CREED III

“This is for the homies”

By this time, I had three films under my belt as a director and producer’s assistant. I’d been with Proximity for several years and had already caught the creative bug, producing my own small but personal projects. I was in motion. Creed III became another defining moment in my growth, not just as an executive, but as a storyteller. What most people don’t know is that Creed III was loosely inspired by my friendship with Ryan Coogler. No, we never boxed each other, but we’ve been tight for over 30 years. His younger brother Keenan Coogler and Zack Baylin wrote this script drawing from that dynamic, two childhood friends, one making it big, the other doing time in prison. You guessed it—I was the friend who did the time. Just as Creed III kicked off, I was promoted to Creative Executive at Proximity. Coog let me know I’d also be serving as a cultural consultant on the film, working with Jonathan Majors and director/star Michael B. Jordan to bring authenticity to key aspects of Damian Anderson’s character.

Day in and day out, we worked closely with production to make sure Damian wasn’t just a character, he was a reflection. Majors and I had a saying: “This for the homies.” It was our reminder of why we were doing this—to make sure that formerly incarcerated and disenfranchised folks saw themselves in a way that felt honest. Not just as villains, not just as broken men, but as complex, layered individuals. Merging that authenticity with cinematic storytelling wasn’t always easy, but we fought for it. And in the end, I truly believe we got it right. Another testament to Proximity’s commitment to telling real, underserved stories with care and truth.

What I didn’t expect was walking away with my first Associate Producer credit. That wasn’t something I was chasing. Coming up under the original Proximity team, the work always came first. Everything else? A byproduct of doing the work the right way. That’s what we do! [Tell stories that are] real to us and the people we represent. And if you keep your head down and put in the work, everything else will fall into place exactly how it’s supposed to.

D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis
Associate Producer

“A crash course in producing”

My grandfather was a boxer, and though I inherited none of his talent, I thought of him constantly when I started work on Creed III. I was stepping into a franchise about legacy – fathers and sons, and coming to terms with your past.

From Day 1, I knew this was a Proximity project I wanted to do everything in my power to bring to life. I was surrounded by legends – Irwin Winkler, Michael B. Jordan, and of course the extraordinary team of Ryan, Zinzi, and Sev at Proximity. But I’d been training for the moment: helping produce Creed was the culmination of years learning from Ryan, Zinzi, and Sev in how to produce. It was a chance to prove that I was ready.

I worked on Creed III from conception through release. I watched firsthand as Michael B. Jordan darted from the boxing ring to the director’s monitor and back to the ring. In spare moments, we’d pepper Mike with questions about the next shoot day, call up co-writers Keenan and Zach to talk through a few last minute notes, make sure every department had what they needed, rinse and repeat every day for over 50 shoot days.

There was a great sense of purpose on the project – we never approached it as “another sequel,” never viewed it as “another boxing movie.” It was an opportunity. A chance to show on screen a loving, accepting Black family – with hearing parents, a deaf child, and a bilingual household. A chance to tell a story about anti-recidivism, forgiveness, and brotherhood. It was a crash course in producing, and one of the projects I’ll be proudest of forever.

Dezi Gallegos
Co-Producer