2022 Eric Allen Outstanding Young Alum

Tevin Tavares, a graduate of SOJC’s advertising program, works across genres including film, music videos, documentaries and TV series. His work has been featured in several media outlets including Forbes, Black Excellence, AdWeek, SLAM magazine, The Athletic, Complex, Pigeons & Planes, XXL, 2 Dope Boyz, Hot New Hip Hop and Nice Kicks. In 2018, his film “Through Your Eyes” won Best Short Doc at the 2018 Long Beach Indie International Film Festival. At just 24 years old, Tavares was compared in Forbes magazine to award-winning filmmaker Ryan Coogler, director of films such as “The Black Panther,” “Creed” and “Fruitvale Station.”

As an SOJC advertising major in 2015, Tavares cofounded Combined Culture, a creative collective of SOJC students and alumni working on inspirational multidimensional campaigns. The group’s 2016 film, Numb in America, received a College Emmy. The student group is now a professional LLC, and Tavares develops scripts, storyboards, and leads creative direction for all its short films and branded commercials.

After graduating from the SOJC, Tavares co-directed NBA All Star Damian Lillard’s first music video for his hit single, “Dre Grant,” which has accumulated over 2 million views. It was featured on ESPN and in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. In 2020, Tavares wrote and directed the animated film for Springhill Entertainment’s “More Than a Vote” Campaign, which starred Stacey Abrams, Damian Lillard and Lebron James. Tavares made his directorial series debut directing the IMDB TV Original “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.” Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Amazon Prime. Tavares also directed the Jordan Brand’s first film, “Why Not?,” available on Apple TV.

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