Meet Gordon S. Williams | Award Winning Content Creator, Lamar University Television Studio Operations Manager, Historian, & Latin Dancer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gordon S. Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gordon S., what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As far as my decision to pursue an artistic/creative career, there was no other choice. All my life, I wanted to work in the media and entertainment industry. In hindsight, when I contemplate all the time in my youth and as an adult, writing poetry, screenplays, consuming and creating content, and watching, learning, and participating in dance…my career and what I have accomplished is representative of those experiences.

As I continue to mature in my creative endeavors, I also see the importance of creating opportunities and spaces for people to explore their passions and creativity. Most definitely, creativity is about artistic endeavors but it is also about creating a masterpiece of your individual life. I hope it will inspire others to do the same, no matter what they are pursing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Gordon S. Williams

Since the start of G Sharp Productions in 1996, former Black Entertainment Television intern Gordon S. Williams has been a part of the entertainment landscape in Southeast Texas for over twenty years. From producing creative media content, facilitating independent film screenings/industry events, hosting Latin Dance events, and being on-camera talent, Williams has built a diverse and impressive body of work and accomplishments.

Gordon is the Lamar University Television Studio Operations Manager and adjunct instructor for LUTV News. He is an award-winning content creator whose projects have screened at over seventy film festivals and earned distribution deals from entities such as Amazon Video and Shorts International.

Williams has presented “Beaumont’s Black History- In Moving Pictures” to regional universities that gives insight into the history of African Americans in Beaumont that never existed in a visual media via the award-winning short film “The Example” and LUTV Productions, “They Will Talk About Us: The Charlton-Pollard Story.

In March 2023, he presented research on the 1943 Beaumont Race Riot at the Texas State Historical Association Meeting in El Paso.

In June 2023, he received a “Special Congressional Recognition” from United States Representative Brian Babin for his work in sharing Beaumont’s history and his decades of work developing media professionals at Lamar University.

Gordon is a board member of the Boomtown Film Festival, the Center for Culture and History of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast, and an advisor for the Jefferson County Historical Commission.

Williams has also been a host/instructor of Latin Dance events in Southeast Texas for over fifteen years including “Salsa At Cotton Creek Winery.” He has performed in several charity dance events and at the Lamar University Spring Dance Concert. Williams served as an instructor at the American College Dance Association – South Central Conference in March 2018. Gordon served as a judge for the Whistle Stop’s Mad Hot Ballroom Gala in Southwest Louisiana and has taught Latin Dance lessons to junior high and high school students in Southeast Texas.

Currently, Williams is working on a documentary titled “No Place Like Home,” that tells the origins of “Salsa At Cotton Creek Winery,” what the Latin Dance community lost during the pandemic, and the event’s return in November 2022. He is also collaborating with Burned Out Studio on a short film project titled “She Loves Her John,” that is a story about betrayal, redemption, and determining how and if to move forward.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting Houston for a week long visit, I would definitely visit the Houston Museum District and attempt to go to a performance in the Houston Theatre District. During that week I would hope to eat at Grace’s on Kirby, El Pueblito Patio, Niko Niko’s, brunch at First Watch, drinks at Ivy Bar & Bistro, and dessert at The Chocolate Bar. I would definitely find time for Latin dancing at “The Palladium.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In June 2022, I was extremely honored to receive a Special Congressional Commendation from United States Representative Brian Babin for my contributions to sharing Beaumont, Texas’s Black History and developing content creators in the Department of Communication at Lamar University. In my acceptance remarks, I stated that I stand on “The Shoulders of Giants.”

I am extremely grateful to my immediate and extended family, ancestors, creative collaborators, students and colleagues that I have encountered in higher education, individuals that have inspired and allowed me to tell their stories, and the people that have supported these creative endeavors. With every creative venture I have the chance to pursue, it is a way to honor their contributions to my life.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gordons.williams/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonscottwilliams/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gordonswilliams

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gscottwilliams

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsyBNJ6c-xlwi6Mo2C34djw

Image Credits
Echale Salsita Austin Josh Wilson Holsomback Photography Jose Galicia