‘Starting 5’ director Trishtan Williams hopes to inspire young women with her story

Tristhan Williams grew up in a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles in the 1990s that was riddled by gang activity, prostitution and crime. Through it all, she still dreamed for more during her youth with the support of her mother and inspiration of her thriving sisters.

Today, the director of Season 2 of Netflix’s “Starting 5” hopes she can be an inspiration for young women dreaming of more in life while dealing with tough circumstances.

“It started on 110th and Figueroa [Street] when I used to water the grass and I used to tell myself stories that it’s going to get better,” Williams told Andscape. “It started on 110th when I used to sit on the top bunk of bed and sing, ‘I Say A Little Prayer,’ from Aretha Franklin. I always just wanted more for my life. And I’m not saying my mother didn’t do the best that she could do. She did. You would’ve thought we were the richest kids because she just poured so much love into us. But financially, we just didn’t have the most.

“And so, I used to dream — or as we use the word now, manifest — and write out stories as a little girl. So, I’m not surprised that I’m a great storyteller at this phase of my life because I told bigger stories before I knew what I was doing.”

“Starting 5” Season 2 is an NBA documentary that begins Oct. 16 on Netflix. It follows NBA superstars such as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then-Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton through the 2024-25 season.

This season of the docuseries is highlighted by the Thunder beating the surprising Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander winning the NBA Most Valuable Player award, Haliburton tearing his Achilles tendon in the Finals, and the usually private Harden revealing his loved ones and their stories to the world.

While Williams declined comment, sources say Netflix is trying to decide if there will be a Season 3 of “Starting 5.” She does believe that “Starting 5” Season 2 is worthy of Emmy Award consideration.

“This is Emmy Award-worthy because as a storyteller, personally, I’ve never seen access like this within the NBA — access like this with global superstars of this magnitude going in depth mentally and being vulnerable in front of the world,” Williams said. “And the story, the way it’s driven and the way we drive stories from every player, it is actually very seamless. It’s effortless when you can watch something and you want to watch more and it leaves you on the end of your seats like, that’s it. That’s why it’s Emmy Award-worthy.”

Williams, 38, is an accomplished film and television director, showrunner and executive producer who has previously won Emmy, Critic’s Choice, Tribeca and Webby awards. The San Francisco State alumnus’ credits include: “Why Not Us: Howard Golf,” “Supa Girlz,” “Love Is Blind,” “12 Dates of Christmas,” “America’s Next Top Model” and the Emmy winning “The Amazing Race,” which she contributed to for nine seasons.

The following is a Q&A with Williams that delves into the details of “Starting 5” Season 2, her influences and challenges growing up in South Central Los Angeles, her pride of being one of the few Black women in her industry, her inspirational words to the next generation of female docuseries directors, and much more.

What is your excitement level for the worldwide debut of “Starting 5” Season 2 arriving?

My excitement level is, honestly, if you have to do 1 through 10, I will say 15. And it’s true, because when you think about James Harden, I use him as an example because I pride myself in having the ability to have the best access in the world over anyone, bar none. And no one has been able to get access to James Harden in his entire career. And for me, thankfully to him, but for me to have gotten him to open up publicly on camera in this level, I am thrilled. Level 15. I am thrilled for the world to learn about him.

What is your role with the documentary?

I am the director of ‘Starting 5’ for Netflix. My overall role is to make sure I push the envelope with what the access looks like in any level of a documentary and storytelling. So, for ‘Starting 5,’ I am the glue to that and what that looks like. It’s a pleasure to know where I come from. Born and raised, Los Angeles, South Central, to have went to Figueroa Elementary, Audubon Middle School, Crenshaw High School. That’s not a role that you grow up as an African American little girl and know anything about. I’m very proud of my role.

Without giving up all of the secrets, what’s unique about this season of “Starting 5” and may catch viewers by surprise?

