Changing Lives, One Step at a Time
BOBBY'S KIDS: What You Can See, You Can Be is the new documentary from KORIS Media® that transforms how we see the power of music, mentorship, and legacy in shaping futures.
Through the real stories of inner-city students whose lives were redirected by one extraordinary band director and the unshakable rhythm of HBCU band culture, BOBBY’S KIDS is a love letter to belief, discipline, and the impact of showing up for others.
It flips the script on what success looks like for youth — from overlooked to unstoppable.
From limitation to legacy.
From silence to sound..
Why Bobby's Kids Matters
This project isn’t just about band, though music is the heartbeat.
It’s about the power of one person choosing purpose — and how that choice can change lives for generations.
Bobby’s Kids shows what happens when a mentor believes deeply enough to lead by example. When a band director sees more in students than their circumstances. When exposure, discipline, and vision open doors that once felt impossible.
By watching together, students, alumni, educators, and communities are reminded that there are “Bobbys” everywhere — leaders who shape futures quietly, consistently, and powerfully. The film invites us not only to honor them, but to recognize our own responsibility to maximize our potential and be that example for someone else.
It’s more than a story from the past.
It’s a call to live with intention now — and to pass possibility forward.
3 Ways You Can Support Today
Partner with us to support students, fund screenings and trainings, and power our next initiatives.
Help us train the next generation. Join our mentorship collective or pay it forward for someone else to rise.
Join our Possibility to Reality workshops and experience how to launch your next chapter — with tools, mentorship, and momentum.
ABOUT THE FILM
Set in 1980s Detroit during the height of the drug epidemic, Bobby’s Kids tells the powerful, untold story of legendary band director Bobby L. Brown, who introduced the culture, style, and heart of HBCU marching bands to Detroit—transforming a high school band into a collegiate-level powerhouse that sparked a movement. At a time when the streets offered few opportunities, Brown turned Mackenzie High School into a beacon of excellence, sending an unprecedented number of students to college on band scholarships. Among those influenced were NFL Hall of Famer Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, who shares his memories from the same school, and Grammy-nominated artist Dwele, who reflects on Brown’s impact as his high school teacher.
What makes this story even more remarkable is that Brown personally documented the rise of his band through video comprised of 21 tapes. That footage, now brought to light by one of his former students, forms the heart of this documentary—preserving a legacy that was almost lost to time.
Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and electrifying performances from the Southern University Human Jukebox, Florida A&M’s Marching 100, Florida Memorial University’s The ROAR, and Mackenzie’s Band of Renown, Bobby’s Kids is the real-life Drumline—a tribute to vision, legacy, and the power of belief.
THE CAST
FEATURED
INTERVIEWS
Jerome "The Bus" Bettis
This film is dedicated to cast member Dr. Richard Beckford
On December 24, 2025, Dr. Richard Beckford—beloved educator, band director, and transformational leader—made his transition. A man whose life embodied purpose, passion, and the power of one, Dr. Beckford was more than a subject in Bobby’s Kids, he was its living expression.
As both a personal friend and trusted creative collaborator, Director Brandi Mitchell worked closely with Dr. Beckford for over five years, helping him document his journey and build the band program at Florida Memorial University from the ground up. His belief in using music as a tool to change lives mirrors the very spirit of this film.
His story runs parallel to that of Mr. Bobby L. Brown, whose legacy also lives at the heart of Bobby’s Kids. Both men took students, many from underserved communities, and showed them what was possible through discipline, excellence, and vision. They turned bands into families and music into transformation.
As we release this film to the world, we carry Dr. Beckford’s legacy with us—into schools, into communities, and into the hearts of a new generation. Because he, like Mr. Brown, showed us that one person can make all the difference.
World Class Events & Conversations with Leaders in HBCU Band Alumni
ACCESS GRANTED.
What We've Done Over The Years
KORIS Media and Founder Brandi Mitchell has been a pioneer in preserving and sharing our HBCU Band stories and iconic leaders, and has been heralded as the "Oprah Winfrey" of HBCU band for her engaging way of interviewing and getting meaningful stories in the HBCU band space and beyond. She is a trusted advisor to the nation's top Directors, alumni, and organizations.
50 +
Screenings
7,500 +
Students & HBCU Alumni Network
25 +
Band Clinics & Speaking Events
5,500 +
Band/Music Related Video Content Produced
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Be a Part of the Movement That Turns
Possibility Into Reality
Your support helps us tell powerful stories that educate, inspire action, and change lives — starting with Bobby’s Kids. Whether you’re shopping, sponsoring, or joining a workshop, you’re helping turn belief into reality for a new generation of dreamers, leaders, and visionaries.
