The community of Memphis yet again has a golden opportunity to showcase its impressive talent pool through the production of its newest independent film “Hoop Streets.”
With production taking place in Memphis, itself several members of the community have come together to bring this large scale of artwork to life. The task of filming this film allowed every member of the community to showcase their talents in the areas of basketball, acting, video editing, and overall film making.
This production has also opened the doors for many young rising stars in these professions to sharpen their skills, gain experience, working as a team with each other, and reach greater heights themselves.
And it all started with a dream — and a dream job — for Teresa Dickerson.
“I decided to write my first screenplay 14 years ago, when I was working at the Memphis Grizzlies, my dream job,” said Dickerson, CEO of Isaiah 54 Films. “I’d always wanted to work in the NBA. I played basketball in high school and college. We’re just a basketball family. My husband played basketball, I played basketball, my son played, my nephew played.”
Like anyone who truly loves the game, it had lessons beyond the court, Dickerson said.
“I was always taught that sports are a microcosm of life, and it truly is,” she said. “I started seeing how life played out through basketball. How you could learn so much through playing team sports. And I tried to figure out a way to put that to tell a story.
“How do I tell this story about life, about sports, about how to overcome obstacles?”
Hoop Streets is loosely based on Dickerson’s nephew, whom she raised.
“Watching him grow up, playing basketball trying to live out his dream,” Dickerson said. “I just decided to put it on paper. “I really pray and that is my prayer that it will motivate and inspire, especially our young people of color.
“I really want them to know that they can go after their dreams no matter how big that dream is,” she said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve something. Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re gonna be dead or in jail. You gotta cancel that and don’t let people speak that over you. My prayer is that this work of art will inspire and motivate Memphis.”
The film is about Mason, a young hooper trying to overcome his short-temper and achieve his dream of pro basketball, against all odds.
“He’s a representation of Memphis,” Dickerson said. I see that in Memphis. I see a city that’s a great city, but we’re going after our dreams against all odds, because there are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of our children. So we really want to inspire the city and the country.”
Princeton James, Dickerson’s production partner, feels the same way. Growing up in nearby Coldwater, Miss., James majored in accounting at The University of Mississippi. But he never gave up on his childhood dreams of acting.
“I knew I wanted to be an actor when I was a kid and my teacher told me to be ‘realistic. You’re gonna be an accountant.’ And that’s what I thought I would become,” he said. .
After graduating from Ole Miss, James moved to Atlanta to pursue acting. One Sunday at church there, he heard a word that moved him.
“The preacher preached about operating your gift — saying people will suffer if you don’t operate your gifts,” James said. “So I left my job that Tuesday, went to an internship in Dallas, came back to Memphis and started my company. That was 2016, and I’ve been going ever since.”
James did plenty in front of the camera but first dabbled behind the scenes in a movie called Uncorked. Later, James and Dickerson would meet in Houston, and their production alliance began.
James reflected on the challenges he faced as a director.
“Well I like to think of them as opportunities to grow and how to collaborate better, managing people, working with individuals, and understanding that this is a collaborative effort,” he said. “I don’t really see it as a challenge more so it’s just an opportunity for me to learn, grow, and build. But whenever you collaborate on a vision everybody’s opinion matters.
Also keeping the morale up when it comes to the rest of the team, so that they feel valued, loved, and cared about. And that their presence, their talent, their energy, their gifts, and their opinion all matter so I would say that would be the opportunity that I continued to learn and grow in is just to manage that.
Filmmaking is just like any other type of project. Things are gonna come up that you did not see coming,” he said. “Locations are gonna cancel — that has nothing to do with us, but we have to navigate those waters and figure out what’s best for the production, what’s best for the team, what’s gonna keep the team safe, energized, and healthy. All while preserving the initial vision of the Executive Producer (Dickerson).”
He then described this as his main strategy for managing the set, Mr. James further added how inspired he was by Mrs. Dickerson’s vision while also continuing to “operate” his gift as he greatly expressed his excitement to continue in the production of this venture. The very idea of this entire production is groundbreaking as the vision of a single person has brought an entire community together in order to achieve a single magnificent goal that will create bonds in the community that could last for years to come.
