I first encountered Brad's work on Kentucker Audley's fantastic NoBudge site, with his short film WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM. It caught my eye not only because of the emotional honesty and style of the film, but also noticing street signs of a nearby Illinois suburb, not far from where I grew up.

I reached out to Brad back then, and he remains as thoughtful and generous with his time back then as he is now. He has progressed through making many more outstanding shorts and commercial work, as well as his debut feature, GRASSHOPPERS, which was released in 2021.

In this episode, Brad and I discuss his beginnings as a filmmaker in the suburbs of Chicago, diving into each short which can be found on his Vimeo page. From mixing elements of his real life into his art, to developing his style, we break down the inspirations, intentions, and lessons learned at the start of a very promising filmmaking career.