74 Movies and Counting

My name is Moe McCoy. I've lived in Vegas about six years. It's hot, but I really like it here. I moved from Houston, where I also lived for six years.

I wanted to be closer to California for my film and acting work, but without paying those LA prices. Vegas was the best choice. I also love the skyline and the entertainment scene here.

I like checking out the different hotels, but I love the mountains. I go up Lone Mountain in the northwest part of the valley. There's a spot near the top where you can sit, look over the whole city, and get some fresh air.

I started in 2008. I put my first movie in theaters, then on DVD, and I fell in love with making movies. I worked on my craft, built my own process, and kept going. Right now I'm at 74 films that I've shot and edited, and I've acted in all of them except one. I just kept doing it everywhere I went.

A film called Film School. I played a character named Earl, a teacher I made up a long time ago in Houston. We shot it here in Las Vegas and ran into a lot of problems, like not having places to film. So we put those real problems right into the movie. That's filmmaking. You run into problems and you solve them. You don't quit. We filmed at Sunset Park, at one of the hotels, and at a creative space called the Dream Center where they make glass. It was all improvised. It's on my YouTube channel.

It had that feel. I've made about ten documentaries too.

I'm in a movie called Ain't Grown Yet by Benji Yahweh. It's her first movie. I play a bar owner, and I also helped behind the scenes with the camera, advising, and co-directing. We shot four days in Memphis and we're wrapping in Los Angeles this August. I'm also in another film of hers called The Grass Is Not Greener, playing a character named Miles.

And I started a new show called Hood Fades. It's about putting the guns down and picking up boxing gloves, helping young people solve problems without violence.

I volunteer at food drives when I'm in town, loading food into cars. But my first movie in Vegas was a community project in itself. It's called The Bad Boxer, and it's on Tubi now. About 174 people from the community were in it, and for almost all of them it was their first time acting or being on a set. It was great to teach them and give them that experience on both sides of the camera.

Good. We have 60,500 subscribers and over 60 million views on YouTube. I put most of my movies there for free, and keep some on Tubi and Amazon Prime. I share behind-the-scenes stuff on Facebook and Instagram too.

I love it. Vegas keeps me working. I've been booked on the World Poker Tour, Ninja Warrior, and movies I don't even know the names of, because I keep getting booked. I love that they're bringing more film work here.

I'd help our homeless population and the people living underground. We have so many rooms in this city. I feel like we could house people in a dedicated building. I know it's a big challenge, but I think we can do more to get people into stable housing.

A neighborhood spot called Gritz Cafe on Stella Lake Street. Fried fish, chicken, and grit bowls. The line is always long but nobody cares, because the food is that good and the prices are fair. I go every week.

Thank you, Benjamin. I appreciate you having me.