The making of a filmmaker
Following an example set by his Buckeye parents, Gen Z director Justen Turner ’24 is breaking barriers in the film industry—and opening doors for other Ohio creatives.
As you walk through the door of Justen Turner’s childhood home, you are greeted by the legacy of his parents, Cynthia ’95 MA, ’96 PhD and Kevin ’85.
It isn’t just their large, individual portraits hanging on the parlor wall. It’s the presence of their instruments—an upright bass and piano—that they mandated their children to play. It’s also their large bookcase filled with plaques, as well as CDs they’ve recorded and books they’ve written.
An old, framed Columbus Dispatch article praises a high-school-aged Kevin as a rising star on jazz guitar. A framed Ebony magazine story honors Cynthia as a “young leader of the future.” Decades later, the Ohio State graduates are still making their mark as professors at their alma mater.
“It was cool seeing this grow over time,” says Justen, 23, as he eyes the display in the Pickerington, Ohio, home. “I’d be like, ‘Mom, when did you come home with another glass trophy?’”
When asked if he and his brother, Julien, 28, felt pressure to live up to their example, Justen responds affirmatively and without hesitation. But his parents also made success feel possible. “They were really good at motivating us, making us feel like we could do what they could,” he says.
The Turner brothers are well on their way to blazing their own trail. As young filmmakers, they have garnered their own awards, which have been added to the bookcase. There’s an Ebertfest trophy for one of their short films, an international award for their work in advertising, and a framed article about their entry on the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Since they founded their production company, Dreadhead Films, as adolescents, they have directed about a dozen short films. They’ve also created ad campaigns for brands such as Nike, Taco Bell and AXE, which featured LeBron and Bronny James, NFL star Davante Adams and rapper and songwriter Lil Baby, respectively.
Now, they are turning their attention to TV. Last year, in Columbus, they shot a pilot episode for “FreeLance,” their comedy about a young filmmaker working odd jobs as he tries to make his first movie. The project has screened at festivals in Yellow Springs, Cleveland and the holy grail of the U.S. independent film circuit: Sundance. In May, they won best director in comedy at SeriesFest, a Denver festival that showcases independent TV pilots.
Their achievement remains a family success story, as their parents have tagged along for the ride. Cynthia is an executive producer on “FreeLance.” Kevin ferried people to and from the set during filming. And the brothers hold fast to their family values by setting ambitious goals, exploring their creativity and creating work that resonates with audiences.
They are also building on their parents’ deep Ohio State roots, hiring students and graduates as they cultivate a growing film community in Columbus.
It’s a lot of hard work, especially while holding down full-time jobs as art directors for the fashion retailer Hollister. But Justen is invigorated each time their projects get a laugh from the crowd or teach a lesson.
“It gives me life to make others feel,” he says. “I love the feeling of leaving a theatre and having gained a new perspective.”
He also appreciates when a film is relatable. “Especially as a Black person,” he says. “You don’t often see Black stories being told.”
Behind the scenes: ‘Freelance’
(Photos from Dreadhead Films)
His origin story
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Justen stood out as a quick learner and natural entertainer during his youth. But those talents sometimes landed him in hot water—specifically in the classroom. “I often joke that he kept me on my knees in prayer,” says Cynthia, a former gospel artist and associate dean at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business.
Justen channeled some of that creativity into music, displaying skill on the piano. “Justen has always been super bright and gifted,” says Kevin, a jazz guitar assistant professor of practice at Ohio State. “He would walk up to the front during recitals and just plop down and put his hands on the piano and start playing, like no big deal. Justen is really more talented than everybody in our family, as far as music goes.”
But what Justen really wanted to be as a kid was a superhero—even though he didn’t see many who looked like him.
“We saw a lot of white media growing up and not as much of the genres that we liked in Black media, where they gave people superpowers or people were secret agents, vampires or geniuses,” Justen says. “There weren’t many fantastical stories about us.”
So, he took matters into his own hands. After the family relocated to Central Ohio in 2012, he and Julien shot their first short film, the Christmas-themed “Fridge Fury,” in their house. Portraying themselves, the brothers, then 11 and 15, argue over leftovers. They show off their magic powers in a “Mortal Kombat”-style battle in the backyard. Julien wrote the script and Justen handled editing duties—roles they still inhabit today. Kevin, who makes an appearance on camera, served as executive producer alongside Cynthia.
At the behest of their mother, they included a religious message in the end credits: “Lord, we thank You, for nothing would be possible without You.”
“It was funny,” Julien says, laughing. “It was a running joke, like we’re about to start doing Christian movies, I guess.”
But Cynthia was excited to nurture their interests, especially as she had noticed Justen’s budding talent for editing with iMovie software on her desktop computer two years prior. “Justen made himself appear to levitate and disappear, all set to music,” she says. “He was only 9 years old. I remember being completely blown away. At the time, though, I didn’t fully know what to do with that level of creativity. I just knew it was special.”
