Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Micah Knapp. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Micah, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was 8 years old, I watched Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and my life was changed forever. It was like a lighting bolt struck me. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, a Director and make movies. That was my dream as a child, and I have pursued this persistently since then. There was never a point in my life where I doubted my life path. No matter what, I told myself, I was going to do it. Didn’t matter the challenges or obstacles. A dream I had to make a reality.

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?

It started with a dream; followed by a plan to put that dream into action. There wasn’t a time I wasn’t making movies growing up. My brother and I started a movie company in 2012, producing commercials, music videos, documentaries, and short films. That business grew to include larger clients. To tackle bigger jobs and cast a wider net, I became a freelancer in 2015, producing and directing. Since then I have produced television commercials, ads, short and feature documentaries, narrative shorts and independent features. I directed my debut feature film, 11:11, which is currently in the film festival circuit making its rounds. This project was a dream of mine since I was very young. I am very proud of the film we made. Following that success, I am producing a slew of feature documentaries currently in pre-production, as well as feature narratives. The films I am attracted to producing are films that have deep meaningful, impactful messages that hopefully inspire others, move them, or get them to think deeply about the subject. There isn’t a more powerful medium, and there isn’t a more powerful kind of art in my opinion. Films create empathy in the viewer. Film can change the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Absolutely. When I was directing my first feature film, the entire process was a test of resilience. Feature films are an entirely different beast from shorts or commercials. We faced pretty much every obstacle possible during the production: actors dropping out, locations falling through, money issues, lack of resources and crew, personal drama, Covid, etc. Every day was a new challenge to face and a new obstacle to overcome. When one of our lead actors dropped out half way through filming, I thought the film was done for. I took time to process, but ultimately found a way to continue to make the film. When Covid hit in 2020, it threw off our editing plans and I was stuck with cutting the film, which was never originally in the cards. I felt the film was challenging me the entire time, saying “hey, do you really want this this bad?” “How bad do you want this?” I think I was successful in telling the universe, this was exactly what I wanted, no matter what. I would never give up. It’s not an option, when it’s an obsession, passion, and a dream you can’t shake. I live for this stuff. We pulled through with the film, and it took longer than planned to complete (which I hear is very common for first features) and I’m very proud of what we made. I can’t wait for more of the world to see it.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

As I mentioned, it’s been a dream of mine since I was 8 years old to be a filmmaker. It’s in my DNA. It’s who I am. There isn’t a separation. I’ve been asked in other interviews, what would I do if I couldn’t do film, and my answer was: nothing. This is it. There’s always a way when one is determined beyond all measure. It’s a lot of how you talk to yourself, and it’s what you manifest and put out into the world, I truly believe. My goal has always been to make films that aren’t just for entertainment, but truly to challenge the viewer, and create empathy and make them think deeper about life and the others around them. Whether that’s creating empathy to make the viewer feel for someone who has less, or a harder life based on their sexual orientation, color of their skin, where they were born and so on. I want people to connect, to feel, and understand. Understanding automatically creates empathy. Film to me, which combines every form of art, is the greatest of all art forms and the most impactful in my view. Films save lives. My goal and mission in life is to use this art form to change the world. To change people’s minds. To open their minds and hearts. To connect us. To heal from the past. To be better.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.micahknapp.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/micahknapp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMicahKnapp
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-knapp-8b3b8b61/
• Twitter: twitter.com/micahknapp
• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2608271/
• Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/micahknapp