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

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

Currently, I’m in post-production for my first feature-length film called ‘Hauntology.’ It’s a queer horror anthology that follows an older sister who takes her younger sibling on a road trip, to share fictional ghost stories from around Ohio. The movie is the culmination of my life’s work, borrowing elements from the many shorts I made before.

I’ve always wanted to direct a feature, and this project is so special because of the way it grew over time. It started as a $30,000 project I would produce on my own, but after meeting my executive producer, Rob Jarosinski, it evolved into a $600,000 project with a much larger team. We also managed to cast several legends from the horror community. ‘Hauntology’ really is a dream come true.

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 background and context?

Of course. The simplest way to describe myself is an indie filmmaker with an affinity for horror stories. I also have a unique queer perspective. I was assigned male at birth, grew up attracted to men, and eventually identified as non-binary. For queer writers, “outsider” themes come naturally, and I’m no exception. Over time, I came to identify my writing finger print as stories of queer isolation. It’s an idea I come back to over and over again.

I first started making movies when I was about 15. Even then, all my stories were horror stories. I usually featured my best friends and siblings caught up in bizarre murder mysteries. After graduating high school, I studied creative writing and various other arts at my local community college. I later transferred to Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where I studied writing, directing, and producing.

After graduating from AAU, I went on to produce several short films. Of course, there’s no money in making shorts, so I also worked with my dad repairing wood windows. The window work was rough but having a hands-on job affected my filmmaking in a positive way. I became more creative — thinking of how to take things apart and problem solve.

I also improved my filmmaking through practice and managed two successful Kickstarter campaigns. My short ‘Below the Trees,’ which was partially funded via Kickstarter, is the movie that proved to my ‘Hauntology’ producer that I’m worth investing in. It didn’t happen right away though. ‘Below the Trees’ premiered in 2018, and it wasn’t until February 2022 that my producer Rob saw the short and decided to meet with me. It was a special moment, to realize a short I made four years ago could still change my life. Those shorts were worth something after all.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The whole reason I do what I do is to connect with the people who enjoy my work. Seeing a positive response to my filmmaking is everything. I’ve been lucky so far to see more positive feedback than negative. Even when my short ‘Haunt Me’ briefly spiked in YouTube views, I was thrilled that most of the comments were funny or kind. When the occasional mean-spirited comment rolled in, it didn’t hurt as bad as it could have. I’ve had the same experience on Letterboxd which is a social media app for cinephiles.

Letterboxd is by far my favorite social. Like on YouTube, people are generally kind to my work. One thing that fascinates me is when someone does leave a super low rating for one of my shorts, I go to their page and sort all their ratings by “Lowest First.” Without fail, I see other movies I adore tossed in among that person’s lowest ratings. This has taught me an important lesson: When someone dislikes my work, I don’t need to take it personally. That person simply has different tastes than my own.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One thing non-creatives may not realize about an indie movie is the way it constantly evolves. So many factors affect the end result that it becomes more about adapting and going with the flow. I’ve never had the budget or time to build sets from scratch or spend weeks rehearsing material. Rather than being too hung up on my original vision, I look for beauty and excitement in things as they change.

Each new creative who joins the team will bring a piece of themselves to their work. That’s why it’s so important to work with people you trust. Never settle for hiring a creative whose work you don’t admire. Especially on an indie project where lack of funds will make compromise tempting. Try to find those special people who are genuinely talented in what they do. If they also happen to love the story you’re telling, magical things will happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parkerbrennon.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkerBrennon
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/parkerbrennonfilms
• Other: https://letterboxd.com/parkerbrennon