Getting Creative with Hunter Thomas and Private i(kan)
This post is part of a Spotlight series covering our contest winners for ikan’s “Where’s the Missing Piece” short film contest for 2011. We will be covering 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the coming weeks so stay tuned and share the experience.
Cool dudes Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter of Hunter Thomas Creative, hailing from Dallas, Tx, were our first place winners this year for the “Where’s the Missing Piece” short film contest. Since they lived so close, we decided that it might be more worthwhile for them to come down for a visit and tour of the facility while we present their gear and winning plaque to them.
Accepting the invitation, they drove down last week and we had a blast talking and touring the ikan facility. Afterward, I decided to jump on the opportunity for an interview for some personal background and Director/Producer commentary on the winning film.
This week, we’ll be covering their background and the experiences that helped shape who they are today. I hope you enjoy.
ikan Short Film Contest 2011
1st place – “Private i(kan)” – Hunter Thomas Creative
Out of a handful of film students at University of North Texas, this duo emerged with their talents intact, some newfound comradery, and friends with like-minded practicality. Their friendship strong after their senior thesis film—written, directed, and produced by Samuel and Louis themselves—they split paths after graduation; one to work in video news production (Louis) and move to Houston, then Waco; meanwhile Samuel tried corporate America—only to become disillusioned with his career choices and office environments (I don’t blame him). Pass through a couple of years of living on life’s terms and your dreams begin to scream your name again.
PS. For those of you who haven’t gone to film school, there are a variety of opinions on the experience—but, frankly, most of them agree on these things:
1) You walk away with a piece of paper that just might save your ass when your clueless about life and unemployed
2) If you were smart (or lucky) you exploited your school’s film cage and got as much hands on experience as possible.
3) You make a couple of connections that will launch you into your new life in the film and video industry.
The years that follow after schooling really allow us some space to spread wings and flex muscles. For better or worse, these are the years to flounder–working different angles, trying to figure out how best to sell yourself and your skills. Here, I think, is when it pays to break your back, bustin’ ass, applying yourself to things you thought you believed in—in the adage of “it takes what it takes” to start achieving your dream(s). “There was a year there where I was teaching during the day and editing 5-6 hours a night,” Samuel mentioned to me in our interview. “It just went from there…” With that tireless ethic, his consistently-improving video work landed him a full time editor gig, allowing him to break free from the bonds of teaching post-pubescent high schoolers; with his editing now more polished, he supported his family for the next three years before he broke free completely and started living as a freelancer.
Believers in the “you learn more from your failures than successes,” Samuel and Louis found it was time to finally flex their collective muscles when Louis move to Waco—the words “Am I close enough?” were literally all it took to propel them into business together once more, this time as Hunter Thomas Creative.
Since then, their focus has been to develop a well rounded production company that is reputable through the region and beyond. At least, that’s the goal. “We want to do work that fuels us creatively,” Louis mentioned. What they really want is to hit you in the heart and gut with some good narrative work. So far, they plan to do just that; with both a webseries and feature in development, they may be well on their way.
In the same token, however, Samuel and Louis don’t mind considering straddling both realms—finding clients and showing product isn’t below them, especially if it helps to further fund their own content (and maybe pick up some distribution or gear along the way).
To be fair, it’s not like these guys are looking to be “Scorcese [or] Tarantino.“ Louis elaborated on this point when we were discussing influences. “I wanted to be ‘The Kids in the Hall.’ I just wanted to write sketch comedy,” he continued. “…That’s just my attention span.” I imagine his training with the cut-the-crap mentality involved in daily news casts definitely lends its hand to his quick humor and workflow.
Lately, though, the Creative feels more inclined to write their blackish humor into ideas for dramas and suspense/thrillers. As diversifying goes, however, they still recognize that their productions have to balance between “the art of it and the business of it.” As Samuel put it when we were talking about the future: “what’s going to sell?” Louis agreed. “It’s been [unashamedly] our biggest stumbling block…whatever we do we want to monetize. It’s a noble effort to go out and do something–and do it well—but if there’s no money at hand…what are we doing?”
It’s clear these gents have a good business sense about themselves; collective story boarding, no ego, argument only for the betterment of the project–“we’re always pushing ourselves to do better, Samuel commented. “…[Louis] pushing me to think about it more; I, in turn, push him to think about it more; whichever idea wins the fight, it’s all about the story.”
We’ll be covering Hunter Thomas Creative more next week, where we’ll do a Creator’s commentary on “Private i(kan).”
In the meantime, you can also go connect with Samuel via twitter @szpt, check out his Youtube/Vimeo or you can check out his calling card
