We recently connected with Read Lucas and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Read, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I’ve been a storyteller and humorist from the start. My earliest childhood memory was setting up a joke. Whenever I gulped down a glass of juice my mom would ask “Were you thirsty or what?” and one day the punchline struck my three-year-old self. I eagerly asked mom for a drink, downed it in front of her and when she asked that question I boldly replied “I was the what!” I’ve been writing and making shorts since I was nine years old. Originally, Read2Reel was my photography brand and I started by shooting grad pics for my classmates at University of West Georgia. I love building and supporting my friends and fellow creatives with roles that will be vehicles for them and their careers. At the height of our success, I want us to be able to look back on a long, mutually beneficial relationship. I founded Read2Reel Productions three years ago to produce my short films and now do everything from music videos to professional storyboarding and independent commercials.

Read, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I treat each project as the one that will go viral or blow up the client. Therefore I always give my all to make us look good. Whether it’s a photoshoot or a music video, I work with all budgets to create something unique and imaginative. When the feed was saturated with all the lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day couple shoots, Lucy Media Productions and I collaborated on a Sneaky Link Photoshoot with a noirish theme. One of the music videos I’m most proud of is RTX Peso’s – “I Killed You in My Dream”. When I heard his hauntingly beautiful song about lost love, heartbreak and wicked thoughts, I leapt to write a treatment. The video has themes of insomnia, nightmares and revenge, as well as one of the most macabre games of ‘she loves me, she loves me not’ ever.

From planning to execution to editing, I’m a jack of all trades. I have an eclectic taste in music, movies and books and draw inspiration from everything. I would love to immortalize your vision with a visual.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

So my first completed short film was “Briannas”, a dark-comedy about a man who gets a tattoo of his ex-girlfriend’s name and can only date women whose name matches the Brianna on his arm. I wrote, directed and starred as the main character, pretending to the world I really got the tattoo and that my love broke up with me later the same day. My friends thought I was the fool of all fools and that my actual girlfriend (not named Brianna) at the time was crazy for sticking with me. I concealed the tattoo in gauze or long-sleeve shirts and kept the facade up for three weeks until the film released. That was the best marketing campaign I ever had. And yes, the tattoo was fake.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Originality, purpose and experience. Different goals drive different projects but I always strive to reach those three. I want to create an experience for the audience, the artist and myself. I learn something new from each project. “Kickbackers” was the first major short film I attempted and one of my biggest learning experiences. From releasing a trailer before the movie was even a fourth of the way edited to not having the mic cord plugged all the way in. At the time, editing the sprawling and often flawed project was too much of a behemoth to me. So I just dropped it. I felt like I had let down everyone who put their time and efforts into it. I always planned to return to “Kickbackers” in the distant future, but as a complete redo.

In September 2021, my best friend Michael Minor passed away and “Kickbackers” was one of my few short films he acted prominently in. Rewatching his scenes led to me revisiting others and resume editing a project I hadn’t touched in three years. A mix of grief and growth as a filmmaker helped me to complete scenes, tie vignettes together and in a few instances reconstruct the audio track. In December 2021, the completed “Kickbackers” was released with 98% original footage. It was dedicated to the beloved memory of Mike.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @read2reel @read2reel
• Website: https://read2reelproductio.wixsite.com/read2reel-production
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpB5dsbjVAxQ7X3XTqs4PwA
• Other: https://linktr.ee/read2real

Image Credits
Jason “JSN” Washington Jr. Daisha Peeks