WEST HOLLYWOOD—Fully confident and filled with youth, Jerome Elston Scott is well on his way to a great career as an actor and filmmaker. After appearing on critically acclaimed television shows such as “Freaks and Geeks” and “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” Scott quietly watched and studied the work of television directors Judd Apatow and Joss Whedon, and learned about how to create dynamic and interesting characters. Through first-hand experiences, he learned skills that have served him well. Recently Scott went behind the camera to create the acclaimed “Anderson’s Cross,” which will be released nationwide in November. The coming-of-age story of three high school friends, including the gay title character played by Scott himself, was a film festival favorite, and reflected the kind of maturity and sensitivity that marks Scott as a young talent to watch.

Scott wanted to make sure the solid Anderson family was much like his own. “I didn’t want a stereotypical African American family, the ones we see on television and in the movies. I wanted a family like the ones we come from, two parents, professional people who support their kids and the family with everything they have, adding their experience as successful professionals as a guide in rearing their children,” said Jerome.

Growing up in New Jersey and Florida, Scott comes from a loving, supportive family, who always challenged him to succeed at the highest level, even when he told them he wanted to get into acting. “They asked me, do you want to be an actor, or do you want to be an actor in show business?” Understanding that a life of creating and performing in film would be more than a passing youthful-phase, Scott has carried that single-minded focus into his work as a writer and director. As a young African American male, he was discouraged by the limited number of roles he was being offered as an actor ”“ so he wrote the loosely autobiographical “Anderson’s Cross,” surrounding himself with veteran performers such as Michael Warren (“Hill Street Blues”) and Joanna Cassidy (“Six Feet Under”) and an experienced crew to guide him on his self-produced first feature. “No one on the project was a diva, Tommy. You’d think that actors of Mr. Warren’s caliber would be or Ms. Cassidy’s, but no way. They were fine with no trailers or dressing rooms. Probably the only diva was a production assistant,” said Scott with a laugh. The filmmaker adds, “My mother made sure that I went to school to learn the business. She wanted me to be able to meet and talk with Steven Spielberg or anyone else who is successful, and to understand the business. She didn’t want me at anyone’s mercy, that’s how I was raised, to believe I could succeed but also to have the skills to do so.”

Jerome Elston Scott is in the process of preparing to helm his second film, another ensemble study of teenage life, “Prep School,” set to go in front of the cameras in the spring starring Jeremy Sumpter (“Friday Night Lights”) and Charlie McDermott (“Hot Tub Time Machine”). Still humbled by how far he has come from his youthful dreams of being an actor, and modestly admitting he’s still “got plenty to learn,” Scott still lets his confidence and easy nature lead the way forward to a bright future.

“Anderson’s Cross” is a moving depiction of a solid family in an upper-middle class community, where the parents and children abide by love, respect and acceptance. The parents played by Warren and Cassidy are incredibly understanding. Jerome Scott is not only a terrific young actor, but an up and coming film aficionado who utilizes a unique ability to understand both sides of the camera. Scott’s “Anderson’s Cross” belongs on everyone’s list of DVD’s to get for the holidays. It is destined to become a family classic.