From the Gridiron to the Silver Screen: Brian DeRozan’s Audacious Journey from Athlete to Auteur

Brian DeRozan is not your typical Hollywood multi-hyphenate. Before founding his production company, writing acclaimed short films, and appearing in series like Star Trek: Picard and Shameless, he was on a very different pathone defined by cleats, playbooks, and Friday night lights. A former football player at Kansas State turned filmmaker, DeRozan’s creative evolution reads like one of the scripts he now pens: layered, unpredictable, and full of heart.

“I think sports can also be broken down into three acts,” DeRozan reflects. “They have desired outcomes, conflicts, and then adjustments that lead to a resolution.” His ability to connect the narrative structure of a football game to that of a screenplay speaks to a mind deeply wired for storytelling, even before he realized it. “My sports career has helped me as an actor because I learned the value of hard work, having a process to achieve an outcome and being able to manage loss and rejection.”

The Birth of a Vision

In 2017, DeRozan launched Videohead Films, a production company born from both ambition and necessity. “The vision was to produce and tell stories that were important to me, to employ my friends in the industry and progress toward feature opportunities,” he explains. That vision began to take shape with projects like Pure, Black Face, and Celebrity short films that established his voice as one unafraid to confront, provoke, and ultimately move audiences.

Pure, in particular, marked a watershed moment in his career. “It was my first as a writer, producer, and lead actor. The experience of taking an idea and grinding through the process of getting it made, then seeing it on the big screen was something I’ll never forget,” DeRozan says. “My confidence grew because I’d completed something that at times felt impossible, but I was also humbled because I realized how much I had to learn. Through it all, I couldn’t wait to do it again.”

Mastering the Multihyphenate Life

DeRozan is no stranger to wearing many hats. From casting director to lead actor, he’s done it all often simultaneously. His shorts The Color Happy and Hillside Avenue required him to juggle nearly every role behind and in front of the camera. “When you self-produce you have to do so much of the work yourself, so I had to learn new skills and rely on help from others,” he explains. “Each one of these hats inform the others in different ways. I learned so much about auditioning when I had to cast my film. I learned about working with actors when I was directing and writing helped me understand storytelling more deeply, and so on.”

His comfort across genres is equally striking. Whether he’s navigating sharp satire in Dirty White, creeping dread in Very Frightening Tales, or emotional heft in Black Face, DeRozan’s work retains a signature integrity. “Comedy makes me feel the best, drama challenges and inspires me, and horror probably excites me the most,” he shares. “I believe my voice is maintained because the heart of the story and characters is consistent, regardless of the genre.”

A Grounded Perspective

Though his star is rising in the entertainment world, DeRozan remains deeply shaped by his roots. Raised in the Midwest and born in Oakland, he also identifies as biracial an experience that’s subtly, and sometimes overtly, infused into his work. “Nothing was easy about where I came from or how I grew up, so my characters often reflect that in some ways,” he explains. “They usually face big challenges, often within, that they try to overcome. For me, that includes identity. It’s something I used to shy away from when I was younger. Now, I embrace it. It’s one of my superpowers for sure.”

That personal reckoning is perhaps most evident in Black Face, a short that doesn’t flinch in tackling uncomfortable racial and cultural themes. “I definitely have an interest in exploring subjects that may be uncomfortable for some, if there’s value in it, and if it’s done correctly,” he says. “My process is to focus on the subject matter, then find the best character to represent it. Then I decide what portion of the story will raise questions, challenge the status quo or inspire conversation.”

Living the Dream Literally

Though he’s heavily involved in his own creative ventures, DeRozan also finds joy in acting for others. His credits in Star Trek: Picard, Shameless, and various procedural dramas have provided not only exposure but a chance to return to the pure joy of performing. “Honestly, when I get to step into someone else’s story I feel enriched because I get to do what I moved to LA to do act,” he says with genuine enthusiasm. “In those moments I feel like a little kid getting to live out his dreams in real time.”

And when the pressure of wearing every production hat is lifted? “If I don’t have to worry about all the responsibilities of producing, I can just focus on being an actor and just have fun.”

Navigating Industry and Independence

With representation by Aqua Talent and Storm Management, DeRozan has begun to bridge the gap between independent artistry and mainstream visibility. Still, he remains intentional about the balance between creative control and collaboration. “The only way to retain complete artistic control is to do it all yourself,” he notes. “Even if I do have artistic control, I always seek help and collaboration from others. I welcome it. But at the end of the day, I have to choose my battles and make decisions about what I can and cannot live without.”

What’s Next

For DeRozan, the leap to features isn’t a distant dream it’s already underway. “I’ve already begun to transition to feature films,” he confirms. “I’m currently pitching Magic, my first feature script, and have another one right behind it. The latest is the feature script for Celebrity, a short film that we shot in Amsterdam.”

DeRozan’s narrative is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless drive. Whether he’s dissecting identity through sharp social commentary or relishing a good scare in genre cinema, he’s doing it with an unmistakable voice and a game plan honed long before he ever stepped on set.

“I love the process of filmmaking,” he says simply. And in a business where process is often as important as product, that passion might be his greatest strength.