documentary — BLOG — HAMMR Productions

On The Road with Interpreters Wanted: Film Festival Circuit (Part 2 of 2)

When I got the personal email from the head of Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Minah Oh, telling me that our film was an official selection I was ecstatic, they also offered flights and accommodations for Ismail and Saifullah, unfortunately Saifullah couldn't come but Ismail did. When Brooke and I met Ismail at Martha’s Vineyard for this film festival, it really was an amazing moment and it felt as though our film was really getting some steam.

I had no idea what to expect but we were able to sell out our first screening and when the film ended we were met with a standing ovation. We ended the time with an amazing question and answer with a local Journalistic Legend who also spent some time in the Middle East Charles Sennott and spent the rest of our time on the island being shown the beautiful areas that have now become world renown. The Martha’s Vineyard community were very warm and welcoming to our film, to Ismail and to myself as a filmmaker.

On The Road With Interpreters Wanted: Film Festival Circuit (Part 1 of 2)

Interpreters Wanted is my second feature documentary and a film that took 14 years to complete. It’s a story of brotherhood built during war, resilience in the face of death and fulfilling the promise of never leaving our people behind. Please read our BLOG POST about the making of Interpreters Wanted, and how far we’ve come to get here!

These next two blog posts I will share about a dream that truly came true in my life; showing a movie I’m super proud of, at film festivals around the U.S., with an amazing woman by my side, bucket list check! From our World Premiere at Gig Harbor in Washington, to the Heartland International Film Festival in Indiana, to a special screening to raise money for our partner No One Left Behind in Utah, to the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, all the way back home to Los Angeles to the amazing Dances With Films Film Festival.

If you’ve been following along this journey you’d have seen we’re now an award winning film, we’re currently sitting at %100 on Rotten Tomatoes and have been getting great articles written about the film. Our very first screening was our Veteran TV Special screening and our USC Cinema School Friends/Family screening.

SSG Ham's Army Films - '11-'13 (Part 2 of 3)

Welcome back to my blog and here’s my part two of three of my military service and the films I created during that time, read part one HERE. Once I came back from Afghanistan the next few years I was able to travel all over the world continuing to tell the Soldiers’ story and I subsequently earned two more Military Videographer of the Year awards (MILVID), and my first two Emmy wins. This was an exciting time for me not only because I was feeling like my career in the Army was going really well but also we ended up moving from Alaska to Hawaii where my daughter was born. These ended up being some great years of our small families life.

SSG Ham's Army Films - ’07-’10 (Part 1 of 3)

Welcome back to my blog and thanks for your continued support. For this next post I would like to share with you the stories behind the films I made while I was in the Army as a combat videographer, public affairs specialist. I had never thought about joining the military until September 11th, 2001 happened. That horrible morning changed the trajectory of all of our lives and set in me the desire to serve my country. However at that time I had turned 18 and had started my undergraduate degree in film, was starting to date my late-wife Melanie and was not ready. Fast forward 2007 our country is at the height of violence in Iraq as our forces start a new surge and I decided to join the military in order to “tell the soldiers’ story from the front lines.” Subsequently I have become the most award winning military combat videographer in the post 9/11 era.

One Year Anniversary of “Made With Melanie” and My Pat Tillman Leadership Summit Keynote

Summer is almost over and the children will be heading back to school soon. Life almost seems like it’s back to some semblance of normalcy, yet grief always lingers like a dark shadow that looms in the background. Our family is now almost a year and a half removed from my late-wife’s departure from this earth and the further we get it seems the more capable we are to cope but we still have our bad days. It’s also been a year since we released my feature documentary Made With Melanie and in this post I’d like to share some of my thoughts, feelings and observations about it. Additionally I was fortunate enough to give the keynote speech at this years Pat Tillman Foundation Leadership Summit in Chicago. Take a watch below to hear some of my story, why I became a filmmaker and share what happened to Melanie and the film about her. Read to the end of the blog for some big personal news!

Part 2 - The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Beautiful of the Veteran's Health Administration

Veterans have a lot of feelings associated with V.A. healthcare and oftentimes I hear from them how horrible it is and sadly too many of their stories are true. George Washington was once attributed as saying “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” Whether President Washington actually said that or not, it entirely holds truth. If we can’t take care of our returning Veterans not only is that a great moral injustice but it also sends a negative message to those who may want to defend our nation in the future. Veteran’s issues should be one of the most unifying ideals in our country and it transcends party lines. As you read this post, take a few minutes to watch some of the short stories about the V.A. I directed along with the great team at Gig Line Media.

The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Beautiful of the Veteran's Health Administration - Part 1 of 2

When you hear the term “The V.A.” or “Veteran’s Hospital” there are a lot of thoughts that come to mind especially for Veterans. I’ve heard everything from, “let’s burn it down and rebuild,” to “it’s an abusive system that is hurting Veterans, let’s go private,” to “it’s some of the best healthcare in the world and Veterans love it!" So what’s the truth?! As with anything the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. I’ve now spent several years on both sides of the V.A. working as a sub-contractor directing almost 100 videos for them, traveling to some of the top-rated V.A. hospitals in the country and have met some amazing doctors, nurses, and personnel (roughly about 1/3 of whom are Veterans themselves) who work tirelessly to give Veterans good healthcare. I’ve also explored a much darker side of Veteran healthcare with my films highlighting stories of scandal, cover-ups, betrayal and abuse, some truly egregious stories.

My time at USC School Of Cinematic Arts - Alumni Class '17

The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is a world renowned film program that some notable filmmakers like George Lucas, John Carpenter, Ryan Coogler and Ron Howard have attended. The Master’s in Fine Arts program boasts a 3% acceptance rate and the school has been named in the top three of best film schools for decades. I was among some of the older students in my cohort and one of the only one’s married, with kids and a veteran, so at times it was very challenging, but in the end worth it. In this blog post I’ll share a bit about my journey through USC and the impact it made on me as a filmmaker with some of my student films I’ve made along the way.

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