In 2018, Taylor directed the human trafficking film Traffik, starring Omar Epps and Paula Patton. It went on to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture and a 2019 AMAA Best Diaspora Narrative Feature. The following year, Deon Taylor released two films in theaters; The Intruder, starring Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy and Meagan Good, and social justice thriller Black and Blue, starring Academy Award nominee, Naomie Harris. The film was nominated for a 2020 AMAA Best Diaspora Narrative Feature. Both films were released by Sony Screen Gems. In December 2020, Deon Taylor’s Fatale, a taut noir-thriller released through Lionsgate, starring two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank and Golden Globe nominee Michael Ealy lit up theaters. The film helped bring back much needed energy exhibitors after the theatrical recession created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2021, Taylor released his second film during the pandemic, the sequel to his cult classic comedy franchise, Meet the Blacks (2016)— Meet the Blacks 2: The House Next Door was released in June and served as the first feature released under Hidden Empire’s newly formed releasing company, Hidden Empire Releasing. The original Meet the Blacks is consistently listed as one of the top titles on streaming services and ranks in the top 5 on Hulu. Taylor is currently in pre-production of the football action heist film Free Agents with Sony’s TriStar and Freedom Ride with Participant. However, the success of his films does not seize at the theaters, but also expands off screen as well.
In 2016, Taylor was awarded the Sacramento Filmmaker of the Year Award from the Sacramento Film Festival, the Baron Jay Foundation’s 2018 Trailblazer Award, the Extraordinary Families’ 2018 Visionary Award. He was also named the 2019 AAFCA Horizon Award recipient. Taylor and HEFG received the Entrepreneurial Rising Star Award from the Black Business Leaders Hall of Fame and were presented the 2019 Location Manager Guild International (LMGI) Humanitarian of the Year Award.
In tradition with making the world a more progressive and inclusive place, Deon Taylor executive produced Be Woke. Vote, an independent digital series inspiring young adults across the country to get out and vote. The series won two Webby awards in 2020. Additionally, Taylor also executive produced the digital series Black History in Two Minutes (or so) (2019). The series is full of fact-packed stories accessible to people of all ages and education levels about major historical events while simultaneously introducing less well-known experiences involving Black Americans. The series has received numerous Webby Awards to date.
When not telling stories for audiences everywhere, Taylor can be found in Granite Bay, CA listening to his family tell theirs.