the scariest horror films that they have ever seen and I’m still shocked about that but obviously I knew something about the art of creating horror.
When I come back to horror with the knowledge that I have now, you best believe that it’s gonna be cool. I have a film now called The Anniversary that is in the film festival circuit right now. Once it’s done, obviously I’m gonna get it to Reveel.
I can’t wait just to share that one. It’s really, really good. It’s about a guy who lost his wife and it shows the struggles of loss. Because when you lose someone, everybody says you can get over it. But, you don’t really ever get over it. You have to learn how to move on. So we kind of go through the emotional roller coaster of him losing somebody he loves. Especially when he thinks it was his fault and how he gets out of it to move on in life.
7. Race has been at the forefront of many conversations in Hollywood. How does race influence your POV as a storyteller?
Kerron: I’m a huge history buff and it’s important to me to understand that as Black people, our history goes beyond slavery. It’s so much further than that. The beef I have with Hollywood and a lot of slave movies that have come out is that when you keep showing us this is where we were, that’s who we believe we are. When I get the resources, I will change this because what’s inspiring about that? There’s so much more. Inspiring stories that haven’t been told yet.
I believe as I grow as a filmmaker, I can tell some of these stories differently and tell the real stories about who we are. Black Panther was cool but it was fictional. It isn’t a reality of who we are. We have to go back honestly and get back to where we came from. There are stories about us as Kings, Queens, The Moors, etc. All you gotta do is Google Search to find the stories we need to see before slavery.
Filmmakers are like wizards. We have the power to destroy but simultaneously we have the power to build and uplift. My turn is coming where I tell the world my story and use filmmaking as a medium to heal the world.
8. You’ve made many short films and short-form content, what type of content draws you in the most to create?
Kerron: Feature Films. Honestly, the only reason I’m doing short films right now is because I was building towards making a feature. Feature films and documentaries are going to be it for me. I just have to break out as a director by making that feature film. The world is watching. You can go to my YouTube and see the first thing I’ve made until now. I’m just growing and you can see my growth from then to now. My cinematography is better. My scriptwriting is better. My directing is better. The gear that I have is also better.
9. Do you have a dream project? Something you wish you could’ve been a part of or that captures the energy you want to create in films?
Kerron: Hereditary is one of my favorite films and one of my favorite horrors of all time. Just for the simple fact that the whole film is a damn subtext. It’s a meaning behind a meaning. To me, that’s real art. That’s the difference between mumble rap and J. Cole. I want to be the J. Cole type of filmmaker. Where there is depth. These are the films that I want to make. There has to be some type of message embedded in there.
I really love Ari Aster as a director because that’s the type of filmmaker I wanna be. Now, I’m not just saying specifically horror, but in general, the fact that he plays these mind games with people. He puts stuff in plain sight. So when you watch the movie twice, three times, or four times, you always discover something new. I’m that type of filmmaker. I want to put something in there where you don’t know what the hell it is and when you go look it up, you get goosebumps from it.
A Playlist of Kerron Andrews Films on Reveel
Join us for a journey through the creative genius of filmmaker Kerron Andrews! From hilarious comedies to spine-tingling horror, you can witness his evolving artistry with every movie on Reveel’s exclusive playlist. Check it out through the link below.
