Detroit Homegrown Filmmakers Find Their Breakout on Tubi TV 

Tubi TV touts itself as being a leader in free, premium, on demand video streaming apps. It’s become a place for entertainment for millions of people across the country, particularly gaining traction during the height of the pandemic. 

In the past several weeks, however, the streaming platform has garnered attention amongst a Detroit audience, intrigued by homegrown talent and movies catching even the eye of the nation as some viral scenes and skits have hit social media. 

Some of the content on Tubi probably doesn’t always have top tier quality or Hollywood dollars behind the production, but the acting and quality is getting better and has even Hollywood looking at Detroit. 

“People are flying here from all over to check our premiere,” says King Wesley, actor in season 2 of “The Dirty D” on Tubi TV. “We’re getting a lot of feedback and a lot of buzz.” 

“The Dirty D” is a series produced by Lisa Brown and it’s about money, sex, drugs and drama and it all goes down in the setting of a nightclub run by a shady power couple. 

Wesley got involved in the show by first watching the series as a fan. His wife told him, he would soon get cast for a role on the show and as luck and hard work would have it, he received an email two months ago to go in for an audition.  

Wesley plays the role of Javon, a mysterious guy and a new character entering into The Dirty D world. 

“Season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off and even better along with the new cast members.” 

Detroit rapper Gmac Cash will be featured in the new season playing a new character  

Wesley finds the show one that not only Detroiters would be able to relate but it plays to a broader audience, especially now the show can be seen by a more diverse pool of viewers online thanks to streaming platforms like Tubi. The streaming app is providing access for up and coming filmmakers who might not have Hollywood pockets and for actors to gain awareness while showcasing their talent, which might otherwise wouldn’t have been the case years ago. 

“Shout out to Lisa Brown being the creator of this show. There is this idea of being offered by mainstream platforms to sell out, or offer a percentage and buy into the project and she told them, ‘No’.” Wesley explains, and with that buy-in from outside production or media platforms comes loss of control.  

He stresses he’s not someone looking for fame, he’s a real artist practicing the craft and it take a lot of work. It’s a production he thanks Lisa Brown for and on a platform like Tubi that he appreciates.  

“I used to sit with my grandma and watch all her shows with her like [Room] 227 and soap operas. Some days I would wonder how the children actors get this opportunity and I was interested. Growing up in Michigan, we didn’t have those outlets and resources.” 

Access and resources are something actor and executive producer DeJuan Ford doesn’t take for granted. He has worked hard to embed himself into a thriving umbrella of Detroit creatives starting to make their mark in homegrown Detroit movies and television series, projects that are also being picked up by Tubi TV.