Help Along the Way

We've been very fortunate to meet some of the people that we have on the path to getting our first film in the can. Sometimes people see young artists and want to help pass along knowledge, or make sure they make the right decisions. Three such individuals that we are very lucky to have met are David Wyat, Keith Sherer, and Russ Schaaf.

David Wyatt is an entertainment lawyer based out of Greenville, SC. I met David on a trip he took to Charleston. After talking with David, he definitely seemed interested in what we were trying to do. He explained that he understood what we were doing, and what it's like to get a business off the ground. Being sympathetic to our cause, David offered his help. David is not our lawyer. One might say he's mentoring us through the legalities of starting a business, and producing a film. This is a first for David as well.

Another individual that we call a mentor, is Keith Sherer. Keith has had an impressive career in the film industry. With films like Driving Miss Daisy under his belt, Keith intrigued us. Keith was a beauty unit director of photography for The Notebook, and was most recently the cinematographer for an independent feature length film titled, Shanghai Hotel. He has an extensive knowledge of the film industry and pledged to mentor us as we make this film. We welcome his support with open arms.

We must also give a very big thanks to Russ Schaaf, Program Coodinator and Instructor for the Film Production Program at Trident Technical College. Russ was interested in helping our cause from the moment we first spoke with him about using TTC's equipment package to make our film. He's be a great guide and a very good source of support.

Until the next post, Cheers to David, Keith, and Russ.

Who is Hank?

I met Kristen Vincent in 2004 and realized that we both had aspirations of pursuing careers in the film industry. Luckily for the both of us, we hit it off. Through constant discussions on the matter, Kristen and I decided to start our own production company. With our respective knacks for creative talent and business, we were a winning combination. We also came to realize that we share the same ideas about the types of movies we would like to make.

Kristen and I founded Empire Zero Productions, LLC in December 2005. We then began working on the arduous task of producing a film to be shot with the 35mm that she and Jen had purchased. We had no idea how much we had in store. The Line Producer must also help with locations. The writer also has to call catering companies. It is a wonderful experience, and all three of us are excited to get this story shot.

Lesson Learned on Producing: Few people means filling multiple roles.