Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Wheelon.
Hi Justin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When people ask that, I always try to make a very long story short for them but having been in this business for almost 16 years, there’s obviously a lot of various twists and turns that have occurred from then until now. After high school, I wanted to be a professional golfer and basically turned pro. I tried that for about a year and realized that even though I was good, I wasn’t THAT good and knew pretty quickly I needed to do something else. That’s when, through fate or luck or whatever you believe in, I ended up on a movie set. This was my first time on a set and of course, this was a multi-million dollar film with huge stars, so my first time was out of the ordinary, you could say. I just fell in love with all of it, the lights, the trucks, the cameras, the people, the food, the energy, watching the actors and directors do their thing, it was all fascinating to me. So that day, I decided I wanted to become an actor… which looking back was just as ridiculous as deciding I wanted to be a professional golfer. But, my parents always instilled in me that I could be anything I wanted and I really believed them. I’m always thankful for that. Having talked to some schools and kids throughout the years, it’s sad how a lot of kids don’t get that message and they think they only have a couple options when in reality they can become anything they want.
Clearly, there’s obstacles and challenges for everyone and I was no different. When starting out I didn’t have an agent, manager, training, and probably much talent if we’re being truthful but I was hungry for it. So I would take about any role I could just to gain experience and connections and it went pretty well for a while. Some bit parts, some supporting roles, and a few leads. But I found myself always even more fascinated by the directors. I would watch them even when I wasn’t shooting my scenes. Just how they interacted with people, commanded the set, collaborated with the actors and crew, and I found myself wondering what would it be like to direct. Now keep in mind I was married and trying to get a college degree at the same time so I was pretty busy but I couldn’t shake the notion of making and creating my own projects. So like the other times I wanted to pivot, I just went for it. I would make anything people would hire me for, even doing some stuff for free just to learn and try and get experience. Directing is when I think I really found what I was finally very good at vs just being good at something. When I started to get nominated for and win, the Emmys is when things kind of kicked into another gear professionally.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think like most things; it’s a complex answer. In some ways, it’s been very smooth and in other ways, it’s been extremely challenging. So I’d say professionally, it’s obviously gone a lot better than I even intended when I started. I could never have dreamed I’d get to work with some of the biggest names in the world and for some of the biggest brands in the world. I certainly would have never dreamed I’d have 22 Emmys at any point in time. And just creating some amazing things that have really resonated with people and have had a positive impact on the world has been lovely. I’d say, personally is where a lot of the challenges for me came in. This business is filled with dark alleyways you can take if you chose to and I did. It led to a lot of heartbreak and hurt behind the scenes. Of course, that part wasn’t ever shown on social media so people really aren’t aware and that’s honestly fine with me right now. Close friends and family know about some of the darker parts of the past but without getting into all the details here, I am doing much better and am excited about a new chapter of life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So I don’t really consider myself one singular thing in terms of “Director”, “Producer”, “Actor”, etc. I still act and did several movies last year, but if I had to single one particular discipline more than the others, it would be directing. Even with that, it’s not as simple as just films or commercials. I enjoy bouncing around from thing to thing. We, Oak Film Co. have so many various projects in various stages of development that there’s always something exciting going on. Things are always being written, cast, shot, edited, shopped around, etc. Some of the things I’m most proud of are some of my PSA’s. I’ve heard from various people that they really resonated with them and actually shared them with friends and family and made changes for whatever cause we were championing at the time. I’m not sure what sets me apart from others honestly. I’d like to think I’m pretty creative and can lead a production really well from start to finish but I can also list about 100 people I think can do it better so that question may be left for someone else to answer.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Easily collaboration has to be the main one for me. I know some directors are so singularly focused and unwavering in their vision and I respect that but I feel like I am surrounded with so many creative talented people that I would be a fool not to try and get as much help and information from them as possible. Of course at the end of the day as the director, you are the keeper of the story and the final say in creative and you must remain true to the story and your vision but it’s ridiculous to think that someone on your team doesn’t have a better idea than you…because I’m sure at some point, maybe a lot, they definitely do. So listen to your crew. Then I would say just treating people who you want to be treated, I know it’s as trite as they come but it’s so true. You have to recognize that we’re all human and we all have bad days, make mistakes, fall short, and are dealing with battles no one knows about. So be kind and caring when you can and people won’t forget that about you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justinwheelon.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/justinwheelon
- Twitter: twitter.com/justinwheelon
- Other: www.oakfilmco.com
