Friendships Tested by Success: Inside The Story Of The 'Brand New' Short Film

You’ve made it. You’ve worked your butt off. You’ve moved from your hometown; got your own place, live in a city where no one knows you and are excelling in your career. Everyone from back home is championing you. On Facebook, everyone is so proud of you. But there’s this one comment from an old friend, “You got big and forgot all about us.” Out of all the positive comments, it’s this one that sticks with you and gets in your head, making you feel guilty!

Many people go through this guilt when they reach the pinnacle of success often leaving the friends and family that were with them from the beginning. There are various reasons why the relationship that was once coveted is now strained; people move to a new city far from their hometown, the relationship has run its course or the two individuals just have different ideas for their lives.

Brand New explores the complexities of success, guilt and personal growth. Directed and co-written by Quincy Ledbetter and Denzel Whitaker, the short film tells the story of the life of Antoine "A-WAV" James, portrayed by Whitaker, a man caught between the allure of newfound success and the age-old pull of longstanding friendships that threaten to anchor him to his past.

The film follows newly famous music producer A-WAV as he heads back home to take care of his father who had a health scare. While in town, he meets up with some of his old friends who are having a recording session at a studio. When he arrives, he quickly realizes that it's not the same as it once was. Things are different. He's different. Ultimately, he gets into an explosive confrontation with a friend that leaves him having to confront his guilt for leaving home.

Both Ledbetter and Whitaker bring their personal experiences into the fold, crafting a narrative that resonates with anyone who has ever faced the dilemma of moving forward at the expense of leaving others behind.

"Brand New is really a personal story for Quincy and I," Whitaker explains in an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman. One day Whitaker and Ledbetter were on the phone talking about the friends that they had lost touch with.

"I remember the day, I remember the time where we're sitting together and having the thought to myself, like, 'Oh, man, this is probably the last time I'm going to see you. This is the last time we're going to hang out,'" Whitaker shares about the end of a friendship. As much as people want to believe that friendships or relationships will last forever, there is always a chance that it could come to an end. As humans, we are constantly evolving and you are not the same person yesterday and definitely not the same person you were two or 10 years ago. It is very possible to grow out of friendships.

In life, most people are trying to be better and do better. But the reality is, everyone can't come with you.

"I could say, specifically we, as Black men grapple with, but just people who have success. When you move into a new environment that you're not used to and then that environment comes with its own sort of rules, its own sort of decorum. And now you have to adjust. Is everybody ready for that new room?" Whitaker shares.

Ledbetter, who has worked on a few big studio projects, had his own realization about success. "I always thought that when you reach a certain level, people come, you know what I mean? But I realized when you reach a certain level people go, and I was sort of grappling with that," Ledbetter shares. "What happens to people at that level where everyone is coming at them? The people go, but also the snakes come, the sharks come. You don't want to be in the same water as them. So it's like a fear that they have, that they're coming off like a snake."

Check out our full interview below.