Behind the Buzz with Julien and Justen Turner of Dreadhead Films

When brothers Julien and Justen Turner got the call from Sundance Film Festival to premiere their comedy pilot, FreeLance, in Park City, Utah earlier this year, it was the last thing they expected. Filmed and set in Columbus, FreeLance builds upon the commercial success that the filmmakers have achieved with their production company, Dreadhead Films.

The Turner brothers’ resume includes Forbes 30 under 30 honors and ads with LeBron and Bronny James (Nike) and Jimmy Butler (Cheez-It). As their festival tour continues with recent visits to Cleveland, Atlanta, and Yellow Springs, we caught up with Julien and Justen about the role that Columbus’ creative community has played in their success and how they got their start.

Julien and Justen Turner, Dreadhead Films

Justen (left) & Julien Turner (right). Photo by Josh Dailey

When did your love for filmmaking begin, and how did you end up getting into it together?

Justen: We did these Christmas videos every year when we were kids. Our dad would record us playing instruments and doing Christmas carols. There was always this idea that we would work on something up until Christmas and then record it. As our dad accumulated different kinds of cameras from us playing sports, we would go out into the neighborhood and shoot videos with our friends. We would act like we were in movies and come up with stories on the spot.

Julien: Filmmaking became a legitimate career path once we came to Columbus. I was 14 and Justen was 10 when we moved here from Champagne, Illinois. That first Christmas after we moved, instead of doing a Christmas song, we took the cameras as our parents were out Christmas shopping. We knew we had about eight hours of solid time where they were going to be gone, so we made a short film. That became a recurring thing. And eventually, we got our first camera we could own through the football program at Pickerington High School North. Everything snowballed from there.

What inspired you to start Dreadhead Films?

Julien: Every time we did a film when we were growing up, we would put a new production company name just to see what kind of ring it had. We didn't really take it seriously until we started getting local clients and knew we needed an LLC. People saw Justen going up and down the sidelines at football games with his camera, and they were always like, ‘Who's that dreadhead kid?’ The dreads were recognizable at that point, so we decided to go with Dreadhead Films.

Justen: I grew my hair out because of Karate Kid. Jaden Smith had cornrows in it. Then, in the post-credits, they were showing behind the scenes, and he had his hair in a big afro. That’s when I was like, I want to grow my hair out. I went with dreads instead of braids. Then, when we had to pick the name, our mom threw Dreadhead Films out there. Julien might have, too. I didn't want to name it that, honestly, but I didn't have any ideas.

Julien: We wanted people to know that we’re a Black company and lead with that. We wanted to eliminate the stigma behind Black hair and show that we can also bring quality to the screen.

Why has it been meaningful for you to recruit local Columbus talent for your projects?

Justen: We've always worked with our friends on stuff. What’s cool about being part of an emerging market is that you're helping to build it. Filmmaking is so collaborative that you can really find a role for anyone who does anything. Because film is an emerging industry in Columbus, not too many people know about the opportunities that are available. We always want to provide opportunities for people to be able to find out about it because we find so much joy in this. It's a joy to be part of a team working toward an artistic project.

Julien: For a long time, we felt like being in the Midwest was a hindrance to us and our growth in this field. But then, we started working out in LA and realized that pretty much all the filmmakers who are really doing this as a career are working with their friends. Once we realized that, we saw that's what we've been doing this whole time anyway. Why would we abandon the community that we've built to get us here just to have to go make new friends somewhere else? We want to cultivate an environment where people see themselves as film professionals and take pride in their work.

**What’s the story behind FreeLance? Why did you choose to set the series in Columbus?**

Justen: Filmmaking and videography can span so many different human experiences from weddings to real estate to sports. You get to meet all types of personalities. We started collecting funny situations in our Notes apps just for fun. We thought to ourselves, ‘This would be funny if we put this in some kind of comedy.’ Then, eventually, we realized that comedy would be like what we do and what we're doing.

Julien: Our mentors always said to do what you can with what you have and tell the story that’s deeply personal to you. We set out to do the thing that we’ve always loved to do, which was literally make a film. What we knew, what we had, and what we could tell was a story about Midwest creatives trying to break into their industries amid uncertain times and a really saturated creative market. Because it was deeply personal, it also became widely universal. Telling that story in Columbus is what made it so special. We’ve seen stories about the coasts, but what does it look like for everything in between?

**How was your experience premiering FreeLance at Sundance?**

Justen: It was an awesome experience. Our original idea for FreeLance was to sell it. Then, as we were finishing the pilot, people started floating around the idea of the film festival circuit. It opened our eyes to the idea of TV having its own circuit. What we realized about film festivals is that your film can be really good, but it's about what the programmers are looking for. To be part of the story that Sundance was trying to tell this year felt like a blessing. It was a really cool thing that we don't want to take for granted.

Julien: We hadn't really had that much festival success in the past. When we got the call from Sundance, it was probably one of the first times we've truly been recognized by the industry in such a large way. Once we realized we got into Sundance, we didn’t want to have our blinders on too much and be so excited by that brand attachment. Now, we had to break through the noise of Sundance, which was even more work. The effort and exercise that Sundance made us do, and then the platform that they gave us, have pushed us into this next phase and given us the leverage to bring something back to Columbus.

What advice do you have for emerging filmmakers in Columbus?

Justen: Sign up for multimedia classes. That's where you'll meet a lot of your peers and find people that you can work with. A lot of those classes encompass a lot of different things, from photography to design. All of these things are part of filmmaking. Also, get your reps in. Take those opportunities to make those short films, YouTube videos, trailers, and music videos. It took us a really long time and a lot of reps to get where we are.

Julien: Treat filmmaking as a sport. I think that's a language that Columbus people understand. We know how to be successful and break through the noise in sports. That comes from training and building your hours in the space that you want to be in. If you continue to do work and put yourself in spaces that you want to end up in, those opportunities will eventually start coming to you. We're just starting to reap the fruits of what we've been planting for the last 10-12 years.

Is there anything else you think readers should know?

Julien: The support that Columbus has given us has made all the difference. Even the ability and the friendliness to accept our parents and our family as a whole. The community at Ohio State has really embraced us, and the community in Pickerington has really embraced us. It's impossible for us to be here without the city of Columbus. Our first projects were with local creators, and it just so happens that our latest projects have been with them. We’re excited for where this can go.

Ransom Supply by Purple Star Photography