We have a big secret, a couple of secrets. But there is one big secret that even as the director I didn’t know about. There was even vetting this character and it happened in real time, where I had to pivot with my character and really just find that level of balance and say, ‘This is how we’re going to tell this story and tell it gracefully.’ I’m a mother and, so, I know how I want people to handle my child or, I look at these players as my kids as well, to handle them with delicacy. But in this particular situation there was importance of having trust and access to say, ‘Hey, this is new. This is new for me, but trust me and I’ll make sure that we do right by you if you allow us to tell this storyline.’

How blessed was “Starting 5” to have two players in the NBA Finals in the Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton?

How crazy was that? We’re so blessed to the point people think that we are in cahoots with the NBA and making up this whole thing. We were just having it our way in TV magic world. When you think about those two teams in OKC and the Pacers, no one is thinking these two small market teams would be in the Finals against one another, let alone go to a Game 7. How many years has it been that we’ve been to a Game 7 with the way it ended?

What I love to say is the viewers already know the outcome, but the blessing is the ability that the access that we had in between, before and after to see what was happening with these players. You couldn’t write a better ending. Maybe we could have guessed the Thunder part. And when they started to have a rollercoaster, we were happy for the rollercoaster because when you have such a clean slate and everything is going your way all season, it kind of is like, ‘OK, who’s going to give you a challenge?’

So, when Denver gave them a challenge, we were happy for that. We needed some ebb and flow when it came to the SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] story side. And Haliburton, in the beginning, we had no clue because you have to remember in the beginning of the season, he wasn’t doing so well. So, we actually were thinking the opposite of how do you tell this story? It was just going so bad in the beginning of the season. So those two in the ending, never. We thought it would’ve been OKC and Boston, but we never thought OKC and Pacers.

You were able to get some very emotional behind-the-scenes video of Haliburton in the Pacers’ locker room after he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. How were you guys able to do that?

Shout out to the NBA. So, the collaboration is where the NBA component comes into play. They’re used to filming these games, NBAE [NBA Entertainment]. And they’re used to getting that access in the locker room. So, we lean in and work in tandem with the NBA to get that access. So those cameras are already on it. We have shot lists that we put out prior to the game starting and all of our wish lists of things we want to do. Of course, [‘Starting 5’ co-executive producer] Sami [Khan], who was the director for Haliburton, we were sitting in the stands together as everything was unfolding and we didn’t have a clue. No one had a clue that this would be the outcome.

But again, thankful to the NBA. They are on it immediately. The camera was never from Haliburton’s side. So, you’re able to capture those very intimate moments and not everyone’s camera gets to go inside there like that. So, that’s what makes it so special, having that collaboration with the NBA, and we’re just thankful that we have that level of access.

What did you guys learn from Season 1 that helped you in Season 2 of “Starting 5?”

Well, from Season 1 to Season 2, we learned we needed to cover as many games as we could. We were able to be more strategic about the game coverage. We learned how to structure the show better. That’s why you see a better show in Season 2. Season 1 was very difficult. And more importantly, we learned the more access we have, the better the show would be. And so, pushing the envelope to make sure we can give the viewers a real glimpse of what’s happening and not pieces of what they’ve already seen on social media or what they already know.

How did you pick the five NBA stars for Season 2?

Season 1 helped the ability to get cast for Season 2. Season 1 is kind of like everybody’s apprehensive. We don’t pick them by saying, ‘Hey, this is who we want over this person.’ We kind of put it out there to different teams and agents and whoever the players are who have the appetite to be a part of it. It’s more so just knowing that you’re going to have people in your business with you a lot of the time. And this is a space in your life where you have to be vulnerable.

So, it more so comes from players’ interests. And again, it was easier with Season 2 because Season 1 was proven. And if you can get LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Domantas Sabonis on the big screen, who is anybody else to be like, ‘No.’ So, it wasn’t hard at all.

How proud of you being a Black woman in this docuseries space?

I am very proud to be a Black woman in this space, because you don’t have a lot of us here and who are doing it at this level as we know. It is very difficult to do what I’m doing at this level. So, I am thankful to the people who have seen me, who’ve seen my work prior to ‘Starting 5’ that say, ‘This woman is exceptional, she’s brilliant, she’s beyond capable, and her skillset can go into any world.’

