Journeys: Talking to director and new author, Pete Chatmon

With humble beginnings in South Orange, New Jersey and an exhaustive education at New York University, Pete Chatmon has quickly become one of the most prolific television directors of the 2020s. He’s directed a variety of projects with household names, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” Netflix’s “You,” “Black-ish” and many more. His career is expansive, and it continues to expand as Chatmon undertakes an exciting new role: author. 

Chatmon’s new book, “Transitions: A Director’s Journey and Motivational Handbook,” aims to help aspiring directors as they shape their career, providing helpful advice, anecdotes and worksheets. The Connector talked to him to learn more about his life and career. 

Chatmon grew up in the city of South Orange, New Jersey and was constantly surrounded by a diverse selection of art. His childhood was spent drawing, later dabbling in architecture, only to find that he didn’t enjoy all the math involved. It wasn’t until he took his first film class that Chatmon felt like he found his calling. “In 11th grade, I took the super eight-millimeter filmmaking class, and found that I really, really adapted to it,” says Chatmon. “I really kind of fell naturally into film language in ways that I didn’t necessarily know that I had been developing from watching things. And yet, once I picked up a camera, I was like, I think this is it.”

When it was time to consider college, Chatmon felt like he had only one place to go. “My teacher at the time had gone to NYU. So all of his anecdotes began with ‘When I was at NYU, when I was at NYU.’ I was impressionable. Didn’t even know that you could go to school for this thing back in 1995. So I looked it up. And I was like, ‘Well, wait, my favorite directors have gone there. Spike Lee Scorsese, Oliver Stone,’ you know. So I was like, ‘Let me apply.’ And that’s what I did.”

He started school in fall of 1995 and was instantly thrown into the world of film, taking classes that covered every aspect of the industry, from acting to set design. “I knew that to be a good director, I needed to understand how all the different parts of the filmmaking pipeline worked,” he recalls. “So we took our acting classes and embarrassed ourselves and we shot films and we edited our own films.” Within four years, he went through the rigorous curriculum, all leading up to his final piece.

In his senior year, Chatmon set off to make his thesis project. The film was titled “3D,” starred Kerry Washington (of “Scandal” and “Django Unchained”) and premiered at Sundance Film Festival. “I was like, looks like it’s happening,” says Chatmon. “I thought the phone might ring off the hook, but nothing of that sort happened.” Although disappointed, Chatmon continued pursuing film, all while working at NYU as a film professor. “(I was) trying to remain positive and keep making projects,” says Chatmon. “But I’m also wondering if it’s gonna happen.”

In 2014, almost a decade and a half after his graduation and the creation of “3D,” Chatmon decided to go back and give another shot at making a short film. “I was like, well, let me get back to the basics,” says Chatmon. “After 15 years of having been out of college and trying to get my projects out there, I said, let me just make something for me.” The short film, “BlackCard,” was set with critical acclaim and quickly picked up by HBO. From there, Chatmon’s career was catapulted into success, and he had the opportunity to shadow the directors of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Black-ish” and “Ballers.” It wasn’t long before he was directing the shows on his own, working on shows ranging from short comedies to hour-long comedies. 

His list of works is extensive, with his name attached to some of the biggest shows on television. Some of his biggest projects include “Silicon Valley,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Insecure,” “Black-ish,” “You” and many more. Despite having worked on so many things, he still can’t choose his favorite. “That would be like choosing your favorite child,” he says. 

Each show comes with its own challenges too, and Chatmon has learned to balance their different styles with an analogy. “When you look at presidential transitions, the new president gets a whole new cabinet. And that’s because they want to make sure that they’re picking the folks that they want to work with, that they get along with, etc, etc. Imagine, you know, I guess in this case, Biden having to work with Trump’s cabinet, it’d be pretty crazy,” he says. “When you go from show to show, it’s a different director, but it’s the same director of photography, production designer, cast, PAs. Being a director, it’s a first day of school situation. Your title may be director, and it may kind of be defined as having some authority, but the title doesn’t give it to you.” 

Staying humble and positive seems like the recipe for Chatmon’s prosperity, having gone from an unsuccessful lull to a packed resume full of the biggest shows on television. With his new book, he aims to target people who were in his situation 20 years ago. For students, aspiring students and artists who have hit a roadblock, “A Director’s Journey,” will provide a road to success. Even if you’re not looking to be a director, Chatmon’s advice is worthy, coming from someone who had faced failures and now thrives in the career he always dreamed of. “Let me help you navigate what can seem like an uncertain path with principles that are easily applied for success,” Chatmon says. “No matter what you’re doing in your creative endeavors, this book can help.”

To purchase Pete Chatmon’s book, check out his store on Amazon.