Brian Hooks on Making An Impact with Left Of Bang Entertainment
Brian Hooks has been entertaining viewers for decades with his brand of comedy and his show stealing appearances, and he still got it. Whether you knew him from the classic “3 Strikes”, “Phat Beach”, “Q The Movie”, “Bulworth”, or even “Eve”, Hooks always gave memorable moments onscreen. The former “King of DVD” also showed us how to get it independently as he directed and produced a slew of direct-to-DVD films throughout the 2000s.
Still on the grind, Brian Hooks looks to expand and help many in California, and around the world. We recently spoke to him about his independent grind, being inspired by the “Service Above Self” motto of the Rotary Club, making it his mission to help at-risk youth and build communities, working during the pandemic, Left Of Bang Entertainment, and much more.
Thanks for coming through! How has 2021 been treating you so far?
I have to admit that 2021 has been good so far. Despite all that’s going on, it’s getting better each week, and [my company] Left Of Bang Entertainment has been growing consistently and evolving into something bigger. It’s blessing, and so far, so good.
Speaking of your “Left of Bang Entertainment” organization. What inspired you to start it?
I was just at a crossroads where there had to be more to what I was doing at the time, and I made the move to figure it all out. I had a couple mentors along the way in Willie Hooks and George Anton, and my life changed when I joined the Santa Monica Rotary, as their motto of “Service Above Self” was very inspiring.
After observing their activities of helping others weekly, it motivated me to start a program to help at-risk youth and alter their paths to a better life. With my background in entertainment and having a celebrity status, I believed I could utilize them in reaching out and helping the youth in every way I can.
I’m really excited in finding my purpose and mission with Left Of Bang Entertainment, but in truth, that purpose and mission found me. Left Of Bang Entertainment is really a blend of my love for the youth and teaching as prior to acting I was studying to become a Teacher, and my gift of entertainment and filmmaking to impact the world, and the lives of the youth.
Left Of Bang Entertainment is an interesting name for your organization, what does it mean to you?
So the “Bang” in the name stands for that action moment where the youth picks up a gun, joins a gang, commits a crime, and basically anything that puts them on the wrong side of the law. What we’re trying to do is reach out to them before that action moment and have them go left of bang, and provide for them opportunities and whatever they need so that they never have to consider reaching that “bang” action moment.
What we have learned is that many of the at-risk youth join a gang because they miss that sense of belonging and family, and they believe the gang gives them that. We wanna provide that sense of belonging and family without them having to go down a dark path. Instead of shooting a gun, we can have them shoot a film instead, and choose that every time. We know the system’s not designed for us, so Left Of Bang Entertainment had to do its part of make it better for our youth.
How can people interested in joining your mission get involved?
We’re open to anyone wanting to be a part of the mission, and they can hit us up at leftofbangentertainment.com, or they can find Left Of Bang Entertainment on Facebook and Instagram. Just send us a message and someone will reach out, and can move forward together. If you want to support the program, we have a Kickstarter campaign happening right now where you can pledge an amount.
We need all the support we can get as we’re really reaching out and helping these kids. We’re currently working on a film project with the plan to ensure that they’re all credited for the work they’ve done. I’m really excited about that, and we hope the change we make impacts the world on a grand scale.
Many of us are chasing empty things, but being able to help others and give back is a life changing experience
Speaking of film, you just wrapped production of your latest film, “ADAM + EVE”. Can you give out details about the film and what themes it explores?
The film is a love story about these two people who fall in love, but they both have a questionable past. What starts to happen is the skeletons from their pasts creep up on them, and prevents them from moving forward together. It’s a nice, lovely, cool, and sexy joyride that doesn’t give you the typical ending. We’re in post-production right now, and I can’t wait for people to see it when it’s out. It’s a change from what fans of my earlier work would normally see.
What challenges did you face while shooting during the pandemic?
All those pandemic challenges were crazy to say the least. With everything shutting down in the early stages, we were guesstimating that everything will be back to normal in 3 weeks. 3 weeks turned into over a year, and we’re still not sure where we’re headed.
