1. When and why did you decide to be a filmmaker?

Film has been a driving passion of mine ever since I can remember. I was always creative as a child in all areas of the fine and practical arts. But I fell absolutely in love with both filmmaking and theatre. I wrote my first movie script when I was 9 years old and have had the bug since.

I don’t really know why I fell in love with filmmaking in the first place; it always seemed very organic with me. Filmmaking and my basic knowledge of it was innate in my soul. I just knew it and just wanted it. Many aspects of the craft came very naturally and those I didn’t intimately know, I strove for and learned about. I read endless books and surrounded myself with people who had the same love and passion for the industry – we learned from each other.

I love everything about filmmaking: the ability to create, to escape, to broaden minds or (even confuse the hell out of people), the ability to tell either your story or those great ones out there. More than anything I love the community and unity that filmmaking creates. It takes all types of people to create one project. You have to have the creative working alongside the technical and business people. This is exciting to me – you can’t truly do one without the other.

2. What do you do as a field producer?

As a field producer, I have to almost become the jack-of-all-trades. To successfully produce in the field you must understand what your executive producers and director wants while understanding how it has to be done. It is extremely important to have some grip and camera knowledge as well, because you are normally with an extremely small crew.

When field producing you are normally handling ITMs/OTFs, one-on-one interviews, establishing shots, backstories, etc. You truly never know what you will face. In a way you act as the director in that particular segment. From start to finish, you call the shots while keeping them in-line with the look and feel of the rest of the show.

3. What do you value most about your experiences so far?

I value all the opportunities I’ve had as a filmmaker, be them good or bad they have all taught me something. And without these opportunities, I would have never met many of the people I now call my truest friends, business partners and some of the most interesting people I know. I even met my fiancé on the set of Trick My Truck!

Next to the people are the places I’ve had the chance to visit. On my upcoming show “The Ghost Catcher,” I am going to be able to travel to many of the famous haunted places I’ve always dreamed of visiting. American Idol took me on a crazy road trip across the United States and So You Think You Can Dance took me back to one of my favorite places to work, Charleston, SC.

4. What are the most difficult challenges you've faced as a filmmaker?

Professionally, it is booking. I still live and work out of Missouri 90% of the time. So it makes it more difficult to work being there are few projects that come through much longer than a day player rate. And it never fails that I will be out of work for a month and then book 3 or 4 projects. And the good ones always come when I am already full-time on another gig. So it takes a lot of patience, careful budgeting at home, a great sense of humor and lots of passion!

Locally, the main concern is time. The majority of projects that are made here locally are free/no budget ones; meaning your cast and crew are NOT PAID! So, as a local producer/director you are always at their mercy and juggling their schedules because it is all you can do. And in my situation I have fewer dates to work with, with my being on the road shooting a lot – so it is a major challenge but a worthy one.

I am very close to many of the local filmmakers, crew and talent and appreciate that they are busy working on multiple projects. These projects are great resume builders for them and all their fondest memories will stem from these local projects. I know mine have – the locals far outweigh the big projects in my heart!

5. What have you learned about the business side of filmmaking?

Multitudes! I have been involved with projects ranging from good business to bad business and even a few that had NO business.

Locally, I think releases and etiquette are the biggest hurdles for the smaller filmmakers to get over. However, we’ve started seeing a new breed of Springfield filmmaker; ones that have talent beyond my imagination and their challenge is just getting out there, letting people see their brilliance.

Professionally? I have met some film business geniuses that just know their stuff. The biggest thing I have learned from them is to just to know your product. It is good to have passion but is it marketable? You may have the greatest movie idea in the world, but if the status quo population doesn’t want to buy tickets are you prepared to be in the art houses and on DVD? Have realistic dreams. Don’t think you are going to make a blockbuster the first time out – this rarely happens and when it does, most of the time there is a major studio behind them or some grand connection.

Keep your love, your great ideas and passion, but keep in mind you might be making some compromises from time to time. Never give up, if this is truly what you want, go for it!

More than anything, I’ve learned that this road isn’t easy. One minute you can be on top of the world and the next at the bottom. You have to have a humble attitude next to that successful one and get right back up. Know that everyone is expendable but strive to make your work ethic unforgettable!

6. What is your highest priority as a filmmaker?

Honesty. This involves being true to myself and my fellow filmmakers. I don’t take projects I don’t respect. And I try to be realistic to other crew members working with me if something is feasible or not. I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct.

