Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes is stepping into Hollywood production

Like many things in a young man’s life, Jalyn Holmes’ love for filmmaking started with a girl.

When the Washington Commanders‘ defensive tackle was a sophomore at Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, Virginia, he signed up for a photography class just to impress his girlfriend.

“So that was just an excuse for me to continue to be around her,” Holmes said. “She was my first real girlfriend, so it went from there.”

But from that one class, Holmes came to appreciate the art of taking photos. While playing at Ohio State from 2014-17, he owned a camera from Canon’s Rebel series. He eventually upgraded to a Sony Alpha 7C after he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

Five years later, while playing for the New York Jets, Holmes became aware of the NFL Career Tours, which offers professional development experience for NFL players in the entertainment industry. Through that program, Holmes teamed up with Hidden Empire Film Group, a Black-owned production company that produced the “Meet the Blacks” films starring comedian Mike Epps.

“I was able to really see the business side of everything, and also the creation process, and the different lanes that came with making the film — from the writing, from acting, directing, and producing and … the cinematographer or the director of photography,” Holmes said. “That’s when I learned all these different avenues.”

Holmes, 30, who also spent time with the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Chicago Bears in his eight-year career, was now fully invested in getting into Hollywood. While playing for the Jets in 2023, he met the directing duo of Julien and Justen Turner.

The Turner brothers were working on what would become “Freelance,” a comedy about a young Black filmmaker who moves into a content creation house with a group of friends hoping to break into the entertainment industry. Holmes signed on as an associate producer, and the film will be screened at the Sundance Film Festival this week in Utah.

Holmes discussed his entry into filmmaking, his experience on “Freelance,” and his future in Hollywood with Andscape.