Hollywood Executive Producer Christopher Sean Brown on putting people to work in film

Christopher Sean Brown is no stranger to show business. From television to film, he’s well versed in many aspects of the entertainment industry.

As an executive producer and producer for a number of projects, including films for the Starz premium television network, he knows all too well what goes into the intricately planned stages of filmmaking.

However, when it comes to movie-making, Brown says that the most important part of the process is putting together a film’s most valuable asset…the crew.

“I have a small film right in the million dollar category. Even at a million dollars we’re supporting 40 to 60 people at any given time, sometimes across different states,” said Brown. “They’re the most important in the process because without all of their hard work and dedication, there would be no film.”

Recently, Brown shot two different films within a Mississippi enterprise zone, an area which provides incentives and opportunities for tax credits. Choosing to shoot in these areas allowed Brown and his team to put together a large crew while on location.

The producer explains that he and his team often hire local crews to support the production process.

“We didn’t bring everybody down there from Los Angeles. We hired local people for food and crews and even hired some local people out of New Orleans as actors,” said Brown. “We’ll probably shoot our next one in Louisiana, and sometimes we’ll shoot in California. We’re all over the place.”

Since his last two films were shot in Mississippi, over the course of three years, Brown says his many visits have generated positive relationships within the community due to the employment opportunities the films have provided.

“It’s a great place to shoot. We’re actually very well liked down there because we provide many job opportunities for people for a period of time,” said Brown. “We pick Mississippi for the location and the fact that it is very film friendly state.”

While Brown does most of his filming on location, he says that it isn’t uncommon to shoot scenes in-studio.

“Sometimes we film on location and then other times we’ll film in studio. It just depends on what we do,” said Brown. “An upcoming comedy horror film that we’re shooting will be shot in and around Los Angeles. There’s going to be several different locations. We also might shoot something with the Rob Schneider show in Hawaii.”

As far as future projects, Brown’s made sure to keep his options open and his schedule busy after returning to the entertainment industry three years ago.

“I’ve now gotten back into this business and like anything else, you better have five, six or seven balls rolling because not everything comes to fruition,” said Brown. “However many projects we work on, ultimately, everywhere we go we make some kind of impact because we put people to work for the film.”