Self-taught Kansas City filmmaker Isaiah King has ambitions on becoming a movie mogul
By Shawn Edwards
Like Oscar Micheaux, the grandfather of black cinema and Tyler Perry the current ‘go daddy’ of black cinema, Isaiah King too wants to position himself as a self-taught movie mogul. No Film school needed. No spending hours plowing through books about filmmaking. King had a dream that he wanted to make movies and literally hit the streets and began telling the stories he knows through the lens of cinema. Micheaux did it in the early 20th century. Perry began his unlikely trek in 2010. King wants to become the future of filmmaking and become the new film mogul avatar.
King, who is on the older side of the millennial curve, has way more energy than the average person and an infectious attitude and spirit that lights up every room he enters. He’s also a business savant. He’s a walking collection of ideas and has a restless work ethic. If there were a self-taught Hall of Fame King would be up for consideration as an inductee at some point.
He began his pathway to cinematic glory as a youth. You could say he’s a natural born storyteller. It’s a gift that wasn’t cultivated by teachers or nourished by mentors. King is one hundred percent self-motivated and taught.
“I always had stories in my head,” says King, who began rapping while attending Paul Robeson Middle School in Kansas City, Missouri. “I did it to get my points across but it was more like a hobby.”
The fashion world was King’s entry point into the business world. He’s a self-described hustler who created a line of urban clothing that he sold out of the trunk of his car. This mobile attack strategy proved to be very lucrative and would not only finance his cinematic ambitions but also pay the bills.
“I started with seven dollars,” says King. “I created my own logo and put it on my shirt. People liked it and that was my start. The start of Drout clothing line.”
The father of three young boys has been taking care of his family with his mini-empire for more than a decade.
In order to accomplish all of his goals King ditched his day job years ago. He created a playbook for himself and has been executing at a high level for years. It hasn’t all been perfect but King’s ability to adjust and pivot has allowed him to continue moving forward.
Motivation is King’s main currency and drive is his Crypto currency. As a filmmaker, King has his eyes set on the streets, a culture that molded him and a subject he has actually lived. He assembled a team of novice filmmakers, all loaded with enough creative mojo to overcome the incredibly challenging task of producing a feature film with zero experience.
Influenced mostly by the underground rap/film scene King set out to produce his first film. “I saw what Murder Pain was doing up in Detroit,” says King. “I watched his self-produced movie “211” on YouTube at my grandma’s house a few years ago. It struck me real hard but I was like I can do better than that.”
In 2020 during the height of the pandemic King began filming his first feature film. “We learned as we went along,” says King. “What I learned most is that everything isn’t going to go your way. You just gotta live and learn.”
“Drout” is an urban drama rooted in the hood tale diaspora. It’s gritty, violent but authentically real. Maybe a bit too real. It’s raw and scratchy but incredibly entertaining.
King didn’t even bother to write a script. He conveyed the root of the story to his team and they went out and shot each scene on the fly. The narrative is surprisingly cohesive despite the fact there wasn’t a written template. Filmed exclusively in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, King maneuvered guerrilla style. No permits, no alliance with the Kansas City Film Office — everything was done without permission or apologies.
King and his team screened the movie locally. “Drout” instantly connected with the street culture, a demographic that has more and more shunned the typical offerings coming out of Hollywood currently. To this audience their stars are the actors featured in “Drout.” These non-professional neighborhood celebrities connect in a way a Will Smith or Halle Berry never could.
“Drout” was a hit. It sold out each time it was screened giving King the fuel and validation to make a sequel.
Ever the business man, King also produced a soundtrack and sold merchandise specific to the film. He also inked a deal to have the 42-minute movie distributed on Tubi. Despite the apparent success on paper, King was not completely satisfied with the film’s performance.
Despite coming up short of King’s goal he and his team have taken the same approach with “Drout 2.” The big difference is this time there is a script. King wrote the screenplay and once again did it without researching. He penned the story from his heart.
Thus far the School of Hard Knocks Film School is paying dividends. King has plans to produce even more films. As a storyteller he has connected with an audience willing to celebrate his tales of urban despair and street fantasies.
“Drout” is much more than just a film title. It’s the name King has given to his entire empire. “Drout is a philosophy based on making something outta nothing. It represents the struggle,” says King who is the founder and CEO of the company that produces film, designs apparel, creates snacks and publishes magazines.
Like Micheaux and Perry, King is a visionary out to change the way movies are watched, marketed and distributed. It’s early in the game but King is the type of player who will literally sleep in the gym to get better. So
don’t bet against him when it’s game time.
“Drout 2” premieres Sunday, June 26th at 7PM at the Gem Theater in the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, Missouri.