09 Apr From North Philly Stables to Netflix: An Interview with Director Ricky Staub of Concrete Cowboy

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR

Cowboys on horses riding down the streets of Philadelphia with the highrises of the city in the background is a common sight for residents. The Philly cowboy communities in the North and West are “believed to date back to the early 20th century when Black Southerners began migrating north for industrial jobs, bringing their livestock with them.” In the film Concrete Cowboy, director Ricky Staub spotlights the Fletcher Street Riders located in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philly.

Ricky Staub was inspired to work on Concrete Cowboy after meeting a few Fletcher Street Riders through his community work at Neighborhood Film Co. For over 10 years, Staub–a Philadelphia-based filmmaker and founder of Neighborhood Film Co.–has worked to teach filmmaking skills to adults returning home from incarceration. Staub’s first short film The Cage (2017), about a young basketball player struggling to pursue his dream, received critical acclaim including the Gold Young Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.

After connecting with Fletcher Street Riders Eric “E” Miller and Jamil “Mil” Prattis, Staub and his writing partner Dan Walser sought to adapt the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri. The film, much like the novel, follows teenage Cole (played by Caleb McLaughlin) and his rocky relationship with his father, Harp (played by Idris Elba). The young protagonist is named after Philly jazz legend John Coltrane. As Cole struggles to find himself, he gains a support system by connecting with the Fletcher Street Riding Club and caring for the horses in the neighborhood stables. The cast includes Cole’s friend-turned-drug dealer Smush (played by Jharrel Jerome) and kind neighbor Nessie (played by Lorraine Toussaint). 

Concrete Cowboy also touches on gentrification, an issue that greatly impacts the Fletcher Street Stables as they navigate increasing rent and changing city building codes. The film features real-life Fletcher Street Riders, including Mil who performed the role of paraplegic cowboy Paris. Cole’s love interest Esha is performed by Philadelphia native and cowgirl Ivannah Mercedes. Fletcher Street Rider Eric Miller was fundamental to the production of the film but passed away before prep on the film began. The film features a dedication to Eric.  

Produced by Lee Daniels (Lee Daniels Entertainment) and Idris Elba (Green Door Pictures), Concrete Cowboy premiered at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival and aired on Netflix on April 2, 2021. Given the deep connection to Philadelphia, I was thrilled to interview director Ricky Staub for the recent Netflix release.

Kristal Sotomayor: How did you get started with filmmaking and get settled into Philadelphia?

Ricky Staub: I moved around a lot when I was young because my dad was in the hotel business. I was up and down the East Coast and ultimately ended up moving to Chicago when I was 10. What brought me back to Philly was that I worked for this film producer named Sam Mercer, who at the time was doing all of M. Night Shyamalan’s films. I got hired to work as his assistant in LA and then I came to Philly to work on The Last Airbender. I was literally in Philadelphia for two-and-a-half years on that movie so I essentially moved to Philly. I immediately fell in love with the city, the culture, the people, and I met my now wife. Philly’s pretty special.

KS: From meeting the Fletcher Street Riders and becoming passionate about making a film and really preserving the culture, what research did you do in order to prepare to direct this film?

RS: Once we met Eric, and then Mil, the first thing we did is Eric invited about a dozen other cowboys from Fletcher Street to [the Neighborhood Film Co.] office. We showed them my short [The Cage] and we talked about putting this movie together. I said, “Listen, I know how to direct and write but this isn’t my story. It’s not what I lived through. So the only way that we can tell it is if we do it together.” Even before we started writing, we spent almost a year just spending time with Eric and Mil and the other cowboys. Everything I learned about horseback riding or cowboy culture is from their perspective. A lot of it was hanging out [with the cowboys] and we went for a few years to those barbecues as depicted in the film, which is just some of the best things in life to be a part of. We also had like hour-long conversations and we recorded them. We have well over 10 hours of recorded conversations between me, Dan (my writing partner) and then Eric and Mil. They would just share everything from breaking a horse, how to clean a horse, just all kinds of stories. It was really fun actually, that part of the process to learn. We also knew that we really loved the book Ghetto Cowboy that Greg Neri had written about the Fletcher Street Riders. We also wanted to just take a deeper dive with our relationships with Eric and Mil and the other cowboys there. There was a really beautiful part about pressing down on the material and saying “What should we do here? Should we dive deeper in these areas?” I published several years worth of work leading up to actually shooting the film. Then, even during prep of the film and during the shoot, most of the cast are still real cowboys from the community. 10 of the speaking roles out of 20 are real community members. All the extras are from the community. 11 of the 14 stunt doubles are from the community. Almost all the departments had people from the community on their team. It was genuinely a community effort, which was part of what I ultimately wanted for them to be able to watch the film and say “That is us.” If they could direct and write, this is the movie they would make.

