From the gridiron to greatness: SU alum's film earns festival selection

From the gridiron to greatness: SU alum's film earns festival selection

After spending nearly two decades playing football, Glenn Brown III is pursuing a different creative path. The 2023 Southern University and A&M College graduate is now making his mark as a filmmaker, with his psychological thriller, "You Should've Looked Closer," selected for the 37th New Orleans Film Festival.

For Brown, the transition from athletics to filmmaking is about more than changing careers. It is about challenging expectations and finding an identity beyond the sport that shaped much of his life.

"I knew sports was something that I was good at. I knew it wasn't who I was," Brown said.

Courtesy: glennabrowniii/Instagram

Brown grew up in Lutcher, LA and began playing football since he was five years old, including his time as a four-year starter at Southern as a defensive back. He said moving on from a sport that had occupied so much of his life was not easy.

"It's hard to focus on something for almost 20 years, and then just move on from it," Brown said. "That's hard. People don't mention that enough."

He also recognized how expectations can shape the paths athletes believe are available to them, particularly Black athletes.

"As an athlete with our skin color, they want to put you in a box, like you're an athlete. That's all you are and that's all you're going to be," Brown said. "If you don't make it to the NFL, you're going to be a coach and I just wasn't going for that."

Rather than limit himself to the future others might have expected, Brown looked to entertainers and filmmakers who had successfully moved between creative fields. He cited Ice Cube's transition from music to filmmaking and acting, along with Will Smith's career in television and film, as examples that inspired him. Brown also connected with the journey of filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who played football before pursuing a career in film, and actor LaKeith Stanfield, whom Brown worked alongside as a stand-in on the film "I Love Boosters."

Courtesy: Glenn Brown III

Finding his voice through film

Brown's interest in filmmaking began long before "You Should've Looked Closer." He said his father made films and music videos in New Orleans, while his grandmother regularly bought movies for the family to watch. Those early experiences helped develop his interest in storytelling.

While at Southern, Brown studied mass communication with a focus in journalism. He initially wanted to pursue sports broadcasting, inspired by watching sports commentators, including Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless and Ryan Clark.

Balancing academics with the demands of being a starting football player was challenging. Brown said he struggled in the classroom while focusing heavily on football and creating YouTube content. The possibility of becoming academically ineligible and losing his scholarship forced him to take his studies more seriously.

He said the experience helped him develop the discipline and accountability he now relies on as a filmmaker.

"I had to step into that role and learn how to direct myself, and hold myself accountable," Brown said.

Although he enjoys writing and acting more than directing, Brown took on multiple responsibilities to complete his first film. He wrote, directed, produced and acted in his film "You Should've Looked Closer."

Brown established his production company, Elephant Hill Media, in 2024 while studying acting at Catapult Studios in Atlanta. He said creating his own projects also gave him a way to keep working during periods when acting opportunities were limited.

"I want to own something," Brown said. "It's just good to have ownership and, you know, build from the ground up."

A film about mental health and perception

"You Should've Looked Closer" is an experimental psychological thriller centered on a young man named King. The film explores mortality, memory and perception through a nontraditional editing style that invites audiences to interpret what they see.

Brown said he wanted to address suicide without depicting the act itself.

Courtesy: Glenn Brown III/Elephant Hill Media

The idea became meaningful to Brown when he wrote the film in the summer of 2025. He said several people in his hometown had taken their lives, including people connected to St. James High School, where he attended.

Brown said he has long been drawn to stories that challenge audiences and spark conversations about uncomfortable subjects. With his first film, he wanted to explore the experiences of people coping with the loss of a loved one who struggled with their mental health.

He also hopes the film encourages viewers who may be struggling to recognize that people around them care about them.

Brown said he wants audiences to develop their own interpretations of the experimental film, while also considering the lives and relationships affected by suicide.

Looking ahead

When Brown submitted "You Should've Looked Closer" to film festivals, he did not expect it to be selected. He recalled receiving the notification while sitting in a barbershop and smiling as he processed the news.

"I had no expectations at all," he said.

The selection gave Brown an opportunity to introduce his work to a wider audience as he continues developing his craft.

He is now writing a feature-length supernatural horror film set in New Orleans. Brown hopes to secure at least $50,000 in funding to make the project and pay the people involved, with an emphasis on working with Louisiana talent. He also wants to tell stories that reflect the state beyond familiar stereotypes, exploring both its positive and difficult realities through a Black Southern Gothic perspective.

"There just aren't enough films about Louisiana," Brown said. "I want to make a movie and make a film about Louisiana, the good parts and the bad parts, and have really uncomfortable conversations."

For Southern students pursuing interests outside their original career plans, Brown encourages them to take lessons from their education and apply them to whatever path they choose.

"It's always something you could take away from anything that you decide to study," he said.

"You Should've Looked Closer" is scheduled to screen Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans as part of the 37th New Orleans Film Festival. Tickets are available for purchase by clicking here.