Justin Simien facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Justin Simien
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Simien speaking at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con
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| Born | May 7, 1983 |
| Alma mater | Chapman University |
| Occupation | Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author |
| Spouse(s) | Rick Proctor (m. 2022) |
| Awards | U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent |
Justin Simien (born May 7, 1983) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. He is known for creating the movie Dear White People, which won an award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. This movie was later turned into a popular Netflix TV series. Variety magazine also named him one of their "10 Directors to Watch" in 2013.
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Early Life
Justin Simien was born on May 7, 1983, in Houston, Texas. His mother is Anna Simien. He grew up in the Houston area and went to the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After high school, he studied film at Chapman University in California. Before becoming a director, Simien worked in different jobs in Los Angeles. He was a social media manager at Sony Television and helped with publicity at Focus Features and Paramount Pictures.
Career
Before making his first big movie, Justin Simien directed three short films. These were Rings (2006), My Women: Inst Msgs (2009), and INST MSGS (Instant Messages) (2009).
Dear White People
Simien began working on the idea for Dear White People in 2006. He was inspired by his experiences at Chapman University, which had mostly white students. In 2012, he used his tax refund to create a short preview, called a concept trailer. He then used this trailer to start a fundraising campaign online through Indiegogo. He hoped to raise $25,000, but people loved the idea so much that he raised $40,000!
The movie first showed at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. It started playing in movie theaters in the United States on October 17, 2014. In its first weekend, the film earned $344,000 from just eleven movie theaters.
Dear White People earned Justin Simien the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It also won the "Audience Award" at the 2014 San Francisco International Film Festival.
TV Series and Other Projects
On May 5, 2016, Lionsgate announced that Dear White People would become a TV series. Netflix distributed the show, and Simien wrote the first ten episodes. The series was released in April 2017 and was very popular with critics. Many praised its writing, directing, and how it talked about important social topics. The show was renewed for a second season, then a third, and finally a fourth season, which ended in September 2021.
In 2020, Simien wrote, directed, and wrote songs for the horror comedy movie Bad Hair. It first showed at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Later, Hulu bought the rights to show the film. It was released in some theaters on October 16, 2020, and then streamed on Hulu on October 23, 2020.
In 2019, Simien started his own production company called Culture Machine.
In 2020, it was announced that he would be the showrunner for a new Disney+ series about Lando Calrissian, called Lando. A showrunner is like the main boss of a TV show.
In April 2021, Simien agreed to direct a new movie based on the Disney theme park ride The Haunted Mansion. The movie, Haunted Mansion, came out on July 28, 2023. Simien later left the Lando project because of his work on Haunted Mansion.
Creative Influences
Some people have compared Justin Simien to director Spike Lee. However, Simien has said he doesn't want to be "the next Spike Lee." Instead, he wants to be "the next Justin Simien." He does say that Lee's movie Do the Right Thing showed him that it's possible to make certain types of Black films. Simien also looks up to directors like Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman.
Personal Life
Justin Simien is married to portrait photographer and comedian Rick Proctor. They were identified as husbands on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud.
Filmography
Feature Films
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dear White People | Yes | Yes | Yes | First movie he directed |
| 2020 | Bad Hair | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also acted as "Reggie 'MC McCree' Watson" Also wrote songs |
| 2023 | Haunted Mansion | Yes | No | No |
Short Films
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rings | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | |
| 2009 | My Women: Inst Msgs | Yes | Yes | Co-Producer | Yes | |
| 2009 | INST MSGS (Instant Messages) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Also had a small acting role and worked on lighting |
| 2010 | Head | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | The Goldfish | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | Save Me | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2014 | 'Get Your Life' | Yes | No | No | No | Music video for Caught a Ghost |
| 2015 | I Can't With You | No | No | No | No | Role: Marshall |
Television
| Year | Show | Director | Writer | Executive producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2021 | Dear White People | Yes | Yes | Yes | Creator and executive producer (40 episodes) Director (7 episodes) Director and writer (8 episodes) Writer (2 episodes) Acted as "Jerry Skyler" in one episode |
| TBA | Flashdance | Yes | Yes | No | Future series |
| Geiger | No | No | Yes | ||
| Plan A | No | Yes | Yes | Co-created with Steven J. Kung & Leann Bowen | |
| Untitled Star Trek comedy series | No | Yes | Yes | Co-created with Tawny Newsome & Alex Kurtzman |
See also
In Spanish: Justin Simien para niños