KS: To clarify, in the film, you see the actual stables that the Fletcher Street Rider use?

RS: Yeah.

KS: So how did you get access? And, how did they allow you to film there?

RS: There’s two answers, there’s like the heart answer and then the logistic answer. The heart of it is that we were well known down there by this time, like everyone knew who we were. A lot of people film stuff down there for commercials, music videos, you name it. [We had] to try and explain that we’re bringing in a much larger outfit to this block. So be aware. What the struggle was is that they don’t actually own any of those buildings. Like every parcel is owned from somewhere else, most of which don’t even live in the city. We actually had to get permission from the actual land owners, which was a logistical nightmare but we pulled it off. It’s pretty much like the film sets like [the stables are a] character.

KS: Philly is a predominantly people of color city and this is a story featuring a predominantly Black cast. So, how did you go about directing this as a white filmmaker with deep connections in the neighborhood and to Philly at large?

RS: It really does have to do with the heart and the DNA of our company. When I launched the company in 2011, it was a heart for adults who are returning home from incarceration. At the time, I wasn’t keenly aware of a race conversation in 2011. My decision to actually start the company was years prior to when we actually took the dive to do it. Around 2008 – 2009, I’m wrestling with this injustice that I saw happening. It just so happens that one of the first people I ever met was a homeless man named Will who was Black, and [I] learned from him the plight of his homelessness situation which stemmed from his incarceration record and his inability to make a life for himself. Up until that point in my life, I’d never even filled out a resume yet. Here I was making my dreams come true on The Last Airbender. What dawned on me is, if I could do the same for this person, who has probably all the same abilities as me but there’s just these hurdles in their way unnecessarily, if they never had to fill out a resume or if they had someone recommending them, that could be very transformative. As the years went on, [we were] essentially operating a company where no one really knew about our apprenticeship. [We‘ve] had 11 apprentices to date now and 10 of them have been Black. The lives of these men end up mattering to me because I love them like brothers and sons, like you get really close. 

I never really set out to say, “Hey I’m going to tell the stories of people of color,” but it’s just, it’s where my relationships in my heart have led me thus far. Even the short film [The Cage] was birthed out of a relationship with a man named Andre Wright who runs a nonprofit in the city called Give And Go Athletics that offer sports camps to kids but is also offering behavioral mental health therapy as well. He’s one of my best friends in the neighborhood and we actually put The Cage together with him and for him to help tell the story of their nonprofit. This is kind of the same genesis with Concrete Cowboy. We were making and putting this together when no one knew who I was outside of Philly. It’s certainly an obvious question when you see me because of the color of my skin, but I would hope that it’s not the color of my skin or anyone’s skin that really makes them fit to tell a story. I think what it requires is an immense amount of empathy and care when [I] tell any story that is not my own. Even if our skin colors are shared, I’d hope that I would be just as thoughtful, patient and generous in that pursuit.

KS: I think the ideas of empathy and compassion and really forming a connection with the people that you’re filming is something that is seen a lot in documentaries. I don’t see it as often in narrative films so I feel like that’s a very rare thing.

RS: I never thought about it in that way but it’s true. The thing that I appreciate the most is like that this film is going to come out and it’s going to have [its] moment in time. Five years from now, [the film may not] be a topic of conversation, but these relationships will last 5, 10, 15 years because I’ve seen that happen in all the relationships I have lived in North Philly. I still cherish those relationships and that’s what’s beautiful to me about being invited into a community that isn’t my own. It’s to be able to have these brothers and sisters that changed my entire perspective and lens on life. I think more people should be close with people that are vastly different than them. I think it would help bridge the gap and a lot of our division in this world.

