Today we’d like to introduce you to Uncle Shaun.
Uncle Shaun, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I use to live in Leighton, AL a country town right outside of Muscle Shoals, for the earliest part of my life; when I started school we moved into the city. To say the least, I’m a country boy at the core. I came up riding bikes and four-wheelers in the big fields and playing sports basically my whole life. I was pretty much able to get along with any and every one, but not everyone could understand me. There were people who thought I was a saint because I never did anything to wrong those around me, but others only saw my retaliations to being wronged, so they might say I’m nothing but the Devil himself.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a camera in my hand whether it was my Dad’s old handy cam, a Sony Bloggie camcorder, or a Nikon Coolpix bridge unit that I bought in high school for projects. I would often wonder if getting into the film and photography business was even possible, coming from such a small place, but never really acted on my interests. I was a big phone and computer guy, so I knew how to get rid of viruses and even build a whole tower to fit your needs. I remember making CDs and installing music on people’s iPod touches when they came out; I also used to flip phones, laptops, and other tech on our local Craigslist for extra cash. When I graduated from Muscle Shoals, I had intentions on becoming a computer engineer and potentially working for a major enterprise such as Microsoft, Google, or maybe even Apple. I actually loved building and designing the machines; however, I quickly found myself stuck when I asked myself: What will this be in the long run and how will I make this world a better place? I knew I could do the work and put in the hours, but I was at a point in my life where I was searching for a purpose and not just go to school and work for someone else the rest of my life.
When I attended my Bama Bound orientation, I had nothing but being an engineer on my mind simply because I didn’t know anything else that I would be thoroughly interested in. Here they told us to choose a backup major to explore while visiting, so as I looked through the catalog, I noticed media production under the communications college. After a few searches to see if I’d at least be able to even sit through the presentation I opted for it to be my second option. After viewing the major and exploring the college, I felt it in my bones that I was going to be in film. To say the least, math scared me away from engineering simply because I was tired of doing it every year, especially after being burnt out on school math competitions. It seemed like a familiar approach to a whole new world, and I would only have to take one math course to fulfill the requirement. I honestly didn’t know how I felt about being a person of color in the film industry, for I’ve definitely heard a lot of the issues we face when we’re in.
To be honest, even today, we just barely have our pinky toe in the white waters; however, people like Tyler Perry came up their own way and broke down the doors of Hollywood, making their own place in the world of film. That night, after meeting the right contacts I managed to find a dorm party where I met JaTerrius Taylor, a real quiet guy who can turn back a bottle. I always think back to this night because I met so many of my long term friends at this kickback. I don’t think I even exchanged numbers with anyone there, but I definitely found all the same lunatics right when the semester started and we’ve been straight ever since. I had gotten rather close with JayTee and everyone else he came from Birmingham with. His best friend Robert Hightower was a freelance camera opp and asked if I wanted to be a part of the Cavé Cartel brand. I didn’t fully understand the scope of their mission other than dorm parties and selling clothing, but they were a group of stand-up guys, so why not see how it goes.
That summer, me and Rob had gone on the road to Atlanta to film a series of music videos for one of his old high school friends. We both are strong minded beings and know what we’re doing, however, we did manage to bump heads once or twice and then went right to work. That trip helped us understand how the other works and how we should move accordingly. Shortly after I became another cinematography for the Cavé Cartel. Now, we link up and shoot many different projects together such as short films, behind the scenes, interviews, and of course we still finesse music videos. For the remainder of my college years I began taking pictures and furthering my craft in film classes where I had the chance to meet some big names like the producer of Tosh.0, who happens to be a former UA graduate. I already knew how to shoot and I also possessed some basic editing skills, but I needed to learn the proper way to do things for a refined final product that is worthy of being on the big screen. I dream of having my own production company with all the means of production for sound, film, and advertising. I feel that this would allow me to help people all around the word, giving those a voice who would have never been given the opportunity to shine their light upon this world. I feel that this is my piece of the puzzle that we all live in. After finishing school and looking back to the night at Bama Bound, there were a lot of people that I came in with who couldn’t make it out with me. I often wonder what I did to be in this position, why did money have to be an issue for so many, why didn’t they realize that there was plenty of time for partying as well as their school work? Sure, I’ve had well over my fair share of fun, but I seemed to know when enough was just simply enough.
Has it been a smooth road?
There was a situation where I was in my dorm during spring dead week and I heard loud knocking on my door and a grown man was saying my first name. He claimed to smell a noisy fragrance coming from outside our four bedroom dorm where my roommates didn’t drink let alone burn. I didn’t even smoke in their nor did I actually keep anything in my room. I told him that he probably just smelled the loud on my clothes from the night before because I didn’t have anything in my possession and they turned my room upside down. After about thirty minutes of me being handcuffed to the chair in the living room, they bring out about half a joints worth of bud saying it was in my backpack. My only thoughts where I know it’s not mine because I would’ve been mad for saving such a small amount for later, I ran out the night before, and I’ve never had a bag tied like that before nor would I tie it in this manner. They weren’t having anything and claimed that if I didn’t snitch on someone I’d go to jail and be prosecuted. I ended up going to the county until my folks came to bail me out. Yes, they tried to ruin my life for not even a blunt. After finding a lawyer and failing my history final, I was informed that one of my friend’s roommates was singing with my name as the chorus, so I was instantly pissed. My lawyer looked me in the eyes and told me not to touch the snitch because he was under police surveillance until the court date. He even said there was a possibility that they could’ve planted the nugget “in my backpack” while I was cuffed. I never saw the rat again, and I low-key fear where I’d be now if I did. All of this trouble because some people cannot own up to their mistakes after taking the chances and raising their own stakes.
We’d love to hear more about your company.
Uncle Shaun’s Direction is how I plan to take that first step in owning my own production company. I specialize in cinematography, photography, and also designing workstations from the ground up. I pretty much know my way around technology so, I know what the best equipment would be for your needs; from the desk and peripherals to even building machine that you’ll spend hours on for working, gaming, or even just casual email and web browsing. I’ve often been told that my eye for the camera was well beyond satisfactory, and with some of the lowest prices in around for photography, it’s hard to find a better deal. I love everything about film from the history of its evolution, the equipment and methods of its production, and most importantly the rush I get after finalizing and exporting a sequence. In short, I will make sure that your vision is brought to the world no matter how frightening or simple, and I’m going to make it shine.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is perfect for developing the next big wave, especially in black business, so I feel that with the proper planning and funding, true stars will be seen and not just noticed. I’ve taken notice at how a lot of people use their phones to take some really good pictures on the fly and sometimes, they even capture whole films. This was bound to happen with all the advances that we’ve made over the years and I’m all for it, but you can always tell when someone has taken their time and really understands the craft after comparing the work to someone’s’ who thoroughly speaks the film language. I feel that our phones could eventually give the studio grade machines a run for the money after introducing some lighting and sound equipment, but we still have years of research and development until this happens. I feel that movies will go back to being fully in-house productions due to budgeting and cloud-based streaming services. The popularity in streaming giants was not foreseeable by the big production companies that first agreed to stream their content on Netflix, now almost everyone, even Disney has a subscription plan to watch copious hours of ageless material.
Contact Info:
- Website: uncleshaunsdirection.com
Image Credit:
Uncle Shaun’s Direction
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
