Meet Calvin Walker of Watchmen Media Productions in Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Calvin Walker.

Calvin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I started with poetry. Langston Hughes is my hero. From there, I moved into plays. My father was a playwright. He focused on creating content about the history and achievements of African-Americans. Looking back at it, I see how much his love for telling our stories impacted me as an artist. I, also, became obsessed with Shakespeare around the age of 10.

I spent most of my adolescence trying to become an actor. There weren’t tons of opportunities for a young actor of color in my hometown. However, I was set on becoming the next big thing on the stage and screen. My desire for Broadway led me to UNT in Denton. I wanted to study musical theater there. However, my “dark tone” didn’t fare well with the music department. So, I ended up studying anthropology.

While in Denton, I did get my first taste of Community Theater. I was cast in Ragtime as the understudy for the lead, Coalhouse Walker. The experience was great. After the show closed, I was psyched to do more stage. My next audition proved to be quite unsuccessful. There were no parts for actors of color. This became true for a lot of the other opportunities that I would go out for. There were either no parts or they wanted me to play “thug #1.” I wasn’t interested.

In 2012, a good friend of mine approached me about writing a short film. I’d never attempted to do anything of the sort. I’d stopped acting after my string of bad luck with auditions. Writing had once again become my focus. From around 2007-2014. I was a columnist for a popular online Christian magazine. I’d dabbled in fiction as well. However, I was excited to take on this new medium. So, together, we produced a film entitled, “The Most Beautiful Flower Blooms in Winter.” It was a short about the impact that domestic abuse has on children and families in general. It was an amazing learning experience. The film was even selected to play at the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival in Switzerland. After we finished, I officially had the bug. I was empowered to take on directing as well. I wanted a chance to completely steer my stories from script to screen.

In 2013, I directed my first short, “Somewhere.” That was the beginning of a busy couple of years. Since then, I’ve directed twelve short films and three web series. I’ve been blessed to have my work shown in various festivals all over the country. Some of those projects have gone on to win awards. As a writer, I’ve had the opportunity to work with producers from all over the globe. It has been quite a ride. There have been lots of disappointments and let downs. On the other hand, there have been great moments of joy.

Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth? No.

I didn’t go to school for this. I had no formal training as a screenwriter or a director. So, I’ve been learning on the go. I made a lot of rookie mistakes in my first few projects. I didn’t know the proper way to format a script. I didn’t know much about shot composition. I didn’t possess the kind of confidence that allowed me to give notes to actors. I was extremely green. I’m not sure what color I am at this point in my journey.

As I got a little more comfortable, I started to want to work with named actors. So, I began reaching out to actors and their agents. Some people wouldn’t respond. Others would respond and they’d ask that all-important question, “What’s your budget?” I didn’t have a budget. At this point, I technically still don’t. I spent most of my journey producing non-paid projects. If anyone is interested in cutting their teeth, I would encourage you to create a non-paid/volunteer project. It helps you get used to the setting. It helps you practice your craft. I got to a point where I wanted to practice at the next level. I wanted to work with actors that I felt could tell my stories with a certain depth and nuance. My pockets weren’t deep though. So, that proved problematic.

I, also, wanted to start working with additional producers. In the beginning, I was the person doing everything. I watched a couple [a couple = hundreds maybe thousands] of YouTube videos. The people in the videos were saying that it was good to have a producer outside of yourself. As a director, you want to be totally focused on the job of directing when you’re on set. Finding producers proved difficult, I tried working with a few people. However, my projects were rarely a priority. I often had to deal with being pushed back for something new they were working on. So, that was a struggle. I’m currently learning how to really get it done for myself though. With proper planning, anything is possible!

Lastly, getting people to invest has been a big struggle. Investors like-named actors. Named actors like secured money. So, it’s hard to get one without the other. I’ve had moderate success with crowdfunding. However, getting the money you need to make the thing you want to make can be tedious. So, try your best to create things with your available resources in mind.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Watchmen Media Productions is a production company specializing in creating and developing content for stage, television, and film. We specialize in script development, writing, ghostwriting, and directing. The thing that I am most proud of is the fact that we’re able to retain so many of our clients. I’ve been blessed to build great relationships with people from all over the world, from Denmark to LA. When they are in need of custom writing, we are usually their first stop.

I think our knack for collaboration sets aside from others. I am someone that likes to work with the people that I am working for. I like to make sure that I am clearly communicating their vision. I like to make sure that they are involved in the process as little or as much as they’d like. I want to ensure that they walk away with something that they can be very proud of.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
That’s a tricky question.

No city is perfect. The film community around here is interesting. I think it all depends on what kind of content you want to make. For me, I’ve often struggled with working in Dallas. I often don’t feel that the kind of content that I’m trying to create is best served here. For genres like horror, I think Dallas is a phenomenal place. I’ve seen some great work come out of that space. I’d like to create arthouse films centered around the lives of people of color. I’ve not seen as many people get excited about those kinds of films. The note that I used to get consistently around my work is “it’s subtle.” People liked it but found it too quiet for their taste.

In regards to recommending Dallas to start a film career, I think it all goes back to my initial thoughts. It all depends on the kind of work that you want to do. I think anything is possible if you find a tribe of like-minded people that want to achieve a goal. There are some great groups in Dallas that filmmakers can find those kinds of tribes: Dallas Film Association, Dallas Screenwriters Association, Dallas Actors of Color, etc.

Pricing:

• $20 – custom monologues
• $500 – short films
• $3000 min – feature films
• $300/day – directing

Contact Info:

• Phone: 8068319048
• Email: watchmenmedia@gmail.com
• Instagram: CalvinJWalker
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/CalvinJWalker
• Twitter: Watchmenmedia

Image Credit:
Ken Duane, Brittney Bluitt, Ted Ramasola

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