It was 2015, and Coogler was on the verge of breakout success—but his wallet didn’t show it.
At the time, the director had already filmed the critically acclaimed film Fruitvale Station with Jordan. With the A-list actor as his muse, the budding filmmaker took on the tall task of creating a Rocky spinoff series, also starring Jordan: Creed.
He began shooting the first movie in the series, which went on to make $42.6 million in its opening weekend on a $35 million budget.
But the $200,000 in student loans from attending Southern California’s School of the Cinematic Arts was still burning a hole in his pocket. “I wasn’t making no money,” he added.
“[My wife] bought me a screenwriting software, Final Draft,” Coogler said. “I found something that I really loved.”
Coogler’s start as a burgeoning creative riddled with debt isn’t an uncommon story. Some of the world’s most successful people have their own rags-to-riches story of how they managed to turn things around.
A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on April 28, 2025.
