Brooklynite Terrell Perkins is inspirational in every sense of the word. He is a film producer, director and storyboard illustrator, as well as an actor, but before everything else, he is an artist. If all the titles aren’t enough, imagine doing it all with a hand deformity.
Terrell was born with a hand deformity and bravely conquered the taboo topic by making a documentary called “DeeBerry,” based on the trials and tribulations he was forced endure and how he overcame them. He was greatly supported by his family. His mother reiterated the phrase, “His hands are not a mistake, rather a gift of God.” In his documentary, he commented, “ What good is a gift if no one wants to open that gift.”
Though there were lows in his life, they never dampened his motivation. He created another documentary called “Father aNd Son,” which challenged the stigma of deadbeat fathers in the urban community. It was a message that was greatly needed, highlighting fathers in Black and Latino communities and spreading the message to others that the role of father is one of the most crucial roles any man can have.
He later delved into the realm of directing and filmmaking with his narrative film, “Motivation Man.” Perkins recalled, “I got into film out of frustration of not getting hired as a storyboard illustrator. I decided not to complain about it and do something about it. I bought a camera with my sister, Kristie, and never looked back.”
After producing “Motivation Man,” a film about a superhero trying to rid the streets of guns and violence, he landed his first gig as a storyboard illustrator, creating for Spike Lee’s and Michael
“Boogey” Pickney’s “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Kills You.” Here, he received his first accredited IMDB notice.
He has recently finished the art work for Tony Clomax’s “Broken Angels,” and is now working on a few works of his own. He is in the process of casting for his thriller, “Casting Call” and working on the second installment of “Motivation Man.” He is also working on an art show titled, “Dots Amazing,” featuring his favorite style of creating, pointillism.
Even with enough work to make the average man exhausted, Terrell participates in his local church’s volunteer group, where he creates Tshirts for their yearly retreats and spiritual films to teach men to open up their emotions and battle oppressing stereotypes. At the Emmanuel Baptist Church Men’s Ministry, he has earned the Man of the Year award, which is appropriate, considering all his achievements and acts of inspiration.
Perkins is creating a legacy. To see his next creation, check out the Casting Call page on Facebook.
