Fox Sports video editor and documentarian Byron Jackson had a passion for film recording. He used his filming skills to create a documentary series about his brother, DeSean Jackson: a wide receiver for the Washington Redskins. The docu-series “DeSean Jackson: Home Team” aired on BET on June 30.
The series follows the career and family dynamics of DeSean. Byron also did a stint in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, but was more interested in Film and TV production.
“My mindset was to go in a direction of, I believe, my true passion was, which was television and film,” said Byron. “That’s what I had studied at San Jose State.”
His late father, Bill Jackson, did not welcome Byron working in the media industry. However, training with DeSean brought Byron and his father back together.
“My father was very over the top pushing me to continue my NFL career,” said Byron. “When I kinda made the decision, we had a real bad falling out.”
DeSean had a passion for the sport and Bill pushed him to play. While Byron mentored DeSean in football, he would record the practice sessions. Filming served as a way to pursue the interests of both brothers, according to Byron.
“I always would film [DeSean] because I just had a passion for filming and documenting,” said Byron. “My brother, being a good little athlete, I wanted to kinda film him and pretty much show him how to become better at certain things as far as running routes and running.”
Bill coordinated DeSean’s training by using Byron and his athletic resources.
“My dad got my friends involved. Guys that I played football with in college, he got them involved and pretty much built this team around DeSean to help him reach the highest level he could possibly reach,” said Byron.
Prior to creating “DeSean Jackson: HomeTeam,” Byron created the documentary “DeSean Jackson: Making of a Father’s Dream.”
The journey of creating the documentary took Byron from a Super VHS camcorder to a Canon 5D camera. He got his stepmother, sister, and father on board to create the documentary. With help from a division of Lion’s Gate TV, Byron created the documentary so he could pitch his story to networks like OWN, VH1, and BET.
Throughout the docu-series, Byron uses a set of principles to teach youth about reaching for their dreams. Byron teaches this philosophy to children though his company Sports Rhythms, LLC.
“I use sports to help show kids their rhythm in life,” said Byron. “I actually put together a whole curriculum based on the documentary and the journey of a family.”
DeSean had been a stand-out wide-receiver since he was a student Long Beach Poly High School. He caught 60 passes for 1,075 yards for the high school’s CIF Southern Section championship team.
For college, DeSean played for the University of California, Berkeley in 2005. As a sophomore, he was selected as a wide receiver and a punt returner for the All-Pac-10 first team, according to Cal Athletics.
He entered the 2008 NFL draft and played for the Philadelphia Eagles for 6 years. The three-time NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver was traded to the Washington Redskins in 2014, according to ESPN.
Check your local listings for dates and times of the new series “DeSean Jackson: HomeTeam” on BET.
DeSean collaborated with Byron in creating the documentary. “DeSean: The Making of a Father’s Dream” can be found on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
“It was a long process,” said Byron. “But now the world can actually see all of the dynamics behind my little brother.”
