Meet Allen Cheney of Mountview West Films in Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allen Cheney.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Allen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In my family, half of my relatives are art and music-driven, while the other half are focused on logic and reason (bankers, lawyers, doctors, etc.). I’ve spent most of my life trying to balance between the two, earning a degree in Finance as well as Music, but my passion has always been the arts. After college, I began to develop my own journey, and I’m grateful I’ve chosen to pursue a career in the arts.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! I carved my own path. I would have been handed a lot if I had chosen to go the other route by pursuing a finance and business career. But I chose the route where I was handed nothing. I had to start from the beginning. It has not been easy, