Alumni Spotlight: Leon Hendrix '15
The Alumni Spotlight is a place to hear from the School of the Arts alumni community about their journeys as artists and creators.
Writer-director Leon Hendrix '15 was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. He studied theater and journalism at Hampton University, and film at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Leon is an alum of Film Independent’s Project Involve, Fox TV Writer’s Intensive and the Universal Pictures Emerging Writer’s Fellowship. His first script White Devils made The Hit List and The Black List. He’s attached to direct Wolf, a crime thriller he wrote for XYZ Films.
Currently, Leon is writing a romantic thriller for Apple, as well as a political thriller for MGM. In television, Leon is developing a horror series for Peacock and a family crime drama for HBO. Leon was the Executive Story Editor on season two of the Netflix/CW horror series Two Sentence Horror Stories, Co-Producer on season two of Mayor of Kingstown for Paramount Plus, and is a writer/producer on Kurt Sutter’s (Sons of Anarchy) new Netflix drama series. In his spare time, Leon works with children, young adults and families with special needs and explores the outdoors.
Was there a specific faculty member or peer who especially inspired you while at the School of the Arts? If so, who and how?
There were a handful of amazing filmmakers/teachers who I had the pleasure of learning from. I’d have to highlight my work with my thesis adviser Dan Kleinman, and my television writing teacher Alan Kingsberg, as the most transformational and inspiring of my tenure there. Alan taught me everything I know about television. Before him, I hadn’t considered a career in TV writing, but it was the moment when that was becoming a much more viable, fulfilling and experimental path for new writers in Hollywood. He showed me how to break television down and really made me into a TV nerd. I took his class about three times! Dan was the most supportive teacher I’ve ever had as a creative. He gave smart notes, and he was always there to read drafts. I was ambitious so that was a ton of work, but he kept me calm and was always ready with honest, progressive feedback. I was blessed to find both of those guys during my time at CU.
How did attending the School of the Arts impact your work and career as an artist?
I would say that the School of the Arts taught me about the necessity of finding what I often refer to as your "jazz". We all love that first amazing album, that breakthrough work or role or painting or installation of an artist. Part of that is pent up creative energy. People spend years struggling to make a statement then finally something comes out and it feels vibrant. Alive. Defiant. Loud. That’s your jazz. I learned as I struggled and failed to mimic other artists and fit into other traditions that I was never really myself. My jazz was that frustration and that schism. I learned to embrace the distance between me and the middle. Between my work and comfortable interpretation, and that I think is what makes me stand out. I know what’s on the other side, I know what there is to love about the old standards…but the people I work with know I’m going to riff and scat and bring them something that’s breathing and funky.
What were the first steps you took after graduating?
After I graduated I had plans to work for a non-profit as a film teacher, but the universe and the Lord above intervened. I had always applied for development programs and any opportunity to share my work or see my scripts entered in competition. I won a spot in a Film Independent fellowship, and followed it up with fellowships with Universal in feature film and Fox in television.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
The best advice I ever got at CU was from Maureen Ryan. "Do work and get it out there." There is this sense that some folks are lucky. I have to say it was very fortunate to get three fellowships in a year, but for every person who gave me that backhanded compliment I smiled because I knew I was outworking those people. Do small things well. Write when you hate it. Paint or act or dance when you think nobody cares. If you wait for validation it won’t come. It takes a ton of focus. In my new professional space, I’m working on a half dozen things at once but few people are in on the process. There is patience and a delirious hope involved, and people don’t know about half of the things I’m up to. It’s a mind game and you have to make yourself stronger. Know that every person who says ‘no’ and every rejection you get is one step closer to your breakthrough. I believe we tend to see success, genius, and achievement as a binary. We either “are” or we “aren’t”. I believe that when you’re really in the lab building something special, it sometimes feels no different than writing another flop. You may think you’re crazy, but the reality is creation is a spark in a shadow. There’s a ton of genius out there that may never be tapped because people don’t have the heart to fail over and over. The truth is: nobody can make you a star. If you believe in your work, do it, show the world and let the audience call you a genius. And whether they do or don’t… creators create.