Local filmmaker set to debut new documentary about life in East Baltimore and power of community

A Baltimore native and photographer is returning home to debut a documentary about his life and the importance of community.

The film, "Be The Mogul," is a story of Brian Anderson's resilience. The premiere will be coupled with a photography exhibition. The event takes places at 7 p.m. on July 31 at the Greenmount Recreation Center.

"NO BLUEPRINT is the name of the gallery," said Anderson. "Just more or less highlighting the fact that nobody in this world got it planned out."

Anderson's life

The East Baltimore native saw the path his brothers took and wanted something different for himself.

"The gang violence… stemmed from people that I knew," Anderson said. "People that lived in my own house."

He looked up to community leaders and activists who were role models to young people in his neighborhood. His uncle, Nate Tatum -- who is painted in a mural on the side of the Greenmount Recreation Center -- is one of them.

"Every time I got in trouble in life, my mom sent me to his house," Anderson said. "He was going to say whatever he needed to say... So, you had no choice but to listen."

Anderson says it was the Greenmount Recreation Center, along with multiple other Baltimore organizations, that molded him into who he is today.

"Greenmount is home for me," he said. "I had basketball tournaments here that turned into birthday parties that turned into my trunk party and my college going away party."

Anderson has spent a few years away from the city of Baltimore with an opportunity to live and work in Europe. With a years-long passion for photography, he's using the skills garnered when he was a child to create a documentary and photography exhibition set to premiere in his community.

About the documentary

The documentary walks through Anderson's life, reflecting on being surrounded by incarceration, gun violence and grief. It stresses how community organizations help young people discover their purpose.

Anderson also encourages more investments in the youth and reminding children and teens opportunities are endless.

"I want them to see that yo, y'all can come put your own show on, y'all can do whatever you want," Anderson said.

This film is also a reminder of the support that carried him throughout life.

"To host this back at home, it is really a homecoming and it's a great opportunity for me to reconnect with everybody back here," he said.