Payton Bayless: ADRENALINE

My roots trace back to Guymon, Oklahoma, where I spent my formative years surrounded by basketball, a sport that became my ticket out of small-town life. It earned me a scholarship and the opportunity to attend college, where I majored in Film and Psychology.

My college years were some of the best of my life! Surrounded by new friends, new environments, and the chance to live out my childhood dreams, I still couldn’t understand why I felt so unhappy. I was never the type of player who obsessed over how “good” I was; I saw basketball as a means to an end: education. To me, a scholarship meant freedom.

That changed when I became infatuated with a coach and a program. I pushed my education aside and threw myself into the game, working relentlessly just to earn one minute in the rotation—to prove to my coach and my parents that I wasn’t a waste of a scholarship. I managed to juggle the demands of being a student-athlete for a while, but eventually, I began to drown. Despite my progress and improvement, it never felt like enough.

I struggled with self-doubt and anxiety, often skipping practices and even classes. Toxic mentorship made it worse—I didn’t have a positive voice in my corner, encouraging me or showing me the way forward.

I felt isolated—and even "soft"—for having these feelings. Looking back, I realize I was still just a kid.

Then COVID hit. One door closed, but another opened. I transferred to the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!), walked on to their basketball team, and reconnected with my passions for film and psychology. But because of the pandemic, classes were entirely online. Once again, I found myself alone in a new environment.

My journey in filmmaking began at age 20. I dove headfirst into major motion pictures, quickly landing internships and working on diverse projects that pushed me creatively and mentally in ways basketball never had.

All this work molded me into the filmmaker and person I am now. 

🎬 "ADRENALINE" is a film about pressure.

The pressure to perform. To earn respect. To carry your identity into spaces not built for you, and not crack. It’s about what happens when that pressure becomes too much.

I felt it the moment I stepped onto campus. I think most athletes have. Some thrive in it. Others pull away.

ADRENALINE is my love letter to basketball. It captures all the emotions I felt through recruitment, orientation, walkthroughs, summer training, and tip-off. But this film isn’t just for sports fans. It’s for anyone who’s felt alone, overlooked, or under pressure.

This is my second official directorial film.

My debut project was showcased at numerous U.S. film festivals, earning awards and recognition from audiences around the world.