Justen’s parents eventually enrolled him in film camps, bought him better cameras and software, and submitted the brothers’ films to festivals. Kevin even produced and recorded music for some of their projects. By eighth grade, Justen had a job creating video highlights for Julien’s football team at Pickerington High School North, about a half-hour southeast of Ohio State’s Columbus campus.
Though he had an interest in film, Julien says his role in Dreadhead Films was also driven by helping his little brother succeed, first by writing and then by finding gigs and promoting their work. “Justen wasn’t necessarily the most extroverted and talkative person, so I had to be that flip side of the coin for him,” Julien says.
“He was a little bit more observant. He said few words, but they were very smart and influential words.”
‘Freelance’ goes to Sundance
(Photos from Dreadhead Films)
By starting their collaboration so young, the brothers were able to work past typical sibling tiffs to become a cohesive duo.
“Julien is an ideas guy,” Justen says. “He can spawn an idea out of thin air. And while we’re co-directing, Julien will approach it from a big-picture perspective, looking at how to translate the script to screen and how the actors deliver their lines. And I’m looking at how to capture that on the camera. I’m very detail-oriented, because at the end of the day, all the little details fall on me.”
Act 2: Leveling up
Julien’s belief in their film career influenced his educational path. Though he had dreams of playing football for Ohio State, he realized he didn’t quite measure up to the talent on the team. He decided to study business marketing at Morehouse College, using what he learned to build their company. A year into his schooling, he went viral for a biology rap video he filmed for extra credit. Then, he and Justen became the youngest filmmakers commissioned to direct segments for “Sesame Street.”
In 2020, Justen enrolled at Ohio State to study marketing and fashion retail, which he says expanded his professional options.
“Studying marketing definitely got me into the head space of commercials and advertising,” he says. “It opened the world to me and my brother in terms of opportunities to make money and practice our creativity with a budget.”
That same year, they were chosen to participate in Beats by Dre’s program for Black filmmakers. They created the award-winning short science fiction film “Club Alli,” which explores racial and socioeconomic divides in America. The brothers had tackled similar subject matter in their 2017 short film, “Pseudo,” about police violence.
Their exploration of social justice themes appeals to Ohio State film alumnus Tobias Zuniga-Shaw ’26, who has collaborated with them on commercials and worked as a second assistant camera on their “FreeLance” pilot.
“They are able to weave it into the fabric of their work and drive that impact through what they’re doing, which is really refreshing and inspiring,” says Zuniga-Shaw, who also praised their generosity.
“They’re both very committed to their community and uplifting the people around them as they continue to grow.”
Much of that growth took place while Justen was at Ohio State. It was during that time that Dreadhead Films began working with major brands. Their short film series for a Social Status and Nike collaboration even won them two Webby Awards. After they were included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, they were invited to join the roster of Invisible Collective, a production company that connects directors, writers and other creatives with opportunities in the advertising field.
The Turners quickly became role models for their peers.
“Seeing somebody who was not only Black but also my age doing it in Ohio was really inspiring. He was just so willing to help me out and teach me about being successful in media.”
LeBron James stars in a Dreadhead Films commercial that helped put the director brothers on the map. (Photos from Dreadhead Films)
Another Dreadhead Films commercial featured South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley and players from her team.
The breakthrough
When LeBron James walked on set, he was in the zone.
While the Turner brothers had been working with his son, Bronny, all day on a Nike commercial, they only had the NBA legend for an hour.
“He already understood the project, and so you could tell him something and he’ll do it the way you want it the first time,” Justen says.
After working with other celebrities and gaining public speaking experience, Justen says he has learned how to communicate assertively and confidently.
“But in my head I was like, ‘Dang, I’m really giving direction to LeBron,’” he says.
Airing in 2024, the commercial shows LeBron pranking his son by filling his car with Fruity Pebbles. It’s just one of several high-profile projects that have helped Justen and Julien carve out a niche for comedic advertisements that perform well on social media. Another example is their campaign for Cheez-It, which features NBA star Jimmy Butler sharing his playbook with a giant cheese wheel.
The Turners have become go-to directors for commercials featuring young, Black talent. “There’s not a huge abundance of Black directors in the ad space,” Justen says.
But they also have set their sights on feature films, with dreams of following in the footsteps of influential directors. Justen cites Spike Lee, whose iconic catalog includes Nike Air Jordan commercials, and the Hughes brothers, the siblings who shot “Menace II Society” and “The Book of Eli.” He also references Jordan Peele, who deftly navigates between comedy and horror, and Robert Townsend, whose Black superhero “Meteor Man” had a major impact on Justen. Years ago, he and Julien met Townsend, who gave them advice and helped them with a script.
