“We can do it our own way”
WD Gravesend: Actor and Producer William DeMeo

Brooklyn Mob Series

We might know Brooklyn actor William DeMeo from his roles in The Sopranos or Back in the Day, a gangster boxing drama he starred in alongside Michael Madsen and Alec Baldwin.

He grew up in Gravesend, a southern park of Brooklyn, and now honors his hometown neighborhood in a TV series. Gravesend, a Brooklyn mob series, is set in the 1980s. The mini-series first premiered with four episodes in 2020 on Prime Video and Tubi. Now, the series returns for the second season, out this spring. DeMeo is the writer, producer, and star of the show. He stars as Benny Zerletta, aka Benny Z, a soldier with the Colezzo crime family.

Angelina Jolie, Robert De Nero, Alec Baldwin, Bruce Willis & John Travolta

“I made many films, and I was on The Sopranos. After I co-starred with Bruce Willis and John Travolta in First Kill, and I starred in Back in the Day, a film I led that had Mike Tyson, Robert De Niro, Shannen Doherty, and Alec Baldwin in it, in 2017, I thought, What is my next move?” After growing up in Brooklyn, DeMeo got his first cameo as a character in A Bronx Tale in 1993 and produced his first indie film called One Deadly Road in 1998. He has appeared in films like Hackers (1995) with Angelina Jolie, Boss of Bosses (2001) alongside Chazz Palminteri, and Analyze That (2002) with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal.

While Gravesend isn’t exactly a neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s considered sexy with the hipster crowd, it does have history with the mob. Many of New York’s most notorious mobsters came from Gravesend, from Carlo Gambino to John Gotti. The series is a fictionalized tale of their lives and what went on in this part of Brooklyn. Mobsters were “part of the social fabric” in Gravesend, says DeMeo, and this series offers some insight and insider’s wisdom.

Gina Gershon, Fran Drescher & Chazz Palminteri

“We only put out a miniseries of four episodes, and we built a following,” said DeMeo. In fact, he said it was trending number one in 2020 on Prime Video when it first debuted. “People were messaging me everywhere asking when the second season would come out.” The second season, out late this spring, is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival with Indie Rights and will stream on Tubi and Prime Video. This new season will feature Andrew Dice Clay, as well as series regulars, Gina Gershon, Fran Drescher, Chazz Palminteri, Christina DeRosa, Louis Lombardi, and Paul Ben-Victor.

The series is self-produced and independent. “Today, we have more of a voice. We have more platforms we can go to,” he said. “We can do it our own way. If you wait on Hollywood, they passed on The Walking Dead originally. A lot of times they don’t see it like you see it. I feel like I know so many stories about the hood, that I could keep telling stories,” he adds.

A Bronx Tale

DeMeo may have started out in A Bronx Tale as an actor, but he wanted to grow outside the box. “I started reading scripts about the genre, I felt I grew up in a tough experience, and felt I could write my own script,” he said. “My first script, I got it into the hands of [actress] Peggy Gormley, and she said I should stick with it. I got everyone’s business card on set and said I would make my own movie and develop a crew. I learned filmmaking from being there. I was a novice; you’re always growing and learning. Even when it wasn’t time for me to be on set, I would still show up and see how they set up. I grew as a writer just by doing it.”

We Come From Brooklyn, Baby

DeMeo has always been nostalgic for where he grew up. “It’s so sad, there’s so many people who came from Brooklyn. I know people want to move on with their lives, but why don’t they come back or give back?” he asks. His next project is directing a documentary called We Come From Brooklyn, Baby, which aims to highlight Brooklyn-born stars like Adam Sandler, Neil Diamond, Rosie Perez, and the Beastie Boys, among others.

DeMeo is also the founder of Brooklyn Brand, a fashion line with a Brooklyn logo on velour jumpsuits, sweaters, and T-shirts. “I started it because people would ask me to wear their clothes, designers,” he said. The brand was founded in 2017. “I was grateful, but I thought I should do my own line. I’ve always been pro-Brooklyn—it’s a brand, an identity, unlike any other borough. There’s a lot of pride in every borough but look at all the apparel that is sold based on the identity of Brooklyn.”

Brooklyn Brand started out with the logo, then led to hats and T-shirts, then the sweatsuits sold “like crazy,” said DeMeo. “I helped bring it back. Now velour jumpsuits are in style. When people see this new season of Gravesend, people will dress this way. Members Only jackets are also coming back.”

Despite the gentrification and rent spikes we see in Brooklyn today, DeMeo is happy that his home borough is in the limelight. “I love it but also love the old way too,” he says. “People don’t know what it was. I always look at real scenarios and make it my own version for TV. But it has so much truth to it.” He’s in it for the long haul with Gravesend too. “With Gravesend, people keep wanting more,” he said. “The goal is to do a minimum of five seasons.”

 

Check out his fashion brand at mybrooklynbrand.com

Follow @william_demeo_ on Instagram