We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful GRAHAM NORTHRUP. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with GRAHAM below.

Hi GRAHAM, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My previous short film “Stand Up”, was loosely based on experiences I’ve had, as well as my daughters, and I made it for them. The story is about a young adult woman who was in a terrible car accident, and it feels like her life was just stripped away in a moment. She is very witty, but uses her humor to keep the world at arm’s length, but is not truly getting back on her feet. It’s not until someone else close to her has a life-threatening situation that she begins to use her gift of humor to bring healing for those she loves, and herself. I wanted my daughters to know they could overcome some of the traumatic experiences they faced in their teen years. Additionally, the medical situation and the climax of the film is based on a real-life experience I had with my father, who went into the hospital on Christmas morning with chest pains. It wasn’t until I got him to laugh that his heart reset back to a normal rhythm,

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

From a young age, I was fascinated by “movie magic” and would watch behind-the-scenes and making-of videos whenever I could. I ended up choosing to major in theatre, and worked in that world for over 20 years. When COVID hit, I decided to make a change, and got back into filmmaking full time. I do commercial work, but am continually striving to make narrative features my main focus. I have made 5 short films since my career change, 4 of which I wrote, as well as serving as Director of Photography and Editor on other shorts and series, and edited a feature length production of Macbeth.

My most recent short, a sci-fi thriller called GIFT is hitting the festival circuit with a world premiere on March 2.

I wrote and will be directing a supernatural thriller feature this coming Fall. I love to write and direct films that are not only entertaining, but also make the audience feel and think.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

On the artistic side, filmmaking or theatre always starts with a vision of what is possible. But it remains just a vision until the process is put in motion to make the vision a reality. That is my favorite part of producing and directing: engaging with other talented people who can bring a piece of that vision to fruition, and then seeing the disparate pieces come together into a comprehensive whole. Sometimes the reality doesn’t quite live up to the vision, but other times, it far exceeds it, and you end up with something you’re much more proud of than your original idea. And along the way, you collect new friends and skilled collaborators who make you better at what you do and help you become a better person.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

About a year before COVID hit, I got a new boss at the professional theatre where I served as Director of Education. Of course, everyone wants to make a good impression on a new boss, so I said yes to every directive or request he made, even though I was already showing signs of burnout under the previous leadership. While he recognized and appreciated my efforts that first year, I was going further down the road of burnout, and even experiencing physical symptoms that I was doing too much and taking on too many responsibilities.

Then COVID hit. While professional theatre all over the world was virtually shut down, my boss insisted that the education programs continue full speed ahead. Even though there were reports of hospitals overflowing with bodies, and professional theatre had been shuttered everywhere to avoid the risk, we produced 2 full length musicals with youth. On top of that, I didn’t feel supported by the leadership. It was one of the most stressful periods of my life. We got through it, though not without significant drama, as it were. But I knew at that point that something had to give. Eventually I resigned and, without a full-time job to turn to, became an independent filmmaker, working on commercial projects, and writing, producing, directing and editing narrative pieces. As with any freelance startup, it took a while to establish myself, but soon was getting regular work and larger projects. I have had significant support for my short film projects, and continue to leverage my shorts into support for my upcoming feature.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.northrupstudios.com
• Instagram: northrupstudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northrupstudios/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-northrup-05437497/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYOXCBZjmscqrmREbxZdrhQ

Image Credits
Peggy Wilkie Photography, Graham Northrup