Today’s guest is Thomas Manning, a Director of Photography and editor based out of Mesa Arizona

I’m super excited to have Thomas on the show because I’m a huge fan of his show/channel on YouTube, Epic Light Media. Currently, at the time of this recording, their channel is just shy of 100k subscribers and it is growing fast. They pack every single video with so much valuable content about lighting, story, and how to actually make money doing video work, so if you are not subscribed, you should because you are missing out.

Besides the Youtube Channel, Thomas is a talented DP who in my opinion has absolutely perfected the high key commercial look that a lot of clients are looking for and I think his work looks beautiful.

In this interview you’ll learn how a documentary about benjamin franklin inspires YouTube success, knowing when you are prepared to make a gear purchase for your camera ecosystem (disclaimer: this answer might hurt), seeking inspiration in places like a Gordon Ramsey masterclass, and how to network, find clients and recognize ideal opportunities for new work.

To follow Thomas' work, check out the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeO18n9AxKQS0BQfL6AamQw

https://www.instagram.com/epiclightmedia/

https://www.epiclightmedia.com/

Today’s guest is Joey Katches, a Director of Photography based outside of Sacramento, California.

If you listen to today's podcast and don’t feel inspired or have a more positive outlook on life, then you should probably get that checked because Joey is 100 percent concentrated positivity.

Joey is a super talented DP, has an awesome story about his journey into the film industry and an inspiring work ethic.

In this interview, you’ll learn about what it takes to make quarantine passion projects, camera gear, and DIY anamorphic lenses, making the jump from Alaskan missionary to a full-time filmmaker, and what tools you can use to network, learn and step up your film game.

To connect with Joey check the links below for his website, Instagram, and some of my favorite examples of his awesome work.

https://www.instagram.com/storylitfilms/

https://vimeo.com/447244957

https://vimeo.com/443945612

https://storylitfilm.com/

Today’s guest is Nik Pilecki, a cinematographer based out of Ontario Canada.

As he’ll say in the interview, he’s an open book. And that book is packed with awesome lighting, camera work, and practical tips for progressing your film career.

Some of my favorite examples of Nik's work include his music video work for “first prescription”, Plain White: Brigade, his SFA firemen ad, and the short film Inhale.

In this interview, we talk about Nik’s crazy journey into the film world and you’ll SEE  why he has an EYE for lighting and executes his camera work with surgical precision. And yes those jokes are as CORNEA-s they come. We talk about cameras, lights, real actionable tips to meet other talented filmmakers, the best hamburger chain known to man, and how passion projects can take you to the next level of work.

I really admire Nik and I’m so thankful he agreed to come on the show.

I would recommend taking notes on what he says because I really believe if you do what he says, you will progress faster in the film industry wherever you are.

To connect with Nik check the links below for his website, Instagram, and some of my favorite examples of his awesome work.

https://www.instagram.com/nikpilecki/

https://vimeo.com/hungryboyproductions

https://vimeo.com/416908561

https://vimeo.com/317114951

https://vimeo.com/441159433

Hello, My name is Travis Myers and this is the  Hometown Hollywood Podcast.

Today’s guest is John Paul Summers, a director, and cinematographer from Abbeville Louisiana.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know JP over the past year or two. He’s a genuine, down to earth guy and I consider him one of my mentors whether he knows it or not.

He’s known for his work on a Paul McCartney Music video, the best satellite college commercial ever created (his LSUE ad),  his first feature ‘Sunday girl’ with Peter Ambrosio, and short films like “Today You, Tomorrow Me” directed by Chris Neal and the short film he directed recently, ‘When it Matters Most’.

In this interview, he tells about his experience making his first feature film Sunday Girl, what it means to be an artist, and how to develop connections in the film industry.

If you are wanting to get into the film industry or level up where you currently are and need some inspiration, you're going to want to save this podcast so you can reference back to it.

To connect with JP check the links below for his website, Instagram, and some of my favorite examples of his awesome work.

https://www.jpthedp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/johnpaul.summers/

https://vimeo.com/jpsummers/

https://vimeo.com/401282172

https://vimeo.com/383770875

https://www.amazon.com/Sunday-Girl-Dasha-Nekrasova/dp/B084DD6Z55/

Hello, my name is Travis Myers and welcome to the Hometown Hollywood podcast where you can find advice, inspiration, and Strategies for Success from talented people that are making a name for themselves inside the film industry, but outside the major film cities. Like I already said, my name is Travis Myers, and this is the first episode of the podcast. I'm an aspiring DP, I've shot a couple of short films that are currently in the festival circuit, and by day I make local commercials at an ad agency for a living. I am the first to say that I am not the best host. I don't like my own voice. I've obviously got some breathing problem that I have to edit out to make me sound even competent but I'm very passionate about the subject and I hope that some of that comes through in the interviews that we do.

I tell bad jokes and I'm easily amused by those bad jokes. So be on the lookout for that. And I'll probably just have way too much fun with the editing of the audio as well. So a purpose of the show, is for a long time, I thought you had to move to LA to make it in the film industry and the more time that I spent online, I realized that some of these people that are doing great work, live in places other than LA or New York or Atlanta, or wherever big films are made. And some people are doing it in, let's say, Beaumont, Texas, which is where I am based out of and it's pretty much the middle of nowhere, but there's a growing community of film people. And then I heard on other podcasts that people were doing it out of Provo, Utah or Abbyville, Louisiana.

This isn't a show to shame people who have moved to LA. Because if that is what's right for you, that's what's right for you. This is more of a show to inspire people wherever they are, if they have a camera and they're willing to work, you can create your own hometown Hollywood, and I'm excited for what the podcast will bring and I hope that you will enjoy it as well.

Feel free to like, share, do whatever leave a comment telling me how I can do better.

It's gonna be a journey for me and hopefully, it will inspire journeys for others. Thanks