From the Beginning

Back in 4th or 5th grade, I became interested in drawing. My mom gave me a sketchbook to document my drawings. I started drawing, and eventually I came up with a character of my own: Star Gazer. He was basically a star with a happy face.

I started drawing comics of him. I created a whole family of stars, from siamiese twins to demons. I really wanted to bring this guy to life, but I couldn't ever draw him as well as I wanted. I loved telling stories through pictures, but the process was sometimes boring, and drawing was difficult. Toward the end of 7th grade, I stopped drawing as a hobby.

In 7th grade, I met a friend named Kristin. We became really good friends. Once I got her email, she sent me a video she made and posted on Youtube. It was an AMV, an anime music video. I was astounded at how she was able to make her own custom videos like that. Turns out she was using Windows Movie Maker. I became intrigued at this.

Youtube also helped inspire this video production interest. I started watching more Youtube videos, and came across a comedy duo named Barats and Bereta. Their video, Mother's Day, was the turning point for me: It was at that point when I realized that I want to make videos.

Toward the end of 7th grade, Henry and I started planning a home video we were going to make. Entitled POINT BLANK, it was the first video I really made with friends. It was about a boy who tries to get revenge for the murder of his brother, and a chase through the neighborhood ensues. The quality was mediocre, the camera sucked, and the story was kinda dumb. But in retrospect, it was decent for our first time.

We were very young back then, and our balls hadn't dropped yet.

Anywho, this is where Henry became my filming partner. We made a company name, HnB Productions, for Henry and Brandon. Henry even made a logo. But the "company" didn't last long.