Dominique DeLeon

At 26, Dominique DeLeon has already enjoyed a career that has seen him work with award-winning director Spike Lee, award-winning author Jamaica Kincaid, and garner note as a music producer, writer and storyteller. In addition, his work as a writer and editor has appeared on ESPN, MTV and CNN.

Though a far cry from his humble beginnings, his life in film is still heavily influenced by his early years, growing up in Reagan-era Washington DC the eldest of six children. Estranged from his biological father at a young age and entrusted with a great deal of responsibility at home, DeLeon developed the relentless work ethic, offhand humor and gritty aesthetic that still informs his work.

It was this style that Jamaica Kincaid first noticed while DeLeon studied creative writing under her tutelage at Harvard University. Already known on campus and in Boston for his musical talents as a producer and artist, DeLeon turned to Kincaid to develop his talents as a ‘serious’ writer, and it was Kincaid that first encouraged DeLeon to turn his vivid, visual and witty style towards writing for a visual medium.

Even as he pursued music after graduation, earning a gold record for his work on the RIAA-certified 8ball and MJG record “Living Legends” (Bad Boy Records, 2004), and attracting attention for his own group’s independently produced EP and music video for “Stop Stop” (2004), DeLeon heeded his mentor’s advice, continually expanding his creative palette and exploring new avenues to tell his story.

Currently pursuing his MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Tamara Jenkins, Todd Solonz) DeLeon’s films include: Once Upon a Time in An Apartment in Brooklyn, Lola Loves Niko, a short documentary about an aspiring screenwriter and his prostitute girlfriend, and his latest project, Tags, about a fateful night in the life of a wanted graffiti writer (currently in post-production). He is also currently finishing “Res”, a feature-length screenplay based in the world of 8 Native American culture and gang violence on the Leech Lake reservation in Northern Minnesota.

Website

www.specialboyfilms.com

Filmography

Title:

Once Upon a Time in An Apartment in Brooklyn

Tags

Lola Loves Niko

Esquinero

Short, 2007


Short Documentary (Currently in post)

Short, 2008

Short , 2009