Special Eyez Productions began as a small research project in early 2019, when Danny conducted an interview with fellow high school alum Rana. We were discussing how diversity programs in schools were lacking and wanted to team up to make a short documentary series about solutions to racism in private schools.

 

Unfortunately that project was cut short. But shortly after we received the bad news that our project wasn't going to be funded, Rana met Scooter, a filmmaker who lived on the same block as her. They hit it off right away and got to talking about the project. That's when Scooter joined the team. He didn't go to private school, but he was a high school athlete and wanted to help produce the series.

 

Over the course of 3 years, the team interviewed over a dozen individuals of color who went to private schools, or were administrators or teachers at one. The team explored issues including: the relationships between athletes and coaches, microagressions, hair touching & cutting, racist and ignorant "diversity" policies, censored curriculums, black trans lives,  economic status & the ways wealth overshadows education, college recruitment & HBCU's, and overall the burdens of being Black in private schools & America.

 

As we tried to craft this docu-series, we felt that we wanted to present these tough issues in a more entertaining way. We wanted audiences to enjoy the storytelling and laugh along with the characters, while learning something new.

 

That was when we decided the docu-series had to become a fictional dramedy. The journey so far was an education for us in some ways, a catharsis in others, and overall an inspiration to make a production company that would hopefully inspire change through entertainment.

 

And then in 2022, Special Eyez Productions was officially born.

 

-Rana, Scooter, and Danny