Isaac Yowman is exploring cultural identity, legacy and the nuances of relationships in his latest film, Sincerely Brad.
The short film is set to make its way through the film festival circuit following its debut as a part of the “Surrounded By Stories” showcase at the SVA Theatre in New York City.
In a recent discussion with Blavity, Yowman noted how we live in a heavy world and mentioned trying to identify a way that felt natural to what was happening in the world, “but also to not ground it in it being so like on the nose,” which he said is why he put the film in a specific period, adding the film is just as relevant in 2025 as it was when he began conceptualizing it in 2021.
“A lot of the same things, issues, and conversations are being had. Some of the problems are still problematic,” he continued. “I just think this film is so multi-layered with a variety of textures to just be a conversation piece on so many things, so that was kind of my goal.”
Making his dreams come true through creative collaborations
Thanks to the support of the Tribeca Film Festival and Adidas, Yowman can flex his creative muscles in the film space, something that has transpired organically for the award-winning music producer turned filmmaker.
“First of all, just being involved in Tribeca in any capacity is like a big deal,” he expressed, acknowledging how the film festival highlighted his film Rides & Hides about a Black cowboy named Myrtis Dightman.
“That was the film that showed up in Tribeca, and it was so well-received, we ended up getting a grant from Adidas,” adding that it helped him get to the finish line with Sincerely Brad.
Yowman said, “This was something that I was already saving and kind of raising capital of my own to produce, and then that was just like a sign, like, ‘Man, this is it. Go ahead and do what you need to do and get it to the finish line.'” He stated he’d been working with Adidas since 2018, “but there’s a very distinct theme between a client and then like family, you know?
Adidas, for me, feels like family,” he continued. “Every project that I’ve worked with them on is meaningful. It’s something that is rooted in keeping our history alive and well and restored, and in every project I’ve worked with them and I’m currently working on them with is just rooted in community.”
With Sincerely Brad, Yowman reflects on what he witnessed regarding emotion and the expression of love, drawing on his experience as someone born and raised in Houston.
“We are very, very close to the border. We are probably the most notable city that’s the closest to the Mexican border,” he said of his hometown. “Growing up, that’s all you know.” He continued, “I went off to school at Full Sail University in Florida, so I lived out there for a few years until I graduated. Then I moved to New York, and then I moved to LA and then back to Houston, and just kind of been ping ponging back and forth.”
Yowman said he noticed how some of his close friends and folks he considers family had Black and brown relationships.
“I just feel like it was so personal to me, and it was so close to me, and I had so many instances. I got a lot of close Latino friends, and so it just felt something that was like pure and natural to me.”
He added, “I’ve never seen a live-action film with a Black and brown dynamic in a way that it shows up in Sincerely Brad,” and wanted to do something different and showcase that element.
On blending his work as a musician with filmmaking
As a producer and songwriter, Yowman has collaborated with renowned artists such as Beyoncé, Chris Brown and Snoop Dogg, among others. He has achieved sales of over 2 million records and boasts a diverse portfolio of multi-platinum projects before he even touched a camera. His work, whether in film or music, often preserves culture and legacy, which is a significant ethos for him.
“Music is kind of the anchor of all my projects that are notable, that people know me for,” Yowman declared. “If you think about All Screwed Up, it was about a musician, DJ Screw. For me, Sincerly Brad is my first, original [intellectual property], which is why this project is so near and dear to me because my projects that have been acclaimed, if you will, have been either written by someone else, which is fine, or have been rooted in a story that is about someone or some place that was preexisting.”
He remarked that Sincerely Brad is an original concept, a story without any connective tissue to anything preexisting. “That means a whole lot,” Yowman shared before mentioning, “I’m claiming in advance, my transitional point, to be my first feature film.”
The filmmaker concluded, “I just hope that my legacy is that the stories that I tell, and the things that I do are conversation pieces,” adding he wants to make people want to think and continue to build his legacy around stories that matter, undertold stories, stories that you typically wouldn’t see.
“It’s just like making sure that Black people and underrepresented stories are at the forefront.”
Sincerely Brad stars Patrick Walker, Cartl Anthony Payne II and Cinthya Carmon.
