TAMPA, Fla. — A new movie is streaming this month starring a Tampa performer who never forgot where he came from. The entire movie was filmed right here in Florida.
ABC Action News first introduced you to Deejay Young in 2023, when he returned to his hometown of Tampa as a cast member in the hit musical "Hamilton," which was being performed at The Straz.
Young stopped by Blake High School to speak with students at his alma mater. He already felt like he was on top of the world, but the best was yet to come.
“It has been a journey but an awesome ride. I left the tour of Hamilton to go on 'The Voice,' and it was awesome to represent the hometown on the show,” said Young. “Once I got off 'The Voice,' I fulfilled my Broadway dream and had my Broadway debut in Hamilton, so I went back in one of my favorite roles as Aaron Burr.”
Despite all the success in New York and Hollywood, Deejay never forgot about where he was from, so when it came to making his first movie, he knew Tampa Bay and Central Florida would be the perfect places to film.
“I was born and raised in Tampa. I love my hometown. I feel like your roots are what make the core of who you are, and so I wanted to make sure to talk about my upbringing, to talk about my family, to talk about me being from Tampa,” said Young.
The movie "HiSstory: Primitive" tells Young's life story through a series of R&B music videos, all written and performed by the Blake High School graduate.
“My journey as a young man growing into who I am now and what it’s taken to get to that place,” said Young. “We actually shot a portion of the film here at 7th + Grove. It’s a Black-owned business, and I wanted to do those things: make sure people know about the staples that are in the community. The whole body of work is just about love, and I feel like love is the cure for every dark thing that is in the world.”
This month, the movie debuted on the free streaming service Tubi.
He said it’s hard not to think back to his days in high school.
“I always go back to those times of me being crafted, those years at Blake and years of me being here in Tampa as a kid, they were shaping me into who I am,” said Young.
Young is proud to be a voice in the community regarding the arts and hopes his movie will inspire students today to pursue their dreams.
“Who knew I would make my own film one day,” said Young. “I definitely like to see myself as a leader and a voice for the arts. I mean, funding is being cut for the arts left and right. So any platform that I have to be able to give back or inspire those who are thinking about making this a career choice, and so if I can continue being a voice to that, I will do it.”
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