Dominique Deleon

Dominique DeLeon is an accomplished Director, Writer, and Creative Director currently based in Los Angeles. With a diverse body of work spanning comedy, drama, commercials, music videos, and photojournalism, DeLeon's creations are deeply rooted in empathy and the art of capturing authentic emotions.

DeLeon's journey in the entertainment industry began in high school when he secured internships at Universal Music and CNN as an editing technician. While pursuing Government courses at Harvard University with aspirations of law school, DeLeon's passion for the arts continued to thrive. Recognizing his raw creative talent, renowned author Jamaica Kincaid encouraged him to explore film scriptwriting.

This pivotal encouragement led DeLeon to join ESPN as a production assistant and associate producer. A fortunate encounter with Spike Lee expanded his horizons and planted the seed of attending film school. Ultimately, DeLeon was accepted into NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned an MFA in Film and TV Directing. His thesis film, "Rez," delving into the world of Native American gangs, not only garnered him the esteemed Spike Lee Production Award but also received recognition with airtime on FNX, the First Nations Experience television network, and distribution through Seed and Spark and Indieflix.

DeLeon's post-MFA journey has been anything but conventional, featuring a captivating mix of impressive projects. From writing feature scripts that shed light on marginalized communities to establishing his own production company, Special Boy Films, DeLeon's work became sought after, particularly by Sephora for the launch of new in-store brands. Simultaneously, his collaboration with John Legend on music videos such as "Penthouse Floor" and "Preach" propelled his reputation within the music video realm, accumulating over 50 million views and VMA and Grammy nominations.

Continually expanding his portfolio in music videos and branded content, DeLeon achieved further success by selling two feature scripts, and garnering recent recognition as a Sundance Development Lab finalist and comedy screenwriting lab participant. His dedication to the craft extended into the commercial space, where he received a DGA/Commercial Directors Diversity Program Fellowship and held a position as a Global Creative Director at Google, working with esteemed global clients in the Tech, Media, and Entertainment industries.

Currently, DeLeon is hard at work on his first feature film as a director, an afro surrealist comedy set in the world of Black Mental Health. Additionally, he is engaged in several short-form projects as he continues to broaden his narrative portfolio, steadily progressing towards his lifelong dream of working full-time in Film and Television.