Daily Inspiration: Meet Drew Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Brown.

Hi Drew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story started three months before I was born, when my mom and dad were preparing for me to come into the world. My dad decided to start documenting my life and titled it The Drew Story. Even before I was born, there was intention behind who I would become. He named me Drew because of his love for art, painting, and creating comics. Creativity was built into my life from the very beginning.

Everything I’ve wanted to do in life started from my intrigue with the arts — filmmaking, photography, and storytelling. A lot of what inspired me was simply wanting to recreate what I saw in movies. From a very young age, I wanted to be in action movies and eventually create my own. As I got older, those ideas started turning into action.

When I spent summers with my dad, we created comic books together. I was always obsessed with movies, but even more obsessed with the special features behind them. Growing up, I wanted to become something like the characters and filmmakers I saw on screen. I would constantly recreate scenes and channel those ideas any way I could.

As I got older, I started getting cameras for Christmas and experimenting with different techniques like stop motion. That really fueled my entry into the arts and filmmaking. Filmmaking has always been a major part of my life and what I wanted to pursue, so I was always searching for ways to get into the field.

Before film school, I spent a lot of time writing plays and creating concepts, especially zombie films and horror-themed stories. One of my biggest early projects happened when I was 17 years old. I rented out a mall to shoot a zombie movie, but production ended up running behind schedule. Instead of giving up, we transformed it into a haunted mall attraction during the summer and homecoming season. More than 600 kids came out. That became my first major production experience right before film school.

Once I got into film school, I knew I wanted to do something bigger. During one summer, while traveling frequently, I was offered the opportunity to go overseas and shoot my first documentary for a European League basketball player. From that moment on, everything started changing.

I became obsessed with shooting, creating, and traveling as much as possible, regardless of the expense. I would take trips to Chicago and New York just to build relationships and meet people I admired creatively. I started doing free documentaries for artists and creatives simply because I loved the process and wanted to sharpen my craft. That period really shaped my passion and connected back to the intentional way my dad started my life creatively.

As I continued traveling, I moved deeper into the music video world. I began recreating cinematic concepts inspired by films I loved and translating them into music videos. For me, the goal was always to create something larger than the budget and make work that felt timeless regardless of the resources available.

That mindset eventually expanded beyond traditional filmmaking and into AI. Since I always dreamed of making large-scale action films and cinematic worlds, I became interested in learning tools and technologies that could help bring those visions to life, even with limited resources. AI opened another creative door for me and not as a replacement for filmmaking, but as a way to enhance creativity, develop concepts faster, and help other creators visualize ideas they may not otherwise have access to.

No matter the circumstances, I’ve always wanted to prove what could be created through passion, vision, and persistence. I’ve always been willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot, and that mindset has stayed with me throughout everything I do today.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been the smoothest road, but it has always been about maintaining my composure and staying patient. The filmmaking industry is incredibly expensive to break into, so you have to put your best foot forward while remaining patient through every stage of the process. A lot of opportunities that can elevate your career only come with time, consistency, and perseverance.

What I’ve learned is that the small things eventually add up to monumental moments if you stay grounded in who you are and remain true to your morals. For me, the journey has really been about perfecting my level of patience and understanding that growth, opportunity, and success don’t happen overnight, but through consistency, resilience, and continuing to believe in your vision no matter the circumstances.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
“Anything for the shot” — that’s what I’m known for. I go above and beyond for every person I work with, and anyone who’s worked with me knows how passionate I am about what I do. I truly love creating every single day of my life.

My daughter doesn’t live with me full-time, but she spends the summers with me. Every day that I’m away from her, I make a promise to myself to keep creating and pushing forward so I can build a better life for her future and support whatever dreams she chooses to chase one day.

For me, filmmaking is also about creating safe and inspiring spaces for women and children within the industry. I want people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ages to feel free to create, express themselves, and exist comfortably within these spaces. When people come together with the shared purpose of creating something meaningful, everything feels aligned.

What sets me apart is that I truly will risk everything for creativity and I’ve done that many times before. I love bringing someone’s vision to life. I feel like it’s part of my purpose to help people believe that anything they imagine can become real. If someone trusts me enough to share their vision and gives me the honor of helping create it, then I feel a responsibility to answer that call with everything I have.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
When I was around 11 or 12 years old, I read the book The Secret after my mom introduced me to both the book and the documentary. A huge part of it is centered around manifestation — the idea of visualizing the life you want and truly believing in your ability to create it.

Anytime someone asks me for a book recommendation, that’s always one of the first things I mention, whether it’s the book itself or the documentary. It had a major impact on the way I think and approach life. It reminded me that I’m the creator of my own reality and that self-doubt is often the biggest thing standing in the way of growth.

That mindset has helped me tremendously throughout my journey. In moments where things felt uncertain or difficult, it pushed me to keep visualizing the bigger picture and to trust the process instead of getting in my own way.

Pricing:

• Cinematography Day Rate $750-$1500
• Editing – $150 per hour
• Directing Day Rate $1500-$2000
• Documentaries – $250 per minute

Contact Info:

• Website: https://whoisdrewbrown.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmlord

Image Credits
Anna Brannon