As they searched for partners for a science fiction feature they’ve been developing, the Turner brothers decided to shoot something quick and relatively inexpensive that could show off their narrative strengths. Thus, “FreeLance” was born from a shared notes document that they had been keeping.
“We would write different funny things that would happen to us when we’re making films,” Justen says. “Because nothing ever goes right.”
They were also inspired by the musicians, cinematographers, sculptors, prop masters and others they encountered on set.
“There’s so many wacky figures,” Justen says.
The pilot stars Spence Moore II as Lance, a novice Columbus filmmaker who is trying to realize his dreams with help from his brother, roommates and friends. The colorful group of creatives and social media influencers work a freelance gig they aren’t exactly qualified to do—and chaos ensues.
Justen says he wanted to capture the comedy of doing a job that you have to learn as you go.
“You’re just freestyling for the most part,” he says. “You have to make mistakes. Mistakes are really funny.” It’s a TV show that could have benefited them when they were first starting out, he says.
The Turner brothers financed the project by emptying out their Dreadhead bank account. They used PTO from their day jobs to film it, and Justen edited it from his bed at his parents’ home, where he lives to save money.
It’s an impressive feat even to those who have known them for years.
“How can someone with a full-time job also be doing all the other work that they’re doing as directors? It’s really incredible, and I still can’t even comprehend it.”
Langendorf, who met Justen at Ohio State and served as the art director on “FreeLance,” is just one of many crew members from or based in Ohio who the Turner brothers tapped to work on the show.
“It’s just so nice working with Justen and Julien,” he says. “Justen just brings a very calming presence. I really think that helps him thrive in all these environments.”
Our protagonist, a catalyst
He now lives in Chicago, but Langendorf finds value in returning to Columbus.
“I will take the five-and-a-half-hour drive because so much of the work is so good,” he says. “You don’t have to be in these massive markets to be making something great and profound.”
Though not a film hub, Columbus does have a growing scene, bolstered in part by the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, lower production costs and relative ease of obtaining permits. Other local production companies, such as Loose Films, have enjoyed success at major film festivals in recent years. Additionally, Ohio State has strengthened its film offerings with the moving-image production degree and Theatre, Film, and Media Arts building.
“They’re bringing in people from the industry to instruct these classes,” Justen says. “It’s growing very fast, and I think that’s really cool. And there’s a lot of filmmakers younger than me in these programs who are really talented.”
Among those students is Zuniga-Shaw, who says he has seen peers get production assistant jobs and other roles after graduation.
“Our crew base for film production here in Columbus has grown a fair amount over the past five years,” he says. “There are a few major rental houses that really drive the productions here. And we’ve been seeing a lot more feature film productions actually going to major festivals or getting onto streaming.”
Still, access to financing and other barriers remain, even for the Turner brothers.
“They’ve been doing this for years, and they’ve done it all on their own,” says “FreeLance” producer Lauren Todd ’17. “They have just shown a lot of resilience.”
Todd says she was inspired to work with the Turners after meeting Cynthia at a screening at the Drexel Theatre. Todd was moved by her passion for supporting her sons and other filmmakers in Columbus.
“There are a lot of talented people here,” says Todd, a full-time film producer. “And I think there’s a lack of stewardship for the creatives in the city. And so hearing somebody who was really passionate about making opportunities for younger people who are interested in film was really cool.”
Todd was also impressed with the “FreeLance” script because of its relevant portrayal of how young people are approaching film in a changing industry. “There are many people who are now making things on their own without all of the big budgets,” she says. “People from YouTube are making TV shows, and people are making series on Instagram, and they’re good. The creator economy and the film industry are blending together, and film is more accessible than people think it is.”
While the Turner brothers are still shopping “FreeLance” to streaming services, getting accepted into Sundance was a major visibility boost and “life-changing” moment, Justen says.
And bringing their crew along was a no-brainer.
“As excited as we were to get to Sundance, everybody else was, too,” Julien says. “It was our first experience, and we wanted to share it. I think we were like 20 or 30 people deep. And we were walking up and down the festival and people were saying, ‘O-H-I-O!’ It was like, ‘Dang, we really took this place over.’ It was definitely a beautiful sight.”
Zuniga-Shaw says it was thrilling to celebrate the win as a community.
“It’s rare for veteran filmmakers to get into Sundance,” he says. “So for our crew here from Ohio to get the chance to go out to Utah and present our work on one of the biggest stages in independent film was extremely exciting.”
As their career continues to grow, the Turner brothers have no immediate plans to leave Ohio. Now married with a family of his own, Julien lives just 3 miles from Justen and his parents in Pickerington.
“All the people around us are the reason that we’ve gotten this far,” Julien says. “So why would we leave them and try to enter other people’s circles?”
And they aren’t quitting their 9-to-5s just yet.
“I like stability right now,” Justen says. “Once I don’t have time for my day job, that would be the signal to make that leap.”