SHOP
Wear the Message. Get the Book. Support the Movement. A portion of the proceeds help fund scholarships and storytelling that shifts lives.
SPONSOR
Partner with us to support students, fund screenings and trainings, and power our next initiatives.
LEARN & ACTIVATE
Join our Possibility to Reality workshops and experience how to launch your next chapter — with tools, mentorship, and momentum.
MENTOR
Help us train the next generation. Join our mentorship collective or pay it forward for someone else to rise.
From the Director of "Point And Drive" comes "BOBBY'S KIDS"
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
BRANDI MITCHELL
My name is BRANDI MITCHELL the producer & director and one of "Bobby's Kids"
From Brandi Mitchell
I am deeply committed to telling our stories — the ones that often go overlooked, but carry the power to shift culture, build legacy, and empower future generations. I believe that when we share where we’ve come from, we not only honor those who came before us, we light the way for those still coming.
With that conviction, I’ve made it my mission to independently produce stories outside of the Hollywood system — stories that preserve our truth, elevate the brilliance of our communities, and celebrate the transformative power of band culture.
READ MORE >
I began filming Bobby’s Kids back in 2014 while working on my first documentary, Point and Drive. Even then, I knew, I felt, that I had to tell Mr. Brown’s story. What he did for us as young people wasn’t ordinary. It was life-altering. And the world needed to know.
Then in 2022, everything shifted. Mr. Brown’s son, Brad, entrusted me with a box of 21 VHS tapes — his father’s personal archive. Inside was pure gold: performances, rehearsals, road trips, and even rare HBCU footage, including our own Mackenzie Band of Renown. But what stunned me most was realizing that Mr. Brown had been quietly filming his own documentary. He was creating it — shot by shot. And now, I had the chance to finish it for him. What an honor.
A few months later, I found myself back at Southern University, 34 years after I had first stepped on campus as a high school band student in 1988 — a moment that changed the trajectory of my life. This time, I was behind the camera, filming a historic performance as Media, Marketing and Branding Director of a rising HBCU band. It was a full-circle moment that words can barely describe.
Since that moment, I have written, edited, directed, marketed, and built this film — day by day, layer by layer — often wearing every hat, driven by a promise I made in my spirit to Mr. Brown and to every student who was ever impacted by his vision.
You see, I believe Mr. Brown always intended to tell this story. But he didn’t get the chance.
So I took it up for him.
My name is Brandi Mitchell — God Led, Detroit Bred. FAMU Fed. A storyteller, director, producer, founder of The KORIS Collective, FAMU Marching 100, Tau Beta Sigma, a proud band mom, and HBCU alumna — and I am one of Bobby’s Kids.
Learn more at www.Koris.tv and www.BrandiMitchell.com
The PRODUCER behind the scences.
About Brandi Mitchell
Brandi Mitchell is the visionary founder of The KORIS® Collective, which includes KORIS Media, KORIS Studio, and The KORIS Agency— a powerhouse brand and media ecosystem serving legacy-driven experts. Known as “The Brand Producer®,” Brandi is celebrated for her signature ability to see the full story in a person and build it from idea to full expression — earning her the nickname “the Berry Gordy for Entrepreneurs and Leading Voices.”
A Detroit native and graduate of Florida A&M University with a degree in Psychology, Brandi began her career as a celebrity makeup and hair artist, working with iconic talent before building her own award-winning media company. She has authored four books, produced three independent films, and is known for wearing every hat — director, producer, writer, editor, marketer — with masterful excellence. Her latest film, Bobby’s Kids, is a living testament to that grit.
She made history as the brand architect behind Florida Memorial University’s ROAR Marching Band, launching their image and media presence during the pandemic and helping them rise to become ESPN’s Band of the Year in their first season and represent the U.S. in France. She served as Director of Media, Marketing, and Branding from 2020–2024 — building the band’s brand from the ground up during the pandemic and serving as trusted advisor to iconic Director of Bands Dr. Richard Beckford.
A true product of band culture, Brandi considers one of her greatest accomplishments her 28-year marriage to her husband Curtis, and the legacy of their son Kory — who followed in her footsteps, playing clarinet, becoming one of the first drum majors of the ROAR, and a founding member of the charter line of Kappa Kappa Psi at FMU.
She doesn’t just tell the story — she lives it. Brandi Mitchell is the blueprint for what Mr. Brown believed was possible.
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