Before his breakthrough at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival with the sharp, satirical debut “Dear White People,” Simien was a social media manager at Sony Television and worked in the PR departments at Focus Features and Paramount Pictures. As he explained on “What No One Tells You,” the first video franchise from IndieWire’s Future of Filmmaking, that time behind the scenes gave him the foundation he needed to lead his own projects.
Following the success of “Dear White People” (which later became a Netflix series), Simien’s “Bad Hair,” his “Haunted Mansion” reboot for Disney, and his Independent Spirit Award-winning docuseries “Hollywood Black” further expanded his reach. But in his view, none of this work would’ve been possible without first creating a viable delusion for him to chase.
‘Delusion Goes a Really Long Way’
After trying and initially failing to get “Dear White People” made as a feature film, part of what pushed Simien to keep going was — as he puts it — a delusional sense of purpose. He viewed his artistry as filling a gap no one else could.
“I tried so many things to break into Hollywood based on what people were saying was trending or what audiences were looking for,” said Simien. “But I don’t know if you’ve noticed, I’m a Black person, I’m also gay. And yeah, when I was looking around the landscape of what counted as Black film in 2013, there was very little that I was seeing that I felt compelled to personally make.”
Once he realized this, and the importance “Dear White People” might have to others like him, Simien started to tune out the traditional advice for breaking in and focused on getting his film made any way he could. Rather than ask for permission, Simien chose to be “delusional enough to tell people — demand — that there be an audience for this kind of thing.”
Watch Simien’s entire “What No One Tells You” episode below.
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