To go into any world and be able to gain this level of access, I’m happy that people acknowledge that about me and also acknowledge my abilities as a director, knowing how to man the camera. I’m proud about that. It’s not a thing where I’m just going in and I’m telling people what to do. If I have to do it myself, I have the skillsets to pull that off as well.

Did you go to college specifically to learn about film documentaries?

At San Francisco State University, I was a double major in broadcast communications and dance. And that’s when you learn how to truly be a storyteller, a journalist, and really dive deep and learn not to remain surface. That level of writing in those phases — that’s when it’s elevated, of course, and you look at the world differently. Me growing up in Los Angeles and going to school in the Bay Area, I was ahead of my time. I was 17 years old on campus by myself. And I’ve always been a kind person, but I used to tell these stories in my head. I used to write things about the quad area.

I used to write things about the Bay Area and just the difference in the lingo, the music, the vibe, the smell, the dressing. So, when you put yourself in a position and you’re doing a lot of writing, I think you take that fear away from yourself, because who thinks that they can be a writer. But you start to write and you realize, wait, this is a major skill set and this is going to take me a long way in life.

What was it like growing up in South Central Los Angeles?

Back in the day, and still to this day, that was considered a Blood [gang] neighborhood, Denver Lane Bloods. So, in terms of storytelling, I have a whole plethora of stories in my head. The things that I was seeing were probably before I should have been seeing. You wake up and you’re walking to the bus stop to go to school in the morning and you being hit on because the hookers are out there, right? But I was telling stories then, and the story I was trying to tell is like, ‘I don’t want this story.’

So, how did you keep your head above water to get the grades to go to San Francisco State?

My mother did not play. I grew up in a household with five girls, no boys, and I’m the baby. And my sisters were all very good in school. My mom stayed on us. You couldn’t come in the house with bad grades at all. My oldest sister, she was accepted to what I can remember — every single Ivy League, every single [University of California] school. Honestly, Cal State [universities] at the time wasn’t even a thought for her because that’s how academically inclined that she was. As a little girl, I remember being 5, 6, and 7 watching my sisters just do great things. So, the bar was set to do something great in life. So, I give it to my mom. My father passed when I was 6 months old, but my mother did a great job to the best of her ability of keeping us on track, and that pushed me to take it to another level.

Who were your role models growing up?

I do remember thinking I was Oprah [Winfrey] and I was sitting in the mirror as a little girl, and I was pretending to be sitting on my set and presenting my guests and bringing people out. So, I would say at that time, that was the person who was pushed into our faces, and she was a great role model for that in terms of the possibilities of what could be. So, I would have to give that to Oprah.

But in terms of role models, I actually really looked up to my mom and my sisters. I have to give that to my sisters because I wanted to be like them. They all had so many different skillsets with who they were and what they were doing. And I think that’s why I’m so great. Not saying that in an arrogant way, but I think that’s why I have so many skillsets and things because I was just learning from all of them. And my mom would tell all of them, ‘I don’t know who got to take her, somebody got to take her.’ So, I was always with someone outside or going somewhere. So, I was a little mature and ahead of myself, just the exposure and the things that I was doing with my sisters.

What was your breakthrough in your industry?

Maybe the breakthrough when it came to sports and being a storyteller was doing ‘Warriors of Liberty City’ for Starz that aired in 2018, and that was a project about NFL players [from] Liberty City [Miami neighborhood]. And it basically breeds the most NFL players. It’s the community where Chad Ochocinco, Devonta Freeman, a lot of NFL players come from. I think that was my breakthrough when people could really say, ‘This girl’s a really great storyteller.’

And again, back to that access to be able to go into a community and be in their homes and seeing people go through some of the most struggling horrible things, and they still giving you access while their lives are unfolding and are actually spiraling out of their control, but then seeing the hope. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a community as strong and connected and powerful as I’ve seen in that community, in Liberty City in Miami. So, I think that was the biggest breakthrough. Then from there, I sold my own project called ‘Supa Girlz,’ which is also based out of Miami Liberty City.

