A few months ago, I wrote a twitter thread that challenged MLB in the wake of the country’s social uprising. The thread was really an outlet for me to vent my frustration. I didn’t look for attention. Now, I’m the proud director of this Jackie Robinson short film for @MLB. Wild. https://twitter.com/mlb/status/1299361104259317760

I thought it was incredibly important to highlight Jackie’s life as an activist. He was more than the great player who broke the color barrier. To their great credit, MLB wanted to do the same. We were in perfect alignment to tell this story. I am incredibly proud of this film.

Both MLB and I, also wanted to shed light on the activism of today. It was very important to me to not only show the players’ activism, but to showcase the people on the frontlines of the protests in our country. That had to be a part of this story.

We also aligned with showing the lineage of great Black ball players. Of course, we highlight Mays, Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Ernie Banks. But there is one player I needed to spotlight and that was Curt Flood. He is a civil rights pioneer.

I am so happy that Curt is a part of this film. I am thankful to MLB for agreeing to have Flood in this film. It means a great deal to have him in this story. I hope people will ask “who is that?” if they don’t know and do research.

There is also a moment in this film that will remain forever with me. It is the Black Trans Lives Matter shot. We need full representation when we speak about Black Lives. The LGBTQ+ community is often forgotten IMO. It is a short moment, but I hope it resonates.

And...I was able to work with Mookie Betts!!! Holy shit!!! If you told me a year ago that I would be directing Mookie Betts for a Jackie Robinson film and he was on the Dodgers I would tell you that you were nuts. Here we are. Mookie is that guy.

We’re watching a superstar transcend his sport in real time. Mookie is growing into something larger than baseball in the best way possible. He also gave input on the film. He is fully committed to this movement. I’m honored to share this platform with him.

And it is incredibly important to highlight Sharon Robinson. This isn’t possible without her blessing. I had the honor of speaking with her and it was a surreal moment. This is the Robinson family. THE Robinson family. Wow. Sharon is a hero of mine.

When the film received her blessing, I was on cloud 9. That was all I needed.

I want to thank my incredible team. @MissEljon crafted the script and found the perfect words to drive this story. Eljon is a genius. @MissCirillo made all of this happen. I could not have made this without her. She is the backbone of this film. Thank you Alex.

Our editor Sofi Marshall has a remarkable sense of story, emotional resonance, and timing. She brought he story to life. My composer Jonathan Altman and Etienne Charles, musician extraordinaire, deftly crafted the emotional spine of the film. They were the perfect duo.

And I want to thank the great MLB marketing team and MLB. They live in the shadows so I won’t say their names. I want to thank them for being amazing collaborators. Thank you for giving me this platform to help tell this story.

Last thing. Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr. are in this film. So that means I won. Hahahaha