He is not someone who just talks about his goals, he actually puts in the work to achieve them. He has dedicated his time to perfecting his skills and generating interest and funding for his own streaming platform, which is now accessible in 172 countries. With a subscription base of over 200,000 subscribers, his success is nothing short of exceptional and deserves to be celebrated. He created his platform not only to benefit himself but also to give other independent creators a platform to share their content with the world. Starting his career directing music videos, he has now produced a highly successful new movie called “Realityville,” which is available on the popular streaming app, Tubi. Let’s dive into this recent interview with emerging filmmaker and entrepreneur Bakeeba “Teflon” Ruffin aka Cinematic Tef.
How did you partner with the streaming platform Tubi to bring your popular new film Realityville to the screen?
First, I had to prove myself to the industry, so the first thing I did was build my website to host the movie, after about 5,000 sales I caught the attention of Homestead Ent. A distribution company offered me a deal and I accepted it. The point of the story was I had to prove that I had an audience.
Realityville has been very well received with over 1.8 million views in a few weeks. Is it based on true elements in your life or a true story?
The story is based on both. A partly real, partly fictional story.
How did you go about creating your own TV streaming company Reel Demand TV? What type of content are you looking for?
Reel Demand TV, I created the platform out of necessity, I noticed that a lot of Artists, Entertainers, and Content Creators were being mistreated by major platforms, I saw that a service was needed, and I took the steps to make it happen.
Why are you self-taught in all your various gifts such as directing and cinematography or what was your background in film prior to creating your own company?
Yes, I am self-taught in Music and in Film, prior to me getting into film seriously, I was always directing my music videos or helping other artists with their videos, so it kind of came to me naturally, around 2014 I decided to really take the film side seriously and started studying the art of film making and bought my first camera and started to practice, then around 2018 I started to shoot my first movie “Savage Genesis” and the rest is history.
Who is your favorite director? Why?
Well, I have a few but I will give three, first off Brian De Palma, who directed Scarface. I like his style of directing. Hype Williams who directed “Belly” I enjoy the cinematic feel of his movies, and lastly, F. Gary Grey who directed ‘Friday” for his versatility.
Realityville is an urban drama that reminds me of the nineties. Is that the classic feeling you were going for?
Yes indeed, the nineties were the era I was raised in, so I wanted to give the people who were not around at that time a glimpse of what it was like, but more current and up-to-date time-wise.
There are so many independent creators. What would you tell them as they are working to launch or raise funds for projects during the waiting period?
I would tell them to stay focused, if they are launching, make sure they have a strong rollout to the best of their ability if they are raising funds, I would tell them to think outside of the box and to always be prepared to pay for it yourself if needed, because it is your vision and sometimes people don’t get it until they see it.
He is an inspiration to all aspiring filmmakers, directors, and artists. He has taught himself how to be successful in every area he has taken an interest in. It’s one thing to dream of being a successful cinematographer, but it’s another to be disciplined and determined enough to set achievable goals and execute them. As the quote goes, “Strivers achieve what dreamers believe.” Cinematic Tef has proven himself to be a striver and earned that name without a doubt. You can check out more information about him on his website www.Realityville.com, or better yet, download the free app Tubi to watch one of his films that is currently one of the top viewed on the streaming platform. There is so much more to come from this talented filmmaker, and we should definitely give him our full support.
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