Justin Dean (he/him)
Illness: Hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosed at 24 y.o.
Who I am: A chef of original cuisine for my friends and partner, an impulse buyer of seasonal produce, a fitness lover, a screenwriting and branding expert who seeks to find the right words and new ways to tell stories.
A little more: I’m a Creative Director and main verbal lead at a boutique branding firm that works with non-profits. That means I use language to help purpose-driven organizations tell their story for greater impact. Since 2013, I’ve worked for branding agencies big and small with a focus on strategy, writing and naming. Since 2012, I’ve been a Los Angeles transplant based in Brooklyn. I grew up, went to school, got sober, got treated and recovered from cancer all in Southern California. Right after my recovery, I supported script development for a storied production company in my hometown Santa Monica after receiving a screenwriting degree at a private school in Orange County. My studies taught me how to master the strategic management of expectations to craft powerful stories that move people, and the world, forward.
In the summer of 2020 I created the short film “Profile” with my partner Joel, the first in a fictionalized web series that explores a gay couple navigating an open relationship. Taking place entirely on a phone and made to be watched on your phone, “Profile” careens through the humor and humiliation of digital gay hookup culture, and gives an uncomfortable look at the trade-offs we think we have to make between being ourselves and being desired. Later that year, “Profile” was an official selection for the Seattle Queer Film Festival and was recognized as an Honoree of the 2021 Webby Awards.
During the most challenging moments of my treatment and recovery, I vowed to not take my life for granted. So I decided to move in with my long-distance boyfriend in New York and pursue the life above.