How Brandon Washington Found Success Through Film

When most people grow up, they seem to grow out of the dreams they once had. However, there’s few things more inspiring than seeing someone set a goal in their youth and persevere until it becomes their reality.

Brandon Washington is a writer, director, and filmmaker. Over the last decade Washington, who commonly goes by WriterBoy, has worked his way from writing as a hobby to getting ready to release his feature film “Dream.” He credits his success to hard work, focus and trust in God’s plan.

Raised in Washington D.C. Washington was already establishing himself as a writer. He constantly was published in the school newspaper, he had already put together a few films, and published his first book at the age of seventeen. He followed up his book release with his first film. “I Am Like Tiffany.” This film solidified his passion. “I wrote [the film] to address the issue of women’s abuse. The response was so amazing. I realized I had a gift.” Since his beginning, he has wanted to produce films that made an impact on the world. 

Following his success, he continued to work. He had no idea the places that his hobbyt would take him. In the beginning years, he worked out of his apartment. He had a camcorder and a few thousand views on Youtube. The cast for his films lined up outside his apartment to audition for their roles. Now, he has his own studio and is a writer/director writing films for Netflix dreams in LA. Despite his success, he recounts some of the struggles that he faced on his journey. “When I got to LA, I was the youngest and the blackest person in the room.” The other directors looked at me and questioned my accomplishments. “I immediately felt small and unaccomplished.” He struggled to adapt for several weeks. Even when he landed a project which included different commercials for brands like Burger King, Google, and BET, he still felt like an outsider. He constantly found that many other directors were paid more money for much less creative work. “I walked around with a chip on my shoulder.” It wasn’t until he connected with mentors such as Ray-J and Jamal Washington, VP of Monkey Pop, that he felt like he belonged. “They took me under their wing and helped me. The biggest lesson that I learned was to put Relationships over Revenue.” He took that lesson and ran with it. He has now written multiple films for Netflix Dreams, and his Youtube Channel WriterBoy Films. 

Washington continues to find his inspiration from some pretty big names. “Guys like Tyler Perry and Spike Lee are my inspirations. I love the journey that those guys had. Sleeping in the car, being wholly independent and building something meaningful.” This inspiration is apparent in his films. While he is very unique in his approach and style, the realistic storylines and messages of hope and inspiration certainly ring of a Tyler Perry-esque film. 

If you are interested in learning more about Brandon Washington and his work, follow him on Instagram and Youtube via the links below. 

Instagram: @iamwriterboy

YouTube: WriterBoy

If you are interested in seeing more of his films including his upcoming feature film, “Dream,” visit his website WriterBoyFilms