In 2001, Milwaukee rapper Coo Coo Cal found himself atop the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart with his track “My Projects.” With the music industry in the palms of his hands, everything began to slip away from him. Following this heartbreaking story of an underground rapper making it big then falling into drug addiction and a difficult lifestyle over the last few years, Ramon “Swift” Sloan encapsulated this saga with his 2019 documentary The Rise and Fall of Coo Coo Cal. The documentary was only the third project released via Sloan’s film house: Swift Motion Pictures.
After the release of The Rise and Fall of Coo Coo Cal, Sloan, and his film production company found themselves reaching a wider audience outside of Milwaukee, his hometown. The documentary went on to receive recognition across the country, including official selections at Indie Night Film Festival and Urban Film Festival. Now with three projects under his belt and released through Swift Motion Pictures, Ramon “Swift” Sloan is looking to take his movie production to the next level and bring whoever he can with him to the top.
“You see,” Sloan states, “when no one saw the vision, I did.” Beginning his career as an artist and storyteller in 2010, Sloan worked as an author. It wasn’t until about five years later that he began to turn towards a career in film production, and he used his own writing work to get himself off of the ground. The first two releases from Swift Motion Pictures were the first two installments of Sloan’s Circumstances series. “When I shot the first installment [of Circumstances], I had no idea what the process of shooting the other two would look like,” Sloan shared. He continued, “Shooting them has taught me so much about overcoming obstacles.”
With the newfound knowledge Sloan has gained from his movie-making career this far, not only is he continuing to storm ahead with new projects, but he is also taking time to share his experiences with the next generation of hopeful directors and producers. Recently, Sloan created the Swift Motion Pictures Movie Mastery Course, an e-learning course designed to educate film students on making their own way in the industry. “Go after your dreams, and don’t be afraid to make yourself vulnerable to the right people and situations,” Sloan advises.
For the future of Swift Motion pictures, the production company is hard at work completing the third installment of Circumstances and a few other projects set to release over the course of the next year. “I’m thankful for all the support and look forward to continuing the ride with you all,” says Sloan.
Learn more about Swift Motion Pictures via their website and follow Ramon “Swift” Sloan on his Instagram, @swiftsloan.
