Today we’d like to introduce you to Lester Rowe.
Lester, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I attended Booker T Washington HSPVA as a visual artist learning all the disciplines of visual art and as a fun aside, I made a film called Holla, which was what I call the black Scream a feature film made by horror movie icon Wes Craven. We didn’t have a video production program but as a breakdancer, we used to always video our practices and one day, one of my peers, Darren Hollins, said we should make a movie and the rest was history. I went on to graduate and go to college in Kansas at Newman University where I had a real culture shock but also was getting a real-life masterclass in diversity and experience not only seeing more white people than I ever had but also seeing that Texas and the south is a completely different experience than the midwest.
While in college, I learned I really had a love for film and storytelling and despite making a film before for fun, I had no idea how to do it and take it seriously. Like most people, I put it off and made 1000 excuses and then one day, I said I can keep reading books or I can go try it. This was a time before you could just go on YouTube and get a tutorial for how to peel the perfect banana, I went out daily to a skate park to try to make a trailer like movie previews. I didn’t have an idea. I just figured if I could get a couple of shots, I could come home and edit something. That same day while shooting, a BMX bike rider came over and asked me what I was doing. I panicked because I didn’t know if I was breaking a rule but I said “I’m shooting some video of the skate park for a movie” he goes “are you with a company or something” I said yea aRowe Films” to sound official and then I said “how about I interview you,” and that started my filmmaking career.
I made a documentary called Saddle Above the Axle about Damion Looney, who was a troubled kid who was trying to get his life right. It was a short film that went on to be picked up in 2 film festivals and I went on to make several including Wifi at Rock Bottom: Something about Meth which is short documentary critically acclaimed with several festival plays and awards as well as a book I authored of the same name. The documentary is about a girls spiral into meth addiction. I have done projects for David Caveman Rickels, who is a Bellator MMA star and Dallas rapper Teleoso, who I have done many creative collaborations with. Through this, I have created a brand called People Collector that is associated with Wifi at Rock Bottom and have recently pivoted out of documentary work to make more narrative films such as Stay Home that was made during the early stages of the pandemic and a currently shooting Good Night a short thriller. I have a documentary that I have been developing over the years called Real Streets where I have interviews from rap artist and members of “the streets” from Dallas, Wichita and OKC that explores what it means to be Real and if the concept creating arrested development inside of black culture.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The struggles include being black, trying to create cinema and be taken seriously. Early on, I was always asked if I was shooting rap videos or if I was making adult films by black people and by white people, I wasn’t taken seriously when I said I was a filmmaker.
Access to information was tough and with filmmaking being expensive, it was hard to stay or be current with the equipment need to look like you know what you re doing. Learning marketing and growing the brand was a struggle because social media is hard and knowing what you don’t know. there are so many things you need to know that you don’t know that you need to know.
We’d love to hear more about aRowe Films.
aRowe Films and entertainment is a multimedia production company that develops and tells stories for audiences looking for something fresh. I am most proud of my ability to stay current and in tune while still maintaining authenticity in the works. The most recent release, the short film Stay Home garnered a lot of attention organically and was able to give me the boost needed to continue to create during the pandemic. Being me sets me apart because I am able to tell stories with my own unique voice and knowing how much volume that voice needs within the storytelling experience and presentation.
What were you like growing up?
Growing like most kids, you are a certain way with family and then another way with the world. I had that in a way because I am a really shy person but there are circumstances where I am everything but shy. I want to tell the good joke and get people to lean in and figure out who that is. I had no problem going my own way and not following the crowd and saying no. A lot of that came from seeing my sister be the funniest person in the room and loud and knowing I could never outdo her but when I leave the house I want to be like my sister with her ability to own a room. I was big into exploring information like crime stories and understanding how electronics work.
Contact Info:
- Website: arowefilms.com
- Email: arowe.films@gmail.com
- Instagram: arowefilms
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/arowefilms
- Twitter: arowefilms
- Other: youtube.com/arowefilms
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