7. What is your most vivid memory from your filmmaking endeavors?

Being involved with Nine Grounds. I loved each and every part of working on that feature. Bryon Blakey and Aaron Everett with Black Meadow Productions trusted me to do my job and I relished in it. They gave me the freedom to do what I do best. We had an amazing and fun cast and crew, and I believe we made the best project we could with the time and money that we had. I still say it’s the best project I’ve ever worked on. And definitely the most fun I’ve ever had!

My “ah man” memory would be while working on the set of a Trick My Truck spin-off called Free Wheelin’ with the Pickett Brothers. We had been working all day to prepare for a nighttime alley shot for their show opening. Right as we slated for our first shot it began to pour. The alley ended up flooding and a very tired cast and crew had to pack up and pull all the stingers (electrical cables) out of 2+ feet of water and retrieve many lights off the tops of buildings. The situation was nerve-racking, but we made the best out of it. I didn’t get finished until close to 4am and decided to stay in Joplin. I ended up having to make a run to Wal-Mart, soaked to the bone to get a change of clothes for the next day of work.

8. How and why did you get involved with Trick My Truck?

Varuna Films, the company that produces Trick My Truck actually came across my name on the Missouri Film Commission website. They called and hired me as a production assistant for about a week. Things worked out well and I’ve since moved to their 2nd Assistant Director and Field Producer.

I have worked on seasons 1-4 of TMT and many of their special episodes and CMT promos. I handle most of the paint scenes, the truck pre and post morphs and beauties shots, various workbench projects, clothing contiguity, trade out requirements, set design among other things; I’ve even detailed many of the trucks.

The current and past TMT cast and crew hold a very dear place in my heart and I consider many of them family. We’ve had many exciting but many tough times as well, but we’ve always made it through and produced some really killer looking trucks!

9. Do you have any stories from working on that show you'd like to share?

Each season on Trick My Truck we’ve worked with a different Directory of Photography. 2 out of the 4 have been huge pranksters and loved getting the cast members. One of our cast members was very particular about their things and this one DP made “Property of Camera Dept” labels and put them on all of the cast members’ things from their sunglasses to tools. The next morning when I came to work I ended up tripping while entering the camera room. The cast member never said anything about the labels, but after everyone had left he had welded a steel bar right at tripping level across the camera room door and painted it to match the door. It was the best prank I ever witnessed onset, too bad I got the bruise from it.

10. Any stories from other film sets?

Nine Grounds was another set that had a prankster. Danny Phillips aka DJP was our resident prank puller. For weeks, cast and crew had been complaining about the smell of my office, our studio and production vehicle. We couldn’t figure it out and even blamed it on the building sewer at one point. Turns out Danny had been setting off stink bombs on set and even had been placing them in the ceiling of my office. Thanks again, Danny!

11. Do you feel it's necessary to go to film school? Did you have any traditional education or training in this industry?

Once a director by the name of David Winning told me to take the money I was going to spend at film school and use it to make my first film. I believe there is some truth to this statement. If you have the vision and drive, go for it.

But I do believe there is a lot to be said for school. There are so many more careers in movie making than a producer, director or actor/actress. And school will give you a great heads up on some of these areas. The more you know, the more you’ll appreciate the rest of your crew and what they bring to the project. School is also a great place to meet other crew members. A lot of work in the industry comes from personal references and referrals.

Truthfully, I work in the industry full-time and have for the last 5+ years and I would love to go back to school. I feel there is never an end to learning, that there is always something new to know. Humans weren’t built to be stagnant – we need to broaden our minds and grow. Be it through film school, workshops, self-study whatever, don’t ever think you know everything there is to know.

I have had some college time under my belt and a few workshops, but mostly, I have been self-taught or learned from others in the industry. And as much as I think about school and the validity of it, experience will get you just as far if not farther. But I strongly believe the two, education and experience, go hand-in-hand.

12. As far as filmmaking, what do you think Missouri offers that other places don't?

Through co-founding the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best assets that Southwest Missouri has to offer. We’ve been working very diligently to build a film community that can survive and be successful. Of course, this is a time-consuming work-in-progress because we all have our own projects to finish and a living to earn, but we’re making great strides. Each day that passes we are finding more people that live here and work full-time in the industry. And those who have worked on the coasts and are retiring here as well. There is a vast amount of film knowledge hiding in the Southwest region and throughout the state for outside projects to tap into.

Now we need to lure more of them here: Missouri has a very unique history, be it film related or not. As a state, we’ve witnessed so many great stories and eras; from Jessie James, Bonnie and Clyde, Laura Ingalls, Mark Twain, Wild Bill Hitchcock and Walt Disney. We’ve been the home state to so many great performers and industry professionals. We have a wide range of diverse locations; pretty much everything except the desert or ocean. With an imagination, Missouri could shoot for almost anything you could ever want. In Nine Grounds, we specifically sought out locations that could double as the roads and jungles of Cambodia. With some creative shooting and a few added effects, I feel we pulled this off immensely well.

