Recently, I’ve been asked, ‘Why did you want to come back to Hand Crank Films?” That’s a fair question.
The business side: Hand Crank Films is a recognizable brand that propels us forward toward our goal.
The mission side: I am passionate about mentorship. Our team and I want to develop and amplify new voices. We want to grow filmmakers and give them the tools to succeed in independent film and the corporate world. Hand Crank Films gives us a platform to do that.
The emotional side: Hand Crank is where I got my start, where Max took a chance on me, where my good friend, Chris Koser, got me an interview. This is where Chris Donaldson took me under his wing and taught me how to sell and how to be a better creative. This is where Koser and I pushed each other to be better and Jim pulled miracles out of his producer hat (and always had a cold beer ready after a tough day). Hand Crank is where my best friend Cameron got hired and we got to work together again, where I met Avielle and watched her grow from a PA, to one of our better producers, where Alex became the filmmaker he is today – and slept like a baby while doing it.
Hand Crank is where I met AJ, Julien, Dave, Diego, Andy, Bob, Brian, Liz, Langley, Leslie, Eric, Nathan, Jordan, Sam, Sidra, Megan, Matt, and so many more amazing folks. This is where we shut down a street for the zombie apocalypse, where we built a farm in an alley, where we helped Koser shoot a 3 minute chase scene down an alley through a house and out onto a street. Hand Crank gave me the opportunity to travel to the world to make a short film with Koser, eat grasshoppers for Thanksgiving dinner, and argue about whether Breaking Bad or Mad Men had the better cinematography. This is where we pushed ourselves to always make something great, to put all of ourselves into the project, no matter the budget. Hand Crank Films was a place where an amazing group of people made films together.
I just wish I took a moment to look around and say, “this is a privilege” because it was. No matter the challenges, anger, failures, my time at Hand Crank Films made me who I am today. I am grateful for that. I came back to Hand Crank Films because working with great people to make something meaningful is one the more rewarding experiences of my career. I did a lot of that at Hand Crank Films, and I plan to do a lot more.
Moving forward, there will be new people working with us because some of the Hand Crank greats have gone out to build their own brands and change the world. That’s exciting because it allows space for new filmmakers to come onto the team and grow like we did. Chapter two of Hand Crank Films is about creating a space for new voices to carry on the legacy. So when a client chooses Hand Crank Films, they won’t just be getting the past, they will be getting the future too. And I am pretty lucky to be a part of that.
Love,
Caleb