Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It 2024
Recently ReleasedFeaturing never-before-seen archival footage, studio outtakes, and rare photos, Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It is an exhilarating documentary about the legendary GRAMMY-winning musician whose signature sound shaped the work of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, and countless others.
Billy Preston was perhaps the most unsung musical hero of his time. Born in Houston, Texas, in 1946, he arrived in Los Angeles with his family three years later. At just 5 years old, he was backing gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. By age 10, he was appearing with Ray Charles on film, and by age 15, he was touring with Little Richard in Hamburg, Germany, where he met Richard’s opening act — The Beatles. He would later perform and record with the biggest names in music, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and countless others. He generated his own unforgettable No. 1 hits, including “Outa-Space,” “Will It Go Round in Circles,” “Nothing from Nothing,” and “You Are So Beautiful” — and his first hit single in 1969, on The Beatles’ Apple Records, “That’s The Way God Planned It,” produced by his lifelong friend, George Harrison.
But Billy had quietly held secrets about his sexuality and early sexual abuse, known to very few in his life, which tormented him his entire life, affecting not only his well-being and relationships but also influencing his career choices.
It is the interweaving of these complicated aspects of this wonderful musician’s life with his extraordinary musical career that Emmy-winning director Paris Barclay has so thoughtfully crafted in Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It.
The Filmmakers
Paris Barclay, Director + Writer + Executive Producer
Paris Barclay is one of television’s most successful and honored directors, with a resume that weaves through many of the greatest shows of the past thirty years. He has directed nearly 200 episodes of television, including episodes of such classics as NYPD BLUE, ER, THE WEST WING, LOST, THE GOOD WIFE, CSI, SONS OF ANARCHY, HOUSE, GLEE, IN TREATMENT, SCANDAL, EMPIRE, PITCH and STATION 19.
Paris is an eight-time Emmy nominee for his producing and directing work, winning twice for directing two of NYPD BLUE’s most pivotal chapters (including Jimmy Smits’ departing episode). For this episode, Paris also won a DGA award, and has been nominated nine other times by the Guild for his work on GLEE, WEEDS, ER, IN TREATMENT, and THE WEST WING. Not only is Paris the first director in the history of the DGA to receive a comedy and drama nomination in the same year, but he also accomplished the feat two years in a row. Paris has received three NAACP Image Awards, for his producing and directing work, and was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in 2014, joining such luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, and Gordon Parks. Paris has been the recipient of two Humanities Prizes and four Peabody Awards for his work. In 2021, Paris received the DGA Honorary Life Member Award, the Guild’s top honor.
Cheo Hodari Coker, Writer + Producer
Cheo Hodari Coker is a former hip hop journalist who has written for The Los Angeles Times, VIBE, SPIN, Premiere, XXL, Slam, The Face, and most recently GQ. He created and was the Executive Producer and Showrunner of MARVEL’S LUKE CAGE for two seasons. Other television credits include RAY DONOVAN, NCIS: LA, ALMOST HUMAN, and SOUTHLAND (where Coker’s Season Four SOUTHLAND episode, “God’s Work”, won him am NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series”). His feature film co-writing credits include NOTORIOUS, LOWRIDERS, and a co-“Story By” credit for CREED II, as well as uncredited work on STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and ALL EYEZ ON ME.
Stephanie Allain, Producer
As a studio executive at Columbia Pictures in the early 90’s, Stephanie Allain championed John Singleton’s directorial debut, BOYZ N THE HOOD, which earned $65 million and two Oscar nominations. She stayed at Columbia Pictures for a decade supervising seminal independently spirited films including POETIC JUSTICE, EL MARIACHI and HIGHER LEARNING before founding Homegrown Pictures and producing HUSTLE & FLOW, SOMETHING NEW, BEYOND THE LIGHTS, DEAR WHITE PEOPLE and more.
Stephanie Allain is the only African American woman to produce the Academy Awards for which she was Emmy nominated. She served five years as Director of the LA Film Festival and is a member of AMPAS and the WGA. Her first children’s book, I’M IN CHARGE! will be published by Candlewick Press in 2024. She sits on the board of American Cinematheque and the PGA and is a member of the Film Preservation Board for the Library of Congress. A recipient of the 2020 PGA/UCLA Vision Award, she has taught at UCLA, USC and is a frequent panelist and commentator.
Jeanne Elfant Festa, Producer
Jeanne Elfant Festa is a Partner in White Horse Pictures. She is the Head of Documentaries & Director of Features, overseeing the company’s documentary slate. Before joining White Horse, Jeanne operated her own production company, Piper Cub Productions, where she had a first look deal with Exclusive Media and executive produced the Grammy- winning FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH.
She joined White Horse Pictures and her producing credits include Ron Howard’s Grammy and Emmy-winning THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS and Critics’ Choice-nominated, PAVAROTTI, the Emmy-winning THE APOLLO, the Emmy-winning, THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART, directed by Frank Marshall, and the six-time Emmy-nominated LUCY AND DESI, directed by Amy Poehler. Amongst other upcoming projects, Jeanne is also a producer on a feature film about the legendary drummer of The Who, KEITH MOON. Jeanne serves on the board of Step Up, a nation-wide non-profit organization that propels girls living in under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential.
Nigel Sinclair, Producer
Nigel Sinclair is a Partner in White Horse Pictures, a company launched in 2014. Prior to White Horse, Sinclair served as CEO of Exclusive Media. Sinclair is an experienced film producer, having produced or executive produced over the years SLIDING DOORS, HILARY AND JACKIE, THE QUIET AMERICAN, TERMINATOR 3, PARKLAND, SNITCH, END OF WATCH, and RUSH, most recently, THE QUEEN MARY.
Focusing recently on documentaries, his documentary credits include the Grammy award-winning NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN, the Oscar-winning UNDEFEATED, the Grammy-winning and BAFTA-nominated THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS, the Emmy-winning THE APOLLO, the Emmy winning GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, the Grammy-winning FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH, the Critics’ Choice-nominated PAVAROTTI and the recent Emmy-winning, THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART, and most recently, the Emmy-nominated LUCY AND DESI. In 2000, Sinclair was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in consideration of his service to the film industry.