The youth inspired me somehow during this to push forward with these films, and I wanted to get them involved. It was hard, and we all struggled, but over time we had to adjust to this “new normal” and get things done, and have these youth become a part of something groundbreaking. With depression on the rise during the pandemic, I couldn’t quit on these projects and these kids, so we had to make changes to the crew and stretch the schedules in order to make production safe and efficiently.
We had to do our part to ensure we’re Covid free, and we’re blessed to have been able to get production done from start to finish. We also conducted Zoom sessions where we had the youth meet the cast and have discussions. The pandemic was a challenge, but we’re blessed to have successfully done everything right.
You’ve been in the industry for awhile now, and now have a vision of creating a more diverse and inclusive Hollywood. How did lack of diversity when you were getting started affect your career and the moves you made?
I kinda sorta created this space for myself, and it was a blessing because the roles for POC were mostly limited or one dimensional, and there are dozens and dozens of us in the industry having to fight and settle for a role. What happened with me however was that I always had an independent mindset and a business sense, and me and a friend decided to put our resources together and make a film called “Q: The Movie”.
It was released off the heels off of a movie I was in called “Phat Beach”. It was horrible, but it was funny, and it peaked the interest of Xenon Entertainment Group who distributed the film. It cost us $13,000 to make “Q: The Movie”, and we ended up making $800,000 after the move with Xenon Entertainment Group.
From there, we found a niche, and did whatever we wanted, however we wanted to do by making these modestly budgeted films, and distributing them through mid-level distributors. In that sense, I was able to balance the lack of roles and lack of attention for POC, and was blessed to make these films for myself, and not being pressured by a big studio.
I still would pick up the phone when Hollywood calls, but I always came back to doing what I wanted to do. There have been challenges, but my independent foundation has helped me to sustain myself and overcome the challenges. I’ve been preaching and teaching independence for years, and I always push towards making your own films and content, and curate your own space. It’s what I do with Left Of Bang Entertainment, and we’re inspiring the youth to be independent and tap into their potential.
I’ve been preaching and teaching independence for years, and I always push towards making your own films and content, and curate your own space
What do you love most about the entertainment industry and your current role in it?
I love the freedom to create, and the energy that people get from watching a movie whether getting frights from a horror movie, or feeling the love from a romantic film, or getting laughs from watching a comedy. I like the ability to impact a person’s mood and life through the things that we create. The whole process of coming up with ideas for making comedies is great, and being able to get compliments from people like “You a fool!”, and them telling us about their experiences from watching the films is really everything to me. You never know how many lives you touch out there from your ideas and creations until you’re approached.
Why do you feel it’s important for those further along in their journey to give back to their culture and community?
I just think that it makes no sense for you to go through your life and career to see how much you can get for yourself. At some point it has to be about what you can give. What I’ve experienced through the [Santa Monica] Rotary, is the feeling I get from helping someone else, and not expecting anything in return. There’s no greater feeling than that, not even getting a new car or having a lot of expensive things can replicate that.
You always hear about celebrities going through depression and taking their own lives or doing drugs, they’re trying to fill a void that all the money and things can’t do. Many of us are chasing empty things, but being able to help others and give back is a life changing experience. That’s what life is about, and when you experience it, your life will get better and push you forward to more positive things.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
I would like people to know that i’m the sexiest man on earth (haha). Everybody knows me as the funny guy, but when you get closer to me, you’ll see i’m a sexy man. Ask my Publicist (haha). That’s what you need to know, and to prepare for when you walk by me.
Other than that, i’m on a mission, and I need all the help that I can get. We’re helping the youth, we’re helping communities, and support of every kind is welcomed. We have the Kickstarter campaign going on, Left Of Bang Entertainment is doing great, and we have a lot of projects on the way.
GET INVOLVED: kickstarter.com/projects/leftofbang/left-of-bang-entertainment
