Synopsis

In 1969 a group of rebellious black bikers decided that freedom, non conformity and brotherhood were not exclusive to whites only. At the time (and still today) blacks were not permitted to join white outlaw biker clubs, so out of necessity the Outcast M.C. was born.

This documentary is an in depth look into their world and the unapologetic lifestyle they live. Filmed over the course of six years, Outcast Forever is a raw visual exploration that rips through the mystique and presents a unfiltered experience of a subculture within a subculture.  

Director's Statement

As a filmmaker my goal is to tell stories that move the viewer in unexpected ways. I am personally drawn to stories that present bigger then life characters and then dig deeper into the persona. These stylistic choices can be found in the Outcast story where we reveal layers of complicated identities and a complex surrogate family structure.

Filming this documentary was a fascinating and taxing experience for me and my crew. The project started in 2007 as a music video for my cousin and Outcast member 'Nut'. His overwhelming enthusiasm for the club peaked my interest and started me down the path of telling this engaging story.

There were obvious challenges from the start. First there were no camera’s allowed inside the clubhouse and being outsiders we were met initially with constant suspicion. Secondly most of the bikers refused to talk with us on camera or allow us to film them but overtime we slowly began to gain the trust and respect of the club and its members.

During the off and on six year process of capturing this story, I discovered what being totally committed is truly about. The clubs brotherhood was often tested by outside forces; law enforcement, rivalries with other biker clubs, and infighting due to aggressive alpha male posturing. Despite challenges, the members we followed throughout this process and met along our travels stayed committed to the Outcast brand. I often go back to their examples of commitment and use it as motivation for finishing this project

Director

For the past decade Atlanta based filmmaker DeVaughn Hughson has turned his passion for storytelling and his love of images into a vibrant and diverse film career. DeVaughn’s keen sense of teamwork, dependability, and leadership was first honed while serving in the U.S. Army and those same qualities have become key elements in his artistic success.         

After the military, DeVaughn graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta and entered the film business as a production assistant on music videos. He quickly rose through the ranks and grew to become one of the most in demand Assistant Directors in the music video business. As a 1st A.D. DeVaughn has worked directly with the biggest names in the music industry. His resume includes music videos with Madonna, Prince, Outkast, P. Diddy, Beyonce, Metallica, Greenday, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Ludacris and many more. He has worked with some of the top directors in music videos including Chris Robinson, Marc Webb, Dave Lachapelle, Stephen Klein, and Jonathan Mannion. His direct collaboration with these visionary directors and photographers has given him a deeply unique learning experience both technically and creatively.

In 2003, DeVaughn combined his music video experience and independent feature film know-how to produce and direct projects through his production company Digital Soul Inc.

He broke ground with the innovative Docu-comedy Titled “Source Awards From Behind” creatively blending real behind the scenes footage with a humorous narrative. In 2004 he produced and directed “Heart of a Champion” a boxing documentary on Light Heavy Weight Champion Roy Jones Jr. This Documentary was screened at multiple film festivals in New York, San Francisco and Atlanta and eventually it was distributed nationally on DVD through Image Entertainment.

DeVaughn currently works in various cities across the United States and abroad, filming and photographing imagery from a cultural perspective. His unique images have been displayed in multiple restaurants and Starbucks coffee shops in several states. He has had the privilege of photographing his journeys to Nepal, India, Cuba, Mexico and Trinidad. Currently he has a documentary project and a webisode titled A-town in development.

www.devaughnhughson.com

Producer

Jason Staten was born in the shadow of America’s industrial core in the 1970s surrounded by the evolving Funk, Progressive Rock, and Electronic music scenes. Movies and television were a big part of his life due to his  exposure to a wide variety of Television and Radio sources delivered by a small cable company that was fed into his towns homes. TV stations like WKBD TV 50 and WTBS of Atlanta had a steady stream of Classic Movies and cartoons to flood Staten’s imagination. Staten’s broad interest in comic books, music, television, movies, art, literature, and technology were encouraged by his parents. In the early 1980s, a chance introduction to the Zulu Nation thanks to his older cousin Freddy and an accidental viewing of an episode of Livewire which allowed him closely observe Jazzy Jay teaching people how to Scratch, led Jason Staten onto the path of becoming a DJ. This pursuit would take him from experimenting with music in his basement to spinning parties.  In 1988 Jason met a Michigan State Student Mike Runge who he teamed with to create the Cultural Vibe which broadcast weekends at Michigan State University. A few years later Jason was introduced to working inside the record industry by Neil Levine, Ern Lamado, and Steve Rifkind when he started hiring himself out as a Street promoter. His time as a street promoter and radio affiliations created other opportunities. A friend and client Sincere Thompson introduced Staten to the Rza who Staten in turn introduced to his bosses Fabian Duvernay and Trevor Williams at Loud records. Jason Staten’s badgering of Rifkind and his team led to the eventual signing of the ground breaking Hip Hop group Wu Tang. In 1995, Jason Staten moved to Atlanta to work for Hot 97.5 and Patchwerk Recordings. Five years later in 2000, Jason Staten met Devaughn Hughson who had formed a production company a few years earlier called Digital Soul. After working with Hughson to create a music video for Hip Hop artist Ultramaximus, Staten spent as much time as he could on Film and video sets. In 2002, having worked as an engineer and assistant on many recording projects, a remote technician, and broadcast engineer Staten decided to purchase into Devaughn’s company and left full time Radio in order to dedicate more time to film.  From that point forward, Staten began woking on multiple projects in Film and TV inside and outside Digital Soul in various capacities. Regardless of his efforts in Music or Video Jason Staten has had one constant goal in mind, introduce people to cool ideas, challenge himself to innovate, and build cool things.