Today we’d like to introduce you to Darrick Patterson.
Hi Darrick, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been a creative person, into the arts. I’m no stranger to television and film production. At a very early age (high school), I participated in the Youth Telecommunication Institute (partnered with Indiana Black Expo) in Indianapolis, Indiana where I was introduced to this field and quickly discovered it would be my passion. During my four years of involvement with the Institute, my talents afforded me the opportunity to write, direct, shoot and produce several professional projects in the city from Corporate Videos to Public Service Announcements. My achievements garnered me considerable media attention as a standout young Producer/Director on the rise. I used to get checked out of school to do interviews with local TV stations. These accomplishments motivated me to continue to pursue this career path.
At North Central High school in Indianapolis, I also took radio and television classes at the school’s exceptional career center. I honed my skills while being a DJ on the school’s radio station and producing student programming for the school’s cable access channel. One highlight during my senior year, I won second place in the NAACP ACTSO (Academic, Cultural, Technological, Scientific Olympics) competition – video category. Students from across the country competed in this event.
At this time, I started taking notice of directors like Spike Lee, John Singleton, F. Gary Gray and the Hughes Brothers. Those Trail Blazers inspired me to reach for new heights/goals. So following in the footsteps of Spike Lee, I decided to go to school in Atlanta. But instead of Morehouse, I chose Clark Atlanta University. I studied Direction and Cinematography with the acclaimed instructor Dr. Herbert Eichelberger who taught such talents as Spike Lee and Monty Ross. I obtained a BA in Radio/ Television / Film and received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Clark Atlanta Mass Media Arts department. This was my beginning!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have gone on to build an impressive professional resume, which boasts several multi-media production companies and television networks, including CNN, FOX and now the launch of my streaming network Crew Love TV (website & mobile app) showcasing behind the scenes content of TV/Film production. My ultimate goal has always been to do my own thing!
But it has not been an easy journey pursuing my own personal projects. It’s been an uphill battle getting those projects created, scripts read, pitch meeting set up, etc…and just simply getting the green light! These aspirations to exec produce /direct my own independent projects were always chased on the side. To this day, I’ve heard no several times and received many false promises.
So taking things into my own hands, I decided to create the brand dapa Entertainment! To attain my independent production goals, I selectively assembled a stellar team of seasoned professionals, including my celebrity makeup artist wife, Quintessence, who is an Executive Producer with dapa. We make an excellent team! Through the years, the brand has been slowly building a body of work, which includes the recent launch of the streaming platform app Crew Love TV LLC. This app embodies my lifelong quest, dedication and commitment to greenlight my own projects and produce/direct them. But not only that, this platform showcases original and curated behind the scenes content and shows love to CREWS that create it! It’s something I’m all too familiar with because of my own strong background in production and working on crews. Nothing happens overnight. My experiences have brought me to this point and it’s only the beginning!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am the Founder/ Executive Producer of Crew Love TV. Realizing that streaming content is the future, I decided to jump in the tech world and develop an app.
Crew Love TV is a new FREE linear streaming TV network highlighting the behind the scenes of TV/Film production. It shows love to the art form and the CREWS that create it.! You’ll find documentaries, in-depth interviews, series, behind the scenes footage and MORE! It’s original and curated content that can be watched on the website crewlovetv.com or the Crew Love TV mobile app, downloaded at GoogleStore or AppStore. Coming to Roku and other platforms soon! If you love TV/Film magic, you’ll enjoy Crew Love TV. It’s only the beginning! We plan to be your global hub for behind the scenes content.
What are your plans for the future?
Totally focused on improving Crew Love TV the right now. It’s in the start-up phase. So I’m constantly figuring out ways to reach more viewers, improving the tech, curating great content and developing more original content. One of our originals is a docu-series called ALIX. It follows the journey of a talented, resilient filmmaker Alix Oliver! Watch out for him! It is Executive Producer by my wife, Quintessence. She’s also very involved in taking this streaming network to the next level. We make a great team. We are creating a legacy. It’s a springboard to get other ideas off the ground. We are content creators at the core! Creativity is my weapon and I’m aiming to win.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@crewlovetv.com
- Website: www.crewlovetv.com
- Instagram: @crewlove_tv
- Facebook: @crewlovetv
- Twitter: @crewlovetv
Image Credits
•Picture of Quintessence and Darrick Patterson
