Lights, Crime, Action!

If Michael Moore lived in the 'hood and made documentaries about local drug dealers and murders, his name would be Troy Reed. Reed's Street Stars Films has chronicled the tales of some of New York's most infamous characters, like on his 2003 Urban World Film Festival winner for Best Documentary, The Larry Davis Story: A Routine Typical Hit, about a 19-year-old kid who wounded nine cops and spurred a 17-day manhunt by New York authorities. Armed with a bachelor's degree in business administration but no film, directing or editing experience, Reed quit his job as a conflict resolution counselor in 1999 to pursue his documentary career. With his savings, he rented a camera, teamed up with the real AZ and started filming what would become the massively successful street DVD, Game Over: The AZ, Richard Porter & Alpo story.

Growing up in the South Bronx, Reed never imagined he'd be making movies. "This was destiny,” says the 32-year-old. "There were more fascinating people in the streets of the South Bronx than there was on TV at the time. The Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous didn't show any black people.”