Through the aid of industry professionals, other film organizations and the state film office, we have been increasing tax incentives within the state to make the state more competitive to other states for outside projects as well. We’ve been seeing an increase of projects entering the state, but so many times they sneak in, hire who they need and sneak out quietly before you ever knew they were here. Continue to have faith, the work is coming.

We just need to continue to prove to outside productions that we have crews ready to work and that they are just as good as the other states. Local filmmakers need to be ready for these projects and what it could mean for their careers. They need to be educated enough to know what it is going to take to get through a day let alone an entire project. The hours are long and the work is tough! Keep an open mind – maybe you don’t want to do anything but make movies; that’s all well and good, but if a good television job is coming to town – don’t turn it down. Television has launched careers for both Spielberg and Cameron to name a couple and even Springfield native Byron Smith!

Also, don’t be afraid to take a job below you. Even though I normally work in an AD or Producer category, I am not above working as a Production Assistant (i.e. American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance). Surviving in the industry in Missouri is hard; sometimes, you have to humble yourself and take jobs that you wouldn’t normally do. By doing this, you may have the opportunity to work with some individuals and companies you wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to. They could also see your potential and lead you to other projects. Always look on the positive side.

Also, just because someone calls themself a producer or director locally doesn’t always mean they could hold those jobs professionally. Within this state and all other states, there are the true filmmakers and the “dreamers.” Dreaming isn’t a bad thing; we must just help push each other in our film community to be the best we can be. Let’s take each other to the next level and join the universal world of filmmaking. Let’s push the bounds and do more locally than just horror films about lab glassware or zombies. We need to come together as a community and find our own voice to show people who we really are or continue to be stereotyped as the “hillbillies” or become defined by the quality of material we continue to recycle. We have extreme amounts of talent in Missouri – it is time to stand up and prove it.

13. What lessons have you learned from filmmaking?

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that I am way too nice. And I have let myself get walked on and trampled many times.

The film and television industry is a difficult and fickle one. You will encounter many people who will lie, cheat and steal to get ahead. These people are extremely two-faced; they talk great to your face but put a knife in your back when their tail is on the line. It can be a lot like high school if you let it. But there are also the most interesting and most intelligent people that you will every meet in this industry as well. Find the balance. Be a hard worker, respectful and nice, but also don’t be afraid to ask questions – the worst they can say is NO!

14. What do you think is the best way an individual can succeed in this industry?

Know the status quo but don’t be afraid to think out of the box – it DOES take both!

15. How does it feel to get paid for doing what you love?

Phenomenal. Filmmaking is my passion and a huge factor in my life. I have literally shed blood, sweat and tears over numerous projects. I’ve been ecstatically happy and beyond irritated in the same day, but it is always good. I feel extremely blessed for having the opportunity to live out my dreams each day and make a living doing it. I know I am one of the lucky ones, but I haven’t forgotten those who have helped me get here and all those I’ve worked with. I always ask if there are other positions available and will continue to do so. I thank you all, and you know who you are.

16. What's the most fun you've had working on a film or show?

Hands down Nine Grounds was the most fun I’ve ever had. I had an amazing cast and crew to work with. I was able to work on both the business/organizational side as well as the artistic side. I started as the production coordinator and moved to associate producer rather quickly, but I also helped take over set and props design and SPX make-up design. I had a blast! I miss the long hours, hard work and creativity we all put in to make Nine Grounds a reality.

But honestly, I enjoy everything I get a chance to do... stressful or not; I am living my dream!

17. What is the most important piece of advice you'd give an aspiring filmmaker?

Don’t ever give up! You might have to take a few detours to get where you are going, but no matter what, look for the lessons and relevance in each of them. Even if you are working a part-time job that you think has nothing to do with filmmaking – look again there is still a lesson to be learned there. That winning and never-say-never attitude kept me going when I just knew there was no making it. Use these detours as training modules; be it a great idea for a script, a chance meeting, learning how to or not to treat people, or maybe a special skill.

Jobs always pop up at the strangest or most inconvenient times. For instance, before I came to work for Trick My Truck I had worked 2½ years at a trucking company. Who knew all those hours I spent feeling like I was going nowhere were actually teaching me all about the different truck parts and types, lingo, etc. that I would be filming and asking questions about on a television show? Make the best out of every situation.