Pete Chatmon - Transitions: A Directors Journey and Motivational Handbook

This is a consummate toolbox for directors. From navigating financing to the set to festival circuits, Pete Chatmon inspires, teaches, helping everyone. Filmmakers of tomorrow, read this book.

DAVE WATSON, Editor, Movies Matter

If you are the type of person who admires successful people and find yourself asking How did they do it? then this book is for you. Chatmons book is both educational and inspirational. Follow along in his failures and victories in filmmaking and be better prepared to start or continue your own journey toward a triumphant career in making movies.

FORRIS DAY JR., Contributor to Hitch 20: Alfred Hitchcock Web-series, Cohost of Get Real: Indie Filmmakers podcast

The master becomes the student again in this vulnerable examination of the hills and valleys of life as a filmmaker. Its not just a job. Its a way of life. Chatmon takes nothing for granted as he reexamines every aspect of the craft with some of the best in business, while looking back on a career spanning two decades. A must-read for anyone daring to leap into the void.

THEO TRAVERS, Writer/Executive Producer, Billions

I met Pete my freshman year at NYU (1996). Pete is one of the few people in life that I relate to as being as intense as me while still down to earth. Petes passion for film making was immediately clear to me. His senior thesis, 3D, was selected for the Sundance Film Festival, which led many to dub Pete as the next Spike Lee. Well, things dont always go as planned. For me, I moved to Atlanta after graduation. So, it had to be sometime around 2001 or 2002 when I was visiting New York and met up with Pete for lunch. While discussing our individual futures, he said to me in a very intense Pete way, If I never make a film, it wont be because I stopped trying. It will be because I ran out of time. And there you have it, thats Pete in a nutshell; unrelenting and dedicated to his craft.

W. SEAN MCPHILLIP, Esq.

Never before have I read something that lays out, in such detail, the necessary steps one needs to take both personally and professionally to be successful. Whether you want to become a filmmaker or not, this book is an essential read for your own personal development.

DORIAN CROSSMOND MISSICK, International Renaissance Man

Those who have had the great pleasure of working with Pete know when he commits to something, it will happen. When he first said he was writing this book, I knew that if he could provide even just a glimpse into how he manages to identify, meet, and then exceed his goals in such a challenging industry, it would be an invaluable tool for so many. True to form, in Transitions, Pete has done more than that. He has provided an honest, accurate, and most importantly, encouraging roadmap to build the career and life you desire. Read this book, do the work, and you will be eternally grateful for the personal journey you embark on. Thank you, Pete, for sharing your story with the world.

CANDICE SANCHEZ MCFARLANE, Writer, Producer, Creative Director

When Pete stepped on to our set, there was an immediate sense of a methodical zen, a humble peace in the journey of his artistry that was clearly a familiar ritual to him, as he crafted one of our most memorable episodes. In these pages are the de-mystifying stories I wish I had known as a young filmmaker, a blistering honesty about what modern storytelling truly requires of the artists entrusted with the weight of words. In what I hope to be a coming era that moves past the ego-driven directors who cartoonishly shout, who brood an insufferable performance of their own genius, and who lead with a toxic authority, Pete is here in these pages, offering a welcome and needed antidote for the future of the storyteller kind.

RAFAEL CASAL, Co-creator & Showrunner, Blindspotting on Starz

Transitions is exactly the kind of resource I wish Id had when I was first starting out, clumsily trying to navigate a career in the entertainment industry. Pete is as elegant with his pen as he is with his camera, and reading this book is like having an old friend and mentor take you out for coffee and give you the real on the beautiful craft and ugly business of filmmaking.

ADAM COUNTEE, Television Writer/Producer, Community, Silicon Valley, The Shrink Next Door

Pete Chatmon is one of the most generous directors Ive ever had the pleasure of collaborating with. That holds true in the pages of this book. No matter what stage of your career youre at, this is an inspiring read. Transitions is the rare master class that not only teaches practical skills of filmmaking, but the even more important skills of honest self-reflection and keeping your ego in check. Pete is the mentor you (and I) have been looking for.

MIKE BERLUCCHI, Director of Photography, Our Flag Means Death, Mythic Quest, Youre The Worst

It has been a joy to be a part of Petes directing journey, starting with hiring him for his first episode of network television. The combination of personal anecdotes, invaluable tips, and practical worksheets make this book a must-read for any future director.

SYDNEE RIMES, Vice President, Current Series, ABC Signature

I worked with Pete Chatmon when he directed an episode of Blindspotting. Every day he was with us I left set feeling like I had received some gems. Some about directing, some about producing, some about being a human relating to other humans. By the end of the week he spent with us, my pockets were full of gems. After this book, my pockets are overflowing. Its an incredible joy and resource to have the meticulously organized thoughts of one of the hardest working, yet joy producing artists Ive ever met. The book reads much in the same way it feels to talk to Pete about the craft. You will find yourself with a smile on your face and your head alternating between nodding in emphatic agreement and shaking in wonder of how something you always thought was so impossible has just been made obvious. If you want to learn about the business of making movies and TV shows, whatever your proximity to the business is, Transitions is a great book to pick up.

DAVEED DIGGS, Co-creator & Showrunner, Blindspotting on Starz, Original Cast of Hamilton on Broadway

Ive known Pete for over a decade, during which his work ethic, discipline, preparation, and generosity have never waned. His innate wish to lighten the learning curve for others, is an endless source of inspiration. Transitions gets straight to the point on what it takes to succeed in any creative profession. For me, the transition from indie films to episodic television, and now studio features, was wholly self-taught. Stumbling along my determined route, it seemed as if my peers were granted access to a hidden manual. If youre searching for practical insight, Petes book is the very manual I longed for a treat of monumental value, awaits you.

VICTORIA MAHONEY, Director, Lovecraft Country, The Morning Show, upcoming The Old Guard II, and 2nd Unit Director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

A DIRECTORS JOURNEY & MOTIVATIONAL HANDBOOK

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Cover design by Johnny Ink. www.johnnyink.com

Copyediting by Sarah Beach

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Copyright 2022 by Pete Chatmon