THE SILENCE
- illadelstyles Entertainment
- Apr 13
- 4 min read
The Silence After "Congrats, You're On Tubi"
Why I'm Starting the Future Filmmakers Collective in Philadelphia
I’m Jermaine Quick. Eq Philly. Donta Deisel. CEO of illadelStyles Entertainment LLC. And I need to tell you something nobody told me when I started making films in junior high.
Getting on Tubi and Roku doesn’t mean you made it. Sometimes it just means you got quiet.
The truth about “making it” in 2026
My film Sugar is on Tubi and Roku. Heartless and Change The Beat are on Tubi. Sugar has 29 global awards. Lionheart Distribution in LA reps it. Heartless runs through Filmhub.
And you know what happened after we launched? Silence. Then a check.
Pennies. Literally pennies compared to when I used to press up DVDs for illadelstyles DVD Magazine and sell them hand-to-hand for $15 after a screening. $15 I could count that night. $15 from somebody who looked me in my face and said “this mattered to me.”
Tubi pays $0.02 per hour watched if you’re lucky. That means 25,000 people need to watch Sugar start-to-finish to equal what 300 DVD sales did in 2010.
The world told us “go digital.” We did. They didn’t tell us the bag moved too.
So why am I telling you this?
Because I’m 53. I turn 54 on April 18th. I’ve been doing this since 1993 when I dropped F.A.T.A.L. and got local radio play. I started illadelStyles in 2001 after Temple’s P.A.C.E.P. program. I’ve written, directed, produced, and scored 6 films.
American Bully got featured on Fox 29. It also got me a CITATION Award from Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. for community activism — because that film dealt with bullying, and we took it into schools. Sugar deals with domestic violence. Heartless deals with child abuse and mental health. These aren’t just movies. They’re tools. And I’ve been using them in Philly for 23 years.
But here’s what I learned: Making the film is step 2. Step 1 is surviving the business. Step 3 is getting paid without selling your soul. Nobody teaches step 1 and 3.
That’s why I’m starting the Future Filmmakers Collective.
Why me? Why Philly? Why now?
I’ve lived both economies: I sold DVDs out my trunk and I’ve got quarterly statements from Filmhub. I know what $47.18 for 8,000 watch hours feels like. I also know what $4,500 cash from a weekend screening feels like. You need both skills in 2026.
I’ve built the rooms you’re trying to get in: I’ve filmed Lupe Fiasco, Fat Joe, Kevin Hart, Busta Rhymes through illadelstyles DVD Magazine. I’ve given 200+ actors and music artists their first big-screen shot across 6 films. I don’t gatekeep — I build doors.
I know Philly policy and streets: From 2001-2004 I ran the Youth Community Outreach program at Mars Hill Baptist Church. Dobbin’s and Hartranft students got conflict resolution and life skills. We were recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau and got $5,000/month from the School Board of Philadelphia. I know how to talk to Councilman Jones. I also know how to talk to the corner. You need both to make it here.
I’m still in the game: I’m not a retired “back in my day” guy. I’m launching Bounce to the Beat game show right now. My van is still wrapped as a moving billboard for Philly artists. I’m still working a 9-to-5 to fund this dream because I believe in it that much.
What the Future Filmmakers Collective actually is
This isn’t a “come watch me talk” workshop. This is a film hub. A collective.
We’re going to cover:
The real money math: AVOD vs TVOD vs screening licenses vs grants vs brand deals. How to read a Filmhub statement and not cry.
The Philadelphia pipeline: How to get your film in front of Council, schools, nonprofits — the people who cut checks for social-issue content. That CITATION Award didn’t come from Hollywood.
The hybrid model: How to use Tubi for reach AND build your own list so you can still have the “DVD feeling” — direct to your audience, no algorithm.
The mental game: How to deal with the silence after “congrats,” how to keep creating when the checks are pennies, how to want to bless people without going broke.
Who this is for
If you’re in Philly. If you’ve got a camera, a phone, or just a story. If you’re tired of YouTube tutorials that don’t talk about the business of film. If you want a mentor who’s been denied, awarded, underpaid, and still standing.
If you want to make American Bully or Sugar for your generation — films that hit Fox 29 AND hit the block — pull up.
This is personal for me
I turn 54 next Saturday. I don’t want the next Jermaine Quick to wait until 54 to figure out that “distribution” doesn’t mean “paid.” I want you to know at 24.
My history matters because I’ve taken every L and every W you’re about to face. The award from Councilman Jones matters because it proves you can make art AND impact policy right here in Philly.
illadelStyles wasn’t built with studio money. It was built with 9-to-5 money, community trust, and a whole lot of faith. That’s the blueprint. Now I’m passing it on.
The silence doesn’t have to be your ending. It can be your classroom.
Sign ups for the Future Filmmakers Collective open next week at illadelstyles.net.
We’re not waiting for Hollywood to see Philly. We’re building our own hub.
— Jermaine Quick | Eq Philly | Donta Deisel | CEO, illadelStyles Entertainment LLC | illadelstyles@illadelstyles.net
P.S. If you’ve ever felt like your art is important but your finances are ugly, you’re not alone. I built this Collective for you. Let’s talk.
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