You Say You’re Breathing New Life Back Into an Exhausted Industry. What’s Your Secret Weapon? Youthful Energy or Maybe Just Don’t Have to Unlearn the Old Habits?

That’s really tough to answer actually. As any artist knows, it’s so hard to look at your work objectively, so I have no idea. Mostly I’ve always just made films the way I’ve wanted and have been lucky enough for people to respond positively. The only thing I really have to go off of is what other people tell me. One thing I’ve always heard is that I’m, “really great at capturing and portraying real life and real emotion.” To me that’s a huge compliment because my whole goal as a filmmaker is to blend the artifice of filmmaking with capturing real genuine moments as they happen. You can’t fake those. And when people feel it, they know it’s real. A friend of mine, and fellow collaborator, Jordan Gray once told me something along the lines of, “You have the ability to capture the large scale wonder and grandeur of our entire existence, but then can also travel down to share the most intimate of details and moments.” I was blown away when someone I greatly respected said that to me. So maybe that’s it? Whatever the tone, I just want to create something real. Haha. Not sure if that’s a sucky answer…

What’s the Progression Looked Like From Your First Paid Projects up to This Point?

I officially started Mammoth January 1st, 2010, but those weren’t my first paid projects. It really all started about ten years ago, back in high school filming my friends skateboarding and wakeboarding. I just did it all for fun because I loved it so much. Something just clicked for me. I remember growing up mostly outside at the lake and never really being too attached to films or movies in any special way. They were mostly just mild entertainment for the times when there was nothing else to do (I’ve actually seen an embarrassingly few number of movies in my lifetime, especially classic cinema). But then two events coincided in high school, I started watching creatively-made wakeboarding videos from the pros, and in one week, my buddy Brian Freeborn and I watched Requiem for a Dream, Donnie Darko and A Clockwork Orange down in his parent’s basement. And it changed my life. I felt things I’ve never felt before and remember thinking, “movies can be like this?” And from then on I was hooked. I became enamored with trying to capture and relay intimate feelings and experiences. Eventually people started asking me to do it for them too. And after I got a couple of my first bigger clients via word-of-mouth, AMC Theatres and the TV Show Heartland Bowhunter, I was able to start doing it full time. The rest is history. Now I’ve built a team and we’re about to bring on our seventh guy.

I had no big great plan, no formal education and absolutely no business skills. It all just evolved serendipitously I guess. I’m very lucky that it all worked out and I owe a lot to the people who helped and believed in me along the way.

I Want to Live in Your Instagram Feed. How Are You Mixing Personal Travel and Your Work? Is It Intentional or Just Part of the Jobs You’re Catching?

Well thank you! I’ve never actually deliberately thought of it as mixing personal work with client work before. It’s all the same to me. My work is my work. And it’s always been about the art of it, however it may come to life. I’ve always loved to travel and consume new experiences, so I would just display the work that came from those times in my portfolio and eventually I was being asked to create travel and tourism videos for countries. It was a natural fit. And since I love what I do, personal work and paid work have long been indistinguishable.

As many creatives know, doing profitable projects you’re not as stoked about allows you to take on those less lucrative passion projects to be proud of. And eventually, they’ll start coinciding. You’ll start getting paid to create things you love. And I assume that’s the progression for most everyone. We all have to sell a bit of our souls to the industry to keep doing what we love, and you never know where that may lead. Right now we are in pre-production of our first feature film and we’ve already started shooting our first full-length documentary. And all of this is possible because we’ve paid our dues over the years and put on smiles long enough to trudge our way through the unfulfilling projects. Or at least that’s the way it worked out for me.

So You’re Based Outside of Kansas City in Downtown Lee’s Summit. Before That Lake Lotawana. Is That Possible?! What Advantages Has That Afforded You?

I’m not sure really. I’ve lived at Lake Lotawana my whole life and the idea of commuting downtown everyday seemed miserable. That’s the whole thinking behind our location. And since most of our clients are national and worldwide, it really doesn’t matter where our office is. I also tend to feel a bit claustrophobic if I spend too much time in the city. So right now downtown Lee’s Summit is pretty charming, much quieter and working great for us. And it’s a pretty easy drive for our KC friends and clients too. Eventually, I want to build the new Mammoth office out in the middle of the woods, in the wild away from everyone.

What Is Your Latest Epiphany?

I recently heard a quote somewhere that said, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough,” and it really rang true to me. I’m just a normal dude, but when I was younger there were several times I felt intimidated tackling such big new projects. But I naively jumped in head-first to see what would happen. And right now, as we continue to grow, I’m so glad I did.