30 Dec 2023 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2024: Corbin Pitts, Filmmaker, actor and performer

From the moment that Corbin Pitts was first bitten by the acting bug, the 501 native knew he was destined for big things on the silver screen. 

“The running joke with me is that since age five, I’ve celebrated each of my birthdays on a movie set,” Corbin said. “My first role was young ‘Red’ Erwin in Red Courage. It really just fell into my lap. At the time, I was doing modeling for Dillard’s and some magazines and catalogs. I couldn’t read, so my mom had to read me my lines. I met so many people on that set who have become valuable mentors today.”

Following Red Courage, Corbin’s career gained traction quickly. By age eight, he was signed to an agency and began performing hundreds of shows at North Little Rock’s Argenta Community Theater and Arkansas Repertory Theater, garnering national attention for his abilities on stage. 

“I remember working a lot and taking lots of road trips,” Corbin said. “Every year was something else. My parents were doing everything they could to help me get noticed by larger agencies and productions, and opportunities kept coming my way.”

At age 11, one of Corbin’s biggest opportunities came in the form of HBO’s crime drama True Detective.

“My agent told me True Detective was holding auditions in Little Rock for season three, and I knew I had to give it a shot,” Corbin said. “Auditions were held at an abandoned mall downtown. I remember feeling like my audition didn’t go well. I forgot my lines and thought there was no way I would be cast. To my surprise, they called me and offered me the role of Mike Ardoin.”

While working on True Detective, Corbin became enamored with the production’s large set and decided to grow the scope of his career. In 2017, the young actor created Heroe Productions Entertainment, a production company run by kids.

“The idea began from taking my mom’s camera and making films with my buddies at sleepovers,” Corbin said. “Today, we are the largest youth-led production company in Central Arkansas.”

Through Heroe Productions, Corbin wrote, directed and released his first official film, Salad Days.

“I started writing my first film at age 15,” Corbin said. “I spent six months writing a 30-page script. One year later, we held the world premiere at Argenta Community Theater. Standing on stage in front of a sold-out crowd being congratulated for an idea that began in my bedroom one night was electrifying. That moment did it all for me.”

Today, Corbin is a 17-year-old senior at North Little Rock High School and recently finished season one as Stockboy Sam on Arkansas PBS’ Mystery League. Despite his busy career, the young actor maintains a 4.0 GPA and is hard at work planning to make 2024 his best year ever.

“I have two films coming out next year: Crescent City and Murder at Hollow Creek,” Pitts said. “Entering young adulthood, I’m trying to plan for the future. I’m writing my next film to be my first feature film. I’ve cast a few people and named a producer and I hope to start shooting in the next couple of months for a late 2024 release.”

Corbin lives in North Little Rock with his parents, Kyle and Kristin. Corbin’s sister, Grace Pitts, is also an actor, singer and dancer. 

“My family are my biggest supporters,” Corbin said. “They are wonderful people who have helped me through everything. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

For more information on Heroe Productions Entertainment, visit heroeproductions.com. For more information on Corbin’s career, visit imdb.me/corbinpitts.