Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Speight.
Hi Derrick, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t grow up like traditional 80’s kids watching endless tv, MTV and movies. My mom wasn’t particularly a movie or tv person, so save for The Cosby Show, I mostly read books. A lot of books. I only remember having cable, which included HBO, for maybe three months before she cancelled it when I was eight, and since she wasn’t into them, I never really saw movies until I was in high school. And ohh what a time that was. In high school, there were two seminal moments that fomented my trajectory; one Spike Lee, then in his prime with a series of annual releases that included Mo Betta Blues and Jungle Fever, culminating with his magnus opus, Malcolm X (which both he and Denzel should’ve won Oscars for, but that’s another story). The other was when my 11th grade English teacher showed us The Making of Star Wars and I was indelibly changed. I remember watching, astounded at the notion that people actually made movies. I was hooked and from then on, and I would forever be addicted to expressing the stories and images in my head onto the world.
From there, soon after, I perused my way through the phonebook, cold calling anyone who’d listen, and managed to find my way to one of the biggest independent commercial production houses in Charlotte, where I volunteered to do literally anything, just excited to be a part of the process of movie magic. College followed, where I made strides by starting the first student organization for filmmaking, made several short films and began my “career” in filmmaking. I caught the eye of several of my instructors, likely because I wouldn’t leave them alone, who encouraged me to apply for the coveted UNC Hollywood internship Program which coupled students from Carolina with major studios for internships in Hollywood. Denied my first year because I’m sure they suspected I’d never return to finish my studies (they were right), and I was forced to wait until my senior year–at which point I never came back.
After a terrible internship, entirely because my handler hated my tenacious optimism and did everything in his power to prevent me from learning anything outside of how to properly print scripts, my ride to work mentioned a job he’d heard of in the burgeoning unscripted genre. The show was a behind-the-scenes exposé on wrestling called, Exposed! Wrestling’s Greatest Secrets. This was the beginning of the era of inexpensively produced unscripted television, which would birth reality tv. I really wanted to direct Superman, but no one had asked, and I was broke, carless, sleeping on the couches of various charitable schoolmates, and five months from welcoming my daughter into the world, so I took the job. I was 22. After the show, they made me an offer to work at the company and thus was my entrance into television. I would go on to work my way up from PA to producer very quickly over the next few years, soon finding myself in the enviable position in the middle of a seismic cultural shift in television, where for the first time, scripted television was no longer king…REALITY TV was king. We had gone from being the red-headed stepchildren of the industry to having such success that we could no longer be denied. Superman would have to wait, I was producing huge network shows like The Bachelor, The Mole, and The Surreal Life traveling the world, and regularly working with huge celebs.
Ten years later, after having produced dozens of shows, digital came calling and I was given the opportunity to work with YouTube as part of their 100 Million Dollar Content Initiative and was responsible for providing a slate of content across 3 digital channels. The success of those shows led to more digital opportunities with various networks and the launch of my production company Sp8 Digital.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth? Ha. No. That’s funny. Look at me now…I’m gettin’ pay-perrrrr, but no, I’ve been broke several times. Never homeless, thanks to my mother, but definitely like, broke broke. Producer Effie Brown gave a keynote at the IFP sometime ago, where she talked about having to mortgage her house to live, and director Tim Story has recalled being forced to move his family to a smaller home while struggling to support them, even after a string of successful movies. Even Tiffany Haddish lived out of her car for a time. So, my story is not unique. I arrived to Los Angeles with $800 cash in my pocket, pooled from my Grandmother, uncles and aunts before I left North Carolina. I literally lived in a seedy motel on Highland my first few weeks here. The worst kept secret of Hollywood is that the explicit nature of this business is feast or famine, especially in the beginning, and I’ve had my share of both. I much prefer feast. Let’s eat! When we work, it’s great, but it certainly can get dark when we don’t. Having a strong support system to help during those times is key. And truly in those times is when I was most creative.
But then, I couldn’t do much else! I couldn’t afford to go out, eat out, or do anything extra, so I was always in my empty apartment dreaming, writing, ideating about what I wanted to do. And all said, I was privileged. I was afforded the opportunity to be ok without an income in a business that is largely inaccessible to lower and middle-class folks. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my mother, as well as the Employment Development Department’s Unemployment Insurance for keeping me afloat. I’d likely be making really creative corporate orientation videos back home if not for them. And as I mentioned earlier, I had a kid as a kid. And in 2012, I went through a custody battle over said kid where I spent a year studying law books into the wee hours after work to represent myself because I couldn’t afford a lawyer. Thank God I won, and thank God she turned out alright, but it was a definite struggle trying to balance being a single dad of a child and chasing an insane dream. And my steadfastness and conviction have gotten me fired from just about as many jobs as I’ve kept. So, there’s that. So, not so smooth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a producer/director by trade, turned programming and development executive. I spent the vast majority of my career as a hired gun, commissioned to conceive of and create content for television and digital. I’d never endeavored to be an executive and certainly didn’t seek it out, rather it came unexpectedly as a very natural progression of all the work I’d done over the years. BET Digital offered me the position as Head of Originals to oversee all of their series, specials and pilots. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I shuttered my company, promptly accepted, and went on to produce 16 series that year.
While in consideration for a position, an exec offered one of the best professional compliments I’ve ever received when she noted that all my work has a look and a certain feel to it, which is entirely intentional. I have always viewed every project as potentially my last and strive to create a perfect union of style and substance. I’m one of the few producers that has had influence in two huge content movements; reality tv and digital, so I try to leave a mark wherever I go.
Now, I lead Originals for another well-known brand, Complex Networks, a division of the behemoth Buzzfeed, where I oversee digital, linear and theatrical projects. It’s akin to a studio deal, where in addition to managing the content slate, I spend my days looking for cool projects. I’m fortunate to be one of the more successful digital producers in town and one of the few execs that can greenlight projects. So, enjoying the ride and thrilled to be able to continue bringing new shows to the world. And if this doesn’t work out, I’m officially submitting my application to direct Superman 17.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Buckle up, Buttercup! It’s a long-toiled road ahead, and longevity is the name of the game. Find your passion, and never stop chasing it. It may seem like you’re going nowhere, but it’s all part of the process…don’t give up. I’m also a big believer in self-determination, meaning own that only you make the choices for you. Now, that may get you fired along the way, but just remember, you dictate where you go, no one else. Also, don’t be an asshole. No one likes an asshole. Choose kindness daily. Wake up every morning and see yourself where you want to be, and eventually you’ll be there.
Contact Info:
- Website: Sp8digital.com
- Twitter: @iamdsp8
- Other: Complex.com
