Written by Janie Gallegos & Rachel Cruz
Dempsey Gibson of Both Sides Of The Camera Productions has a story both tragic, yet inspirational.
Since the age of 9, Dempsey showed an interest and natural talent for creativity.
“I remember watching, The Monkees and Batman, on television as a child, which really fueled my desire to create."
He recalled taking his batman dolls and giving them scenes to shoot, and lines to rehearse. But he also harbored a passion for music.
“Music is my passion. I began writing music at about 9 to 10 years old.”
Sounds like the perfect start to a perfect story about his perfect life. But Dempsey Gibson's life was far from perfect!
Born in Atlanta and raised by his mother, Hazel, Dempsey recalls seeing gruesome violence first-hand.
Dempsey's parents had divorced when he was young. His mother had gotten into a new relationship and his father not having it.
"I remember we were all in the car leaving a shopping center. My dad pulled up, came to the window and fired his gun three times into the car killing my mother's fiancé. I was in the backseat and I remember looking into this man's eyes as he lay slumped over the front seat. They were wide open and lifeless. The trauma of that moment is something I don't think I have ever truly realized or dealt with properly."
After this incident, Dempsey's grandmother packed up the family up and moved them from Atlanta to North Carolina. She knew she was needed and they'd continue living together until his mother found a job teaching, which would allow them "to get by on their own”.
In the 7th grade he would begin to harness his creativity and begin writing.
“I was tasked to write a short story, so I wrote about a detective cat that was killed by a truck carrying catnip. I called it "Tobermory the Pet Detective"."
His story earned him great feedback from his teacher who encouraged him to keep writing. He'd eventually enter competitions and I won! His just continued to blossom from there.
"This still blows my mind!”
He'd eventually go on to write a script called "The Dearly Departed," which was his first show on his own. Though it was quite the accomplishment for him at the time, tragedy would once again strike when his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
"She required around the clock care and I did everything for her. I went through a time where I just didn’t feel like pursuing my career, but my mom was my cheerleader and my backbone. I knew that if my mom could be a single black woman who graduated college and became something as noble as a teacher in the 1960’s, then I could do anything! She taught me how to be a man. She gave me a different mindset on life!”
Eventually he'd team up with Markice Moore, who's done shows such as, “The Walking Dead” and Tyler Perry’s “The Paynes”. The duo would begin working on a script for Markice’s show, Fight For It. Their bond quickly grew and six months later they'd create a business, Both Sides Of The Camera Productions.
In just 2 years, Dempsey and Markice have written and created a total of 7 television pilots, 3 feature films and a documentary series.
5 Years Down / 5 Years Done, has had amazing feedback! It is about a young black man who is wrongfully imprisoned. He's served 5 years and learns, just days before release, that he has only 5 years left to live. When he gets out, he has one mission...to take down everyone responsible for putting him in prison. As his body grows weaker throughout the seasons, those he can't kill physically, he destroys with the mind. Dempsey wrote and created this series, which stars Markice.
Dempsey Gibson is an incredible man, with an incredible journey!
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