Rising Stars: Meet ‘O.G Ellison

Today we’d like to introduce you to ‘O.G Ellison.

‘O.G, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started as a first assistant camera working on documentaries with David Lynch’s company in 2014. Throughout those experiences, I learned a ton about capturing raw emotion and real experiences.

Moving on from this I knew I wanted to create my own stories as a writer/director. I wrote shot and edited my first short film ‘Billy’ in 2015. I have since worked on music videos, commercials and have written, directed and edited 4 more short films.

My 5th and most recent project “Things Worse” is currently in post-production. This project stars Roberto Jose Melgar and Alondra Andrade. Alondra is making her film debut after being a theatre actress her entire life. The cinematographer is Emerging Cinematographer Awards Honoree Leonard Walsh. This has been my biggest project to date.

I am from the SF Valley area mostly and went to high school here at Campbell Hall Episcopal. I am a local and wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else. I love my home.

My collaborated projects have more than 9+ million views in 2023 and my editing work streams on HBO max. He has worked on projects with Tiffany Haddish, Jill Scott, Aida Rodriguez & David Lynch.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an Afro-Latino, I would say I have all the same challenges as any other person of color. Particularly being a black man, There has been a gap between the Latin community in Los Angeles between me and them, I don’t match the typical look of the Latin people here and I am not extremely fluent in Spanish which sometimes makes me seem like an outsider in my own culture. My mother is Puerto Rican and she raised me to be very aware of our culture.

That said, there is racism present in Hollywood and the film industry as a whole. There have been a lot of improvements over the last few years. I would say the thing I struggle with the most is that the stories I’d like to tell are usually not focused on racism or black struggle. I routinely like to tell stories in which my characters are ‘just people that happen to be black’ rather than completely focus the story on their culture exclusively which I have noticed to be a trend in the industry.

I did grow up with a lot of financial struggles. Los Angeles is an expensive place to live, especially so for a single mother with no support. I thank my mother for being the person that she is, I fought very hard to become a college graduate despite our at-home financial problems. We fought through homelessness, lack of income and even hunger at times.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a writer and director. I specialize in succinct and visually striking stories. My laconic writing style lends to more action-driven filmmaking. I am most proud of the progress I’ve made from my first film until now. ‘Things Worse’ is the best thing I’ve made and I’m excited to share it. My films showcase people of color without making pandering or focusing on their culture as the only defining aspect of their character. Your culture is important but often time people are made up of more than their ethnic backgrounds.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My favorite books – The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba. The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

My favorite podcast – LORE by Aaron Mahnke

Things that influence me greatly

My favorite film – Drive (Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn)

The Greatest film ever made (in my opinion) – The Godfather Part II (Directed by Francis Ford Coppola)

The Dark Souls video game franchise.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/Knightcapturerook
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@strategistfilms6322

Image Credits
Sal Natale Louis Lake III ‘O.G. Ellison