Pete Chatmon followed his passion for storytelling — creating a million-dollar sole proprietorship along the way. He is a TV and film director who runs the production company The director in Los Angeles.
Chatmon has directed more than 60 TV episodes, including HBO Max’s The flight attendant, Insecure, Silicone Valleyand love life; you, on Netflix; ABCs Grey’s Anatomy and blackish; and Apple TVs Mythical Quest. Recently Chatmon was co-executive producer for Reasonable doubta new show for Hulu.
Chatmon’s production company started creating branded content for advertisers in 2014, with the help of a team of contractors. He started producing podcasts (including his own, Let’s shoot! with Pete Chatmon, where he interviews directors); short feature films; commercials and direct television. “It’s an ecosystem of creative solutions, anchored around hiring me to direct,” he says.
Chatmon is part of a burgeoning trend: the rise of million dollar sole proprietorships. In 2019, there were 43,012 companies with no employees other than owners that made it into the $1 million to $2.49 million revenue category, up from 41,666 in 2018, according to the US Census Bureau. Another 2,553 made $2.5 to $4.99 million in revenue, and 388 made $5 million in revenue and more.
“I think in today’s world what’s really exciting for almost any business is that there’s been different levels of democratization,” Chatmon says. “To me, your phone is a camera. When I got there, I had to go into debt with NYU Film School to touch a camera. The barriers to entry have been lowered. Access to information has been increased. You add your own passion and perseverance to that cocktail, and there’s not much you can’t achieve.”
After picking up his first Super 8 camera from NYU Film School, Chatmon began his career making short films and attended the Sundance Film Festival with his NYU thesis film, 3D, in which Kerry Washington played. He then wrote and directed the feature film Premiumwhich premiered on Showtime after a limited theatrical run.
In 2017, his small store did well with branded content for Fortune 100 companies and advertising agencies. “We would primarily provide them with video content for the brand to share with their social media channels,” Chatmon says.
Chatmon moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to do his branding, but remained open to other opportunities. “As TV directing became a bigger volume, that was added to the portfolio,” he says.
It was during these years that he learned an important lesson: “Whatever your creative pursuit, you have to master your craft,” he says. “You have to be curious about what has come before you and what is out now.”
But in addition, he learned that in order to go the independent way, he also had to understand the commerce of his profession. “You have to be aware of the business side of it, the specifics of your business,” he says. “It’s different for film, TV, commercials.”
To keep business flowing, Chatmon works with clients to help them come up with content that not only meets their creative needs, but also fits their budget. “I appreciate where a customer comes from,” he says. “When we have $30,000 to make a short film, we try to make those numbers work.”
Chatmon found that his business was growing during the pandemic. “Many of the content producers and distributors recognized that it made sense to increase inventory,” he says. “Much more has been produced. Should this happen again, networks will want more content in the well.”
Recently, Chatmon entered another arena: as a book author. Earlier this year he brought Transitions: a director’s journey and a motivational handbook. “It’s full of principles that I discovered afterwards were the North Star of what we do,” he says. “It’s a book I wanted to read all those years trying to figure out a way to connect the dots and get paid for what I was trying to do.”
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