Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorón Morgan.
Hi Dorón, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As a child, my mom would always tell me, “What is meant for you, will always find a way to happen.” Now as an adult, I see the truth in that statement daily.
I got involved with the entertainment industry in 2017 while attending college. In order to provide myself with as much career latitude and altitude as possible, I double majored in Film Studies and Communication Studies. While taking a screenwriting class, I volunteered to orally present a classmate’s scripts to the class. Once I finished reading the script to the class, my screenwriting professor had a most perplexed expression plastered across his face. Our eyes met, and he told me to stay after class for a couple of minutes because he wanted to speak with me.
I was of course a little taken aback as to why, but I stayed nevertheless. Once class was over, he pulled me to the side and told me he was beyond impressed by the way I read the script and asked If I ever considered a career in acting. I told him that the thought never crossed my mind, but I would love to understand that entire world in more detail. He then looked me directly in the eyes and emphatically stated “I got you” and he really did.
He thereafter secured me a summer internship in LA at a well-known casting agency. I worked at the agency the entire summer and made it my mission to learn as much as possible about the behind-the-scenes world of acting.
From that point, life really took off for me. After my summer internship was complete, I returned to campus and threw myself headfirst into an upper-level film class. In that class, students write a script, and the faculty votes on the best script. Well, you guessed it… my script was selected for the Senior Thesis program. As having one’s script selected for a film is essentially a core reason why every film student chooses to go to film school, this was a really big deal. As a result of being selected, I thereafter honed the script, prepared myself for the task of directing my very own short film, and meticulously planned how to best utilize the various talents of my entire class; as they were my film crew. In addition, I had another idea when it came to the soundtrack for the film. As I have always had a love for music, I wanted to skillfully incorporate that musical passion into this film.
So, I reached out to my musical artist friends and started the process of creating a soundtrack. Fast forward a couple of months later, and our film won three different awards. After relaying this great news to the artists with whom we collaborated on the film, one of the sound artists reached out to me shortly thereafter with an opportunity. She had recently been signed to Capitol Records in LA and had a need for an intern. From that point on, my professional life began in earnest. I would go on to work at Capitol Records in Marketing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve always governed my life by the following saying: “If you’re comfortable, then you’re simply not growing.”
Since beginning my professional career I’ve been faced with many discomforts, nuances, and struggles – all as a case of first impression for me. However, throughout the process of engaging and addressing those struggles, I had to perform very deep introspection to sincerely get in touch with my innermost fears, feelings, and emotions. It was through that painful but necessary introspection that I found success by any measure (and in any field) requires much perseverance and discerned foresight.
It is that foresight (along with my acquired ability to sit, process, and be candidly introspective) that I discovered are the key skills that I think are needed for success (not only in my career field) but in any field.
So, it has not been an easy career glide path for me. I’ve had many hard moments in which hope felt like a foreign concept with empty meaning. In an industry drenched in nepotism and marinated in privilege, it is not only easy to lose hope in one’s dream – but at times losing hope actually seems like the logical choice to make.
However, it is in those times that I remind myself that “I didn’t make it this far just to make it this far,” and that “What is meant for me is for me.” After all, 1) it is the struggle that makes success mean ever so much more; 2) it is through experiencing the failures that we view life’s wins as being all the more beautiful, and 3) it is enduring the hopeless nights which allow for the peaceful ones to have so much clearer meaning.
Despair is the doorway through which breakthrough walks.
If it wasn’t for my life’s lessons, I would never have gained these blessings.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My professional life and career are quite vast. Currently, I work for a creative agency in LA. In addition, I also manage three different musical artists, have a burgeoning clothing brand, and maintain a thriving art business.
At the creative agency, I engage in the designs, production, and overall marketing for major corporate behemoths such as Balenciaga, YZY GAP, HBO MAX, Nike, and Facebook. One particular thing that I am most proud of in this creative agency position is my playing an integral role in heavily assisting in the recent North American YZY GAP activation. Talking to Ye and his team (and creating a stellar art installationesque experiential activation ) was something that I am very proud of and will forever carry that experience with me into future endeavors.
I am also proud of the three artists whom I manage. One, in particular, goes by the name Tito Rey. We have been grinding for about two years together and are finally about to drop an EP. After much hard work and planning, we have shows booked for October – December and have been pushing out some amazing content.
Lastly, I am so proud of my fashion brand. It hasn’t gone public yet, but I recently got back from Korea where some stores were interested in selling my product. I plan on dropping my first collection in 2023. So, stay tuned.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
It may sound cliché, but I don’t really believe in luck. I believe the world we live in is too intentional for things to be random. I learned early on to trust the process and to not “peak too soon.” Whether it’s a relationship, fame, success, or notoriety – when a person gains something too fast, losing it can be just as fast. So, whether it is my trusting the process or reminding myself all I truly have control over is my reaction-I choose not to “allow fear to win” Rather, I make a conscious decision to get right back up and re-engage the world with an exorbitant expectancy and unbridled possibilities.
It is this path that has shown me that no matter how hopeless the storms of life can be, the sun is always there… it’s just hidden behind the clouds.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.doronmorgan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintdoront/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ1Mc_QUWaM
- Other: https://thecreativeoutlett.com/
Image Credits
Areon Mobasher
