Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Mullen.
Hi Derrick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Well, I can’t say, I always wanted to be a filmmaker but I really enjoy watching movies. I would spend countless hours watching behind the scenes of making a film-type documentary, deleted scenes, etc. I moved from Atlanta to St. Louis in 2005 but later in 2010, I met a young up-and-coming playwright by the name of Kyria Williams and she shared with me her desire to write and produce stage plays. I was inspired by her vision and I wanted to help her with that.
I would lend my expertise in creating marketing campaigns as well as recording some sound bites of her plays for content promos on social media. I had no experience in videography but I learned while promoting Kyria’s stage plays from the video footage recordings. One day I decided to record one of her stages plays from beginning to end and I would later go home to edit the footage (using an iPhone) and she and her husband were impressed with the outcome.
At that moment I stated to them, “I think we can make a movie”. Neither of us had any experience with making a film but we put our gifts and talents together and got to work. The Wake-Up Call became the first independent project that I filmed, directed, edited, and co-produced, and later, I would go on to produce “A New Husband for Christmas” 2020 and “The Gift of Grace” 2021.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey hasn’t been easy arriving at this point. I was a novice at the beginning. I didn’t have anything to compare my experiences with when making the first film “The Wake Up Call”. I was so engrossed with making that film that I didn’t make time to focus on the areas of opportunity like distribution, a marketing plan, etc.
While making “A New Husband for Christmas ” we ran into fundraising challenges as well as one of our main cast members was a no show on their first scheduled day of shooting which forced us to find a replacement and as a result, we had to reschedule the following shoot day 30 days outside of our original completion date.
And of course, we can’t leave out shooting our 3rd film “The Gift of Grace” navigating during a pandemic. So the road is not always smooth but you have to dodge the potholes the best you can.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mullen Group Productions LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
MULLEN GROUP PRODUCTIONS is an award-winning Film Production company, based out of COVINGTON, GA. Since day one, we’ve been working with industry leaders and consumers in every genre and format, and pride ourselves on the professional, thorough, and, most importantly, creative services we offer. We welcome work from all sectors and we work around the clock to produce cutting-edge video content that is engaging, original, and dynamic.
As Creative Director, my mission is to produce visual content that resonates with viewers, regardless of genre, scale, or platform. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been interested in moving pictures. I wanted to capture these special moments in life and make them last forever. Growing up, I realized I have a unique gift and technical skillset that was worth exploring.
After working for some of the leading corporate companies in the industry, I decided to start my own business. It gives me a unique opportunity to choose my projects, manage my time and work with freedom. All of our films are available to stream on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most is that I honor God by using my gifts for the greater good. To inspire hope and be a light in a dark place. These past 2 years since the pandemic have been hard for a lot of people including myself. We need to laugh, smile, and see good in things.
Contact Info:
- Email: dmullen@mullengroupprd.com
- Website: www.mullengroupprd.com
- Instagram: @mullengroup
- Facebook: Mullen Group Productions
- Twitter: @mullengroup
- Youtube: mulleng…up.info/YouTube
- Other: amzn.to/3d36zxB
Image Credits
Shalese Johnson, Chiajunna Holden, and Derrick Mullen
