We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Roshaun Page. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Roshaun below.

Hi Roshaun , thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I embarked on my journey in the entertainment industry as an actor. However, I soon grew disenchanted with the limited and stereotypical roles that were being offered to black actors. Every audition seemed to pigeonhole us into some type of hood character. But the turning point came when I was preparing for an audition for a crash-type film. As I delved into the sides, I noticed that the other characters were far more complex and intriguing, while the black characters were reduced to rolling weed and arguing with each other. It was at that moment that I decided to take a stand. I reached out to the casting team and firmly expressed my refusal to audition for such roles. Despite their attempts to lure me with the names they had worked with in the past, my mind was made up. My instincts told me that this was the right path to take, and nothing could sway me. And so, that marked the beginning of my departure from acting alone.

Another factor that pushed me towards creating my own work was the mistreatment of women in the industry. I witnessed an actress who had secured a role in a popular franchise, only to be told at the last minute that she would have to be topless. They went back and forth, suggesting she could wear a bra and panties instead, but eventually insisted on full nudity. It devastated her, as she lost a role she deeply cared about. I also witnessed another actress being unexpectedly confronted with a topless scene. In that moment, I discreetly whispered to her that she didn’t have to comply, as these people were not paying her. She mustered the courage to assert herself, refusing to go topless, and they continued the shoot without pressuring her. I’ve never shared these stories before, but experiences like these compelled me to become the writer and director I am today. I knew that if I had the opportunity to create work, I would strive to provide better opportunities for black actors and actresses who simply want to showcase their talent, rather than just their bodies. If I ever incorporate nudity in my films, it would only be done with purpose and tastefulness, not for the sake of selling sex.

I firmly believe in the untapped potential of minorities in cinema. If Hollywood would open its doors to our stories on a broader scale, it could unlock an additional $10 billion in revenue. It’s evident from the success of films like Black Panther and Jordan Peele’s works that there is a demand and appetite for our narratives. This realization has fueled my mission, which I have kept to myself until now. I aspire to expand my company into a powerhouse similar to A24, but with minority actors and actresses in leading roles. We deserve more than the limited and repetitive portrayals that Hollywood constantly feeds us. The industry is trapped in a cycle of playing it safe and shying away from taking risks. They seem reluctant to embrace anything that hasn’t already proven successful. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to create some of the most compelling and diverse stories for the underrepresented people of the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My story began in 2012 with a vision to captivate audiences through the power of storytelling. Armed with passion and determination, I started by crafting compelling short films that quickly garnered local attention. “Choices,” my debut short film, graced Comcast channel 16, marking the inception of my journey into the hearts and minds of viewers. My next short film “Brenda,” a cinematic interpretation of Tupac Shakur’s iconic song gained 120,000 views on YouTube and viewed at local venues, it began showcasing my ability to resonate with diverse audiences.

My commitment to excellence caught the eye of Detroit Public Television’s Metro Arts, where I had the privilege of sharing the inspiration behind my work. The spotlight only intensified as clips of my work was viewed on the show.
Fast forward to 2020, a pivotal year that saw the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. With unwavering belief in my vision, I self-funded my debut feature film, “Disruption,” The results were nothing short of extraordinary—a staggering 900%+ return on my initial investment.
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Disruption” gained over 800,000 impressions within its first three months on Tubi. Its acclaim extended across multiple platforms, including Google Play, Amazon Prime, Roku, and YouTube Movies. With the success of “Disruption,” I embarked on my next venture: “Trail of Dark Matter,” a riveting SAG series that pushes the boundaries of storytelling and bold testament to my creative prowess. Its recent debut on Amazon and Tubi heralds a new chapter in my journey, one defined by critical acclaim and widespread acclaim from audiences in the US and the UK alike. As the series continues to captivate viewers, it is currently undergoing an exciting transition, relocating to a new distribution company and will be re released as feature film with 5 chapters. This seamless transition will not only enhance its overall reach but also captivate audiences with an anticipated release in July 2024.

Currently, I’m actively seeking capital to elevate my company’s presence in the realm of high-quality filmmaking through the WeFunder platform. Investors have the opportunity to partake in the success of our upcoming project, a captivating superhero-inspired film that will focus more so on the thriller aspect of it. Additionally, I have a slate of meticulously crafted scripts waiting to be brought to life, spanning genres such as crime thriller, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi. While these ventures entail higher production costs, each film serves as a stepping stone towards ambitious cinematic endeavors.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The thing maybe a lot of people don’t know is what I went through to get my first feature film created. The script of the film ‘Disruption’ is 90 pages. For those who may not know, each page is estimated to be 1 minute of screen time. So the film should have been a 90-minute movie.
We filmed on weekends for a total of 13-14 days. Filming was smooth. There were hiccups that occurred, which happens on every film set, but it wasn’t until it was time to edit the film when problems started to arise. I got a call saying that the film had missing footage and all of the sound was unusable. To make a long story short, the amount of footage that was available was only about 42-45 minutes, out of that 90-minutes which would give me a short film with a broken story and not a feature film.

I decided to take on the editing, but I’ve never edited before. So, before I began editing the film, I paid for a couple of online classes to learn the basics. Once I went through the course, I began to edit. The first question I asked myself was “how can I get this over an hour?” I first started by building the world. I added a series of news clips that fit the narrative of the story and turned into an intro. I wrote two new scenes, adding one scene before they left the house and an end credit scene.
There is a little boy that appears twice in the film; his intro scene was gone, but his second scene wasn’t. But the issue with having his second scene only is that the information no longer connected. The main characters knew too much about him at this time. So I tweaked the conversation to appear like it was their first meeting by removing words and adding words when the characters are off screen. The final stretch was playing with the speed and length of the credits. With all that, I was able to get this film to be 62 minutes long, giving me my feature film back. But there is still one other problem. None of my sound is usable.

Everything had to be recorded and put into the film. Every sound effect you hear in the film, I recorded from the train, the door slams, footsteps, and even when the couple kiss. I simply recorded me and my wife kissing and I just put it in the film. I don’t ever recommend doing this yourself and to hire a professional sound designer, so you don’t end up with uneven sound like I did. This project was a nightmare at the time, but it was my most valuable learning experience in filmmaking and the best example of my perseverance and dedication as a director.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

For many years, I explored crowdfunding and conversed with potential investors, yet I faced setbacks in raising the necessary funds needed. It dawned on me that to attract capital, I needed to first establish a track record and demonstrate my capabilities. Reflecting on my resources at the time, I pondered how I could craft a film with what I had access to.
Thus, I created a script set in a single location, centered around a couple stranded when their car breaks down. Utilizing a combination of personal funds from my job and maxing out he credit cards, I pieced together my debut feature film. Remarkably, this film yielded a staggering 900% return. I reinvested the proceeds into my next venture “Trail of Dark Matter”. Armed with a proven track record, securing additional capital for this project became less daunting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.its-a-rap.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roshaunp/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roshaun-akeem-page-2b234540/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RoshaunPage