Those were the bigger moments where people said, ‘OK, she’s not just a storyteller, but she’s also on the business side of things, too.’ I created my production company. Of course, it’s smaller, it’s a boutique, and I’m not the functioning production company. But it allows me to develop projects and sell content. I’ve been signed with WME [William Morris Endeavor] for 10 years. When you have a backing of a huge agency of that magnitude, who see your skillsets — again, shout out to my agent Braden Currier. He’s seen me from the beginning and was like, ‘You are phenomenal, you are next.’ So, he believed in me very early on in my career.

What words of wisdom would you give to a young woman of color, just a young woman interested in your storytelling industry?

I would say if you’re interested in this industry, learn every single aspect of the business, don’t limit yourself to just trying to be a producer. If you want to be a producer, understand the nuances of being a director. Don’t limit yourself to being a director. But also understand the components of being the audio supervisor. Don’t limit yourself to the audio supervisor. Expand your knowledge into the camera department and what that means to truly build out camera and learn about lenses.

Any game that you go into, make sure that every single aspect about the game or the business that you want to be strong. You want to be able to walk into a room and no one can deny you. No one can say, you can’t have this or you can’t have that. And believe in yourself. It sounds so cliché, but literally believe in yourself. Walk in a room with confidence. Walk in a room with pride. Walk with dignity and integrity at all times. And especially as a woman, you have to hold yourself to a certain standard and understand when you’re in sports you cannot — it’s such a small space — you cannot play where you work. I think that’s why I’m very successful in that space.

Are there any other projects you’re working on that you could talk about?

I’m working on another project that I’m selling with Adam Wilson called, ‘Portalize.’ It’s about the [college sports transfer] portal. And we see how college sports are moving. So ‘Portalize’ will give you a level of access behind the scenes when it comes to dealing with the coaching staff and the challenges that they deal with now that the portal was so active from their perspective. And also, from the player’s perspective. If they jump into the portal, why are they jumping into the portal? So, I’m really excited about that project.

What kind of pride do you have being from South Central Los Angeles and having a positive story being from there?

I have a tremendous amount of pride being from South Central. I’m very proud of where I came from. I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t come from South Central, so I don’t shun from it. I’m not embarrassed being from where I come from because I think that actually makes me so powerful in this industry, because I have a sensibility of reality and balance that keeps me leveled that I don’t think other people have.

And I can look at things differently. It allows me to tell stories differently and not be one-sided. It allows me to tell stories by being optimistic. I’ve seen worse in life. So, the things that we get to do and the people we get to be around, that’s a pleasure for me. I don’t look at it as a stress, so I actually run circles around people because I understand what it means to have nothing.

While you’re traveling around the country filming “Starting 5,” your 16-year-old son, Songhai Glover, was often by your side. Can you talk about being a mother raising a teenage boy in such a challenging industry?

My entire career is with my son. He’s 16, actually born Christmas Eve, December 24. I brought my son with me every step of the way. So, my story is more inspiring than anything because when I’m dealing and talking to other women in the business, they’re like, ‘How in the world did you raise your child? You have a child and to be as successful as you are where you sit in this business as the director for ‘Starting 5,’ that’s crazy.’ And I just tell them I never chose one over the other. My son is more important to me than air. And to be able to provide for him is equally as important as my career so he can eat. So, I brought him along with me every step of the way.

I never chose, and that’s my advice. Try to bring your kids with you. Expose your kids to the world that you’re a part of. They’ll have a greater sense of appreciation for you. The bigger thing is family support is also important. So, I’m not a single mother. Me and his father are not together, but I’m not a single mother. His father, I call him ‘The MVD,’ The Most Valuable Dad, because if it wasn’t for him, I also couldn’t be who I am and the woman that I am and have this level of success or accolades that I have. So, family support is equally as important. And that could be the person you had a child with, your husband, your wife, your partner, your mother, your sister, your friends, whatever your family dynamic is. Your support system is so important to be successful in this business.

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