Good People of vitruta: Deniz Tekin

Deniz! We always start by asking the same question, that's why I don't change the routine. How do you introduce yourself to people who don't know you? Who is Deniz Tekin?

We started with the question I was most nervous about! :) I'm never good at introducing myself. Should I make a bad date by telling you my favorite color, or should I be an oversharer by telling you how difficult it is for me to wake up? In short, Deniz Tekin has wandered around the branches of art since his childhood, studied art when he grew up, is a homebody but has created endless routes for himself with a backpack, always walks around with music in his ears, a notebook in his hand, and tries to live without being in a hurry, stretching like a cat. someone.

We met you at the Good People event in Pera. It was a very important day in two aspects: Firstly; We didn't know that day that he was such a good person that we later loved each other so much and entered Good People! Secondly, it was one of the rare days when we could see you outside of Moda. Tell us what's going on in Moda.

A truly accurate observation. If there won't be any hugs, laughter, nice encounters, etc., I'm not leaving the Anatolian side. That's why I can easily say that every vitruta event ends with a "I'm glad I came" for me. I think this does not only apply to me, by the way, the people of the Anatolian side cannot cope with the European side. We are officially in a bad mood when we are invited to the European side. It's like having to urgently cut short your vacation and return to the city for a meeting. Fashion is just like that. It's like a holiday. I've been around here for over 10 years. My circle of friends is the same, my grocery store is the same, the animals I love on the street are the same. I can meet my friends within 5 minutes with a phone call. I can sunbathe on a beach 15 minutes away from my house, I can set the sun on any terrace I want, if I want to escape to the forest, there are trees everywhere, I can escape under one of them, not to mention good food and beautiful places. It's like I'm not trying to live in the city, but it's serving me. It is a district where we are in flow together.

So what's your Moda routine? Which places, which streets, which hours are your fashion?

My Moda is definitely on weekdays. Wednesday is the best, it's like a mini Saturday. I start the day with a good coffee at Guten Morgen. I walk my Moda nose to good music. Nene Hatun is my street favorite. It's like an open-air catwalk for trees. A perfect design. In general, I like Moda architecture very much. Apartments with a maximum of 5 floors, no one can block anyone else's view, round balconies of corner apartments, old parquet flooring in the houses, they all have a different taste. Morning Moda and Night Walk Moda are my favorite hours.

During the day, I have a snack at Muaf or Dün. In the evening, if I'm in the mood for beer, I go to Fil or Primitif; if I'm in the mood for good music and chatting with friends, I go to Bina or Arkaoda; if I want to have a bit of a show and a cocktail, I go to Fahrikonsolosluk.

Then I move from his district to his job. It's been a few years since you ended your many years of modeling career and started working as a screenwriter. What do you write, what is the working order of a screenwriter?

Actually, I had a very smooth transition period. Because while I was modeling, I was working at an advertising agency and simultaneously started taking screenwriting training. I was leaving the fashion show and entering the competition, leaving the awards ceremony and going to training. My mentor and boss at the time told me, 'If it continues like this, you will go crazy, you have to decide what you want to do.' When he said that, I realized that I actually had a plan for myself. I have been a diary keeper since primary school and my favorite thing is writing. I had already chosen to be a writer. I started by writing stories for digital and offline magazines. Then this job evolved into writing for publishing houses. I have produced works in many different disciplines in 5 years, including copywriting, short films, festivals and TV series. Actually, I write from my own life. When people read it, they say, 'Definitely Deniz wrote this.' I have a language that says: Of course, this has become true over time, but I love hearing it. For example, I don't write about something that hasn't happened to me. Even something I observe has actually happened to me because I know that I am a part of that moment. That's why I don't have 'made up' stories, so to speak. The reader or viewer already feels this. In general, I really still keep a diary every day. Very simply, even if nothing happens to me, I write down the food I eat. I write about the ferry I missed, I write about my acne. So I'm writing. I mean, what I call my working order is what happens to me.

I wonder this; Can someone who is a screenwriter by profession continue to write and create on his own? I'm sure writing is something that is very good for you, but does it negatively affect you when you build your career on it? Or are you in the mood to write to me, it doesn't matter?

Frankly, I am a person who is more productive and happier when I write my own work. I tried, whether it was an adaptation, a 250-minute series for television, or writing what an extremely egoistic director wanted under his whip... It didn't work. :) I have never had a problem with killing what does not exist, but if I, as a pen, as a different mind, do not add anything new, if I do the same things to serve the same purpose, I am not an artist anyway, I am just someone who does work. That's why I can't say it doesn't matter whether it's writing or not. I write to see what my problem is, what I want to say, how I want to express it, and to whom this mind appeals in this life.

So, are there any screenwriters from Turkey or abroad that you like very much? Would you like to share it with us?

I love the storytelling of Derviş Zaim, Tolga Karaçelik, Aziz Kedi and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. They all write in different disciplines, but in my opinion, they all have a very strong way of explaining the situation or the character's problem. It feels valuable to know that what I'm watching is the work of those people, even if I can't read their names. There are so many from abroad. It's hard to eliminate. Michel Gondry, Yorgos Lanthimos, Aziz Ansari, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Martin Mcdonagh...

We are doing the last interview of 2023 with you. What would you like to wish for 2024?

I don't like making wishes at all :) I have a lot in mind for what will happen. For better or worse, they all work for me. :)

Would you like to write us your favorite brands from Vitruta?

First of all, RAINS . I love touching RAINS ' products. It's an incredible fabric. There's always a 90's energy in Dickies , I like that. Calvin Klein is a real cool brand and Les Benjamins is a cool brand that I guarantee I buy at least one piece from every collection.

You can click here for the products Deniz Tekin used and selected in the shooting.