KS: I completely agree with you, and so I wanted to get an idea of how long you’ve known the Fletcher Street Riders that are in the film. How long has this relationship been?

RS: It’s gone on for years now. I met them in the spring of 2017. So four years ago. We began filming in 2019. I almost shot it two years ago.

KS: The film is based on the book Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri. What is the book’s connection with the community and what drew you to this book?

RS: Greg has had his own relationships within the community in that book. I don’t know specifically which relationships were his since there’s a lot of different groups down at the stables themselves. There’s a lot of different cowboys from different groups and doing different things down there. It’s not like this one cohesive [headquarters], it’s a bunch of people that just have gathered on this one street. I was just really fond of the way that he told the story, like part of the heart and why we liked the book. When I say we, I mean, myself, Dan (my writing partner) and then Eric and Mil. It has this classic structure to it. Eric and Mil always said they wanted to make a film that they did not have as kids. What they meant is that they loved westerns growing up but none of them had Black cowboys in them. They wanted to have a film that felt as nostalgic as one of their films that they loved but also achieved telling their story. I felt like the book had all those ingredients in it. So we were like, “Why not honor the work that’s already been done here and be a part of that process?”

KS: How many crew members were from Philly and how much of the film was shot in the city?

RS: All of it. We were not a big production and no one did this movie for a paycheck.

KS: Well, that’s amazing. I thought that this was a big blockbuster film because it was acquired by Netflix. Knowing that everything was shot in Philly is really beautiful because a lot of narrative films that are about Philly are usually shot somewhere else. They’re not shot in Philly. And the crew was from Philly and that doesn’t always happen too.

RS: It was a little bit of a struggle doing the film because you think, “Idris Elba was in the movie. It’s got to be a big budget.” But it wasn’t. We shot the whole movie in 20 days, which is a [quick] speed, especially with all that was in the film. That it’s a real testament of Idris and actors like Caleb or Lorraine. They do take on projects that they genuinely just have a heart for and care about. They just express that constantly. I think it was special that our financing came through Lee Daniels, Tucker Tooley and Greg Renker. You would think, going around Hollywood with Idris Elba and the script, you would have offers coming out all from everywhere, but they were the only ones that stepped up and were like, “We need to make this movie.” And you know, Lee is a Philly native. So I mean, it couldn’t have been more homegrown if we tried.

KS: So, I have to ask, how did Idris Elba become part of this film?

RS: When we put out the short film and it got us some attention, we eventually ended up signing with an agent at William Morris Agency. And Idris is at the same agency. It’s like one of those divine intersections where Idris had expressed to his team that he wanted to star in and produce a film that was uplifting to the Black community. Our agent was a part of that meeting and essentially pulled him into his office and, at the time, we literally just finished the script. Our agent pulled Idris into his office and pitched him the project. Idris read it and the rest is history. We had a phone call with him and I shared more about how we wanted to tell the story, why we wanted to tell it, and he watched my short film [The Cage]. I was able to learn more about his production company [Green Door Pictures]. And, just like his company, we had a lot of mission things that aligned with [Neighborhood Film Co.]. That’s how he got attached and then it was just a whole nother year of pitching to get someone to give us money. So it’s just a never ending [set of] building blocks.

KS: To hear that you had to go through this kind of struggle to get funding is kind of amazing to me because you have incredible talent connected to the film and a really strong story. That’s just so surprising.

RS: A lot of people don’t understand that from the outside it can look and feel like this big flick, especially with Netflix buying it, but putting it together was a very hard fought effort. We got Idris, then we got the financing, but then getting Idris’s schedule aligned was so difficult because he’s busy. Then, you know, like, Jharrel came on. Actually, when we wrote the script, we had him in mind from Moonlight. I talked to him probably about a year previous to him being in When They See Us, which, I’m thankful because I always felt there’s no way he would have done the movie because he got so famous after that. I was proactive now that I had an agent [to engage talented actors]. We were like “All right, I want to be connected to this actor. Can you get him the script?” So we started talking about the movie well before even Caleb was on board. I really knew that whoever was [going to portray] Cole was going to carry the film. I was convinced that it could be anyone–it could be a kid from North Philly or someone as famous as Caleb. He self taped and auditioned for the movie. People assume that we just gave [the role] to him because he’s so famous but he worked for it. His audition was incredible, as he is in the film. I feel like the right people are brought to the project from a talent standpoint but also just like their heart. I remember talking to Lorraine Toussaint and she was almost in tears about the script. She totally understands the heart of this character and what it means to the community. It’s very surreal but I’m incredibly grateful. I can’t even list off the cast in one breath. There’s so many amazing people.

KS: Pivoting to how you got to this place where you’re directing this film, what support systems in Philadelphia have helped you get to this point in your career?

RS: It’s the crew and people in my company. It’s my writing and business partner, Dan. I think it’s dishonoring to even pretend like I did anything myself. The movie specifically, but like leading up to it. A lot of [my achievements] slingshotted from the short film. Most of the people that worked on the short film came with me to the feature. Our production designer Tim Stevens is a Philly local, my DP Minka Farthing-Kohl is from Philly, and our producer Staci Hagenbaugh does locations and produces for all M. Night Shyamalan’s films and shows. It was actually her who shared the film with two producers, Jeff G. Waxman and Jennifer Madeloff, who she had worked with years prior. She just sent it to them and was like, “Hey, this is a really beautiful thing we made. I’d love for you to watch it.” And Jeff and Jen’s response was, they were in New York at the time, and they drove to Philly almost immediately after watching the film. They drove down to meet Dan and I for lunch in Philly with Staci and they were basically like, “We want to work with you. What movie do you want to make?” It is a testament to [that fact that] you don’t need to make something that gets millions of views. You just need to make something that the right people see and care about.

KS: Are there any resources in Philly that you would recommend to people that are interested in making films?

RS: A lot of my career is built off relationships and a lot of time working in different departments. I started out as a production assistant (PA) working under a producer, Dave Raynor. I was actually his PA on one of my first movies. Now, he’s a producer at my company full time. So I just encourage people, because it’s a long journey, that everything leading up to me making this film prepared me. I’ve seen films at a much larger scale built from the ground up and I did all the nitty gritty work as a production assistant or as an intern. All of those relationships and all that time spent was so valuable preparing me to actually lead 100 plus people into battle every day. I also have an incredible support system. I just don’t think you can do it without other people that can hold you through it because it’s very hard, it’s not easy.

KS: What do you hope audiences will get from your films?

RS: There’s always that entertainment at first, but I think the film speaks to a specific culture that is fighting for its existence. Even right now the city has taken their land at Fletcher Street. It’s moments away from being extinct essentially. I just hope that this film invites an audience into considering these types of communities that exist all across the country and world. Whether it’s Black cowboys or other really beautiful small windows into other people’s lives. I wanted the film to not have an agenda but be more of a celebration of a community that I fell in love with. I hope that audiences would also fall in love with them. If they’re moved to action or it inspires them in other ways to take a hard look around them wherever they’re from or wherever they live.

KS: Do you have any advice for emerging filmmakers?

RS: You just have to make your own stuff. I think back to making that short film and people thought we were a little bit crazy for the amount of time and money we spent on it. I literally don’t think I’d be a director right now if I didn’t make it. It depends what you want to make. Even if an emerging filmmaker wants to make commercials, make spec commercials to put the work out there that you want to be hired to make. I think that’s something that Dan and I are recognizing as we did this for almost two decades before anyone ever paid us. We were just doing it for love of the craft. So enjoy that journey and that process would be one of my biggest pieces of advice. You just gotta love it.

Where to Watch: Concrete Cowboys is now streaming on Netflix.

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Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx freelance journalist, documentary filmmaker, and festival programmer based in Philadelphia. They serve as Programming Director for the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and Co-Founder/Journalist of ¡Presente! Media Collective. In the past, Kristal has written for ITVS, WHYY, AL DÍA, CineSPEAK and Autostraddle. They are a 2020 and 2021 Sundance Press Inclusion Initiative awardee. They are currently a member of the cinéSPEAK Editorial Collective.