We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Travis Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Travis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I came up with the name “Browntown” as a combination of my last name and to incorporate that “town” element, since I’m from a small town, Bridgeville, Delaware. It started out as several variations using the name “Browntown.” At one point, it was “Browntown Pictures.” Then I think it became “Browntown Films,” until I eventually landed on the name “Browntown Studios.” I went with adding “Studios” because I knew that the overall goal was to eventually build a sprawling film studio on the East Coast. On July 7, 2007, Browntown Studios was born after directing my first stage play. That name has been stamped and branded onto every project I’ve been directly involved with since.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started out writing, producing, and directing plays around Delaware. I did that for about 10 years and had a great level of success in connecting many creatives. I knew my true passion was making movies, so from there I enrolled at Delaware Tech as a way to learn and sharpen my craft as a director. Delaware Tech is where I was introduced to editing and shooting video. At the time, their communications program was more journalism-focused, but I was still able to leverage the foundational skills I learned there to help me transition into filmmaking.
After graduating from Delaware Tech, I immediately transferred to Wilmington University’s Studio Production/Digital Filmmaking program. This was more film-focused and very hands-on. It was here that I was really able to hone my skills as a film director, writer, and producer.
Then, in 2015, I relocated to Los Angeles and have been writing, producing, and directing professionally ever since. Moving to LA is one of my proudest moments. After working on a number of feature films, it helped elevate my credibility as a filmmaker. I’m currently enrolled in the UCLA Extension Directing program for professional development so that I can continue to provide my fans and followers with a certain level of excellence in the films I will continue to make in the future.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Getting my first feature film made here in Los Angeles was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. We started filming in September of 2021, during the COVID pandemic. That alone presented its own set of challenges for many filmmakers at the time, especially independent filmmakers like myself. There were extra costs and complications associated with things like testing and social distancing, which became increasingly difficult because working on film sets requires proximity and collaboration.
Despite those challenges, we pressed on and were able to complete principal photography. Since this film was self-funded, with help from a small number of donors and micro-investors, we faced many challenges, primarily during post-production. It took us five years to finally get our film released. There were times when I didn’t see how we would even come up with the money for certain things, but somehow, every time, we made it happen.
Through our resilience and hard work, we landed a distribution deal with Gravitas Ventures, and our film, A Lion’s Game, is being released April 22. It was a journey, but we got it done.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My creative/business partner, Bella Dontine, and I met at Wilmington University on a student film project where she was the lead actress. From that first meeting, we stayed in touch from time to time and worked on a few projects together here and there. In 2017, we made things official and became partners.
Her production company, Small Wonder Studios, and mine, Browntown Studios, partnered up and began producing a number of film projects together. Our first was our award-winning short film, The Norwalk Witness, which we shot on location in Los Angeles. Then, as mentioned, came our first feature film, A Lion’s Game, scheduled for release on April 22.
In addition to writing and producing films, we have also collaborated on literary projects, releasing a number of short stories on Amazon, with several novels currently in development.
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