What has drawn you to producing independent films? What skills and experiences do you bring to the task?

I’ve been drawn to produce indie films by my fiercely independent nature, and the gratification I get from working as a close knit team. After working in various mediums and industries, I truly believe film to have an inherent benefit as an artform when it’s pursued independently, which fits me well.

Growing up with two working creative parents, I didn’t have a lot of structure which led me to imagine my own games and inventions. I was always exploring, performing, and building things as a team with my siblings, cousins and neighborhood friends. I craved a shared experience with others. As I came into my own in high school, rejection from sports teams and social clubs led me to blaze my own path. Personal creative fulfillment was more important than satisfying generic measures of achievement. At 15, I joined a rock band that would be a life changing endeavor. 5 passionate kids came together to build something with no coach, teacher, or program. We played music that fed our souls, and birthed an entrepreneurial venture. Booking and promoting our own shows, selling tickets and t-shirts, recording at studios on our own dime, touring the state in a van, and making waves on Myspace was a lifestyle few had the guts to pursue. 

Some people spend their whole lives waiting for permission. My mantra became “if you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em.” After being excluded from the university sanctioned video clubs, we created our own, called HorseFeathers!, which overachieved on almost every level. When our short films didn’t get selected by festivals, we launched The Streetlight Series; An event hosted in downtown Detroit that played to a sold out crowd, bringing together hundreds of creatives in the community. Our feature film, Some Are Born, didn’t receive a theatrical release, so we took the show on the road and did a grassroots campaign. When our tech startup, Handshake, was getting predatory offers for seed investment in the Midwest, we pulled up stakes and came to Silicon Valley where we secured beneficial venture capital partnerships.

My formal education with a B.A. at Michigan State University provided a strong base of knowledge to build off of, but nothing teaches you quite like experience. I learned the tricks of the trade as a 1st AD running film sets. Communicating in each crew person's operational language, scheduling and budgeting, working with clients, and pitching to investors made me a jack of all trades. I developed a versatile skill set to overcome any obstacle while remaining humble in my service to the overall goal as a team. I would take on the hardest roles with the most complex responsibilities, pushing myself to learn as much as I could.  Creative team leadership made me adept at social awareness, assessing talent, using effective communication, and above all preserving optimism. Now I draw upon every arrow in my quiver to keep a project on the tracks and anchor my goals to my true passion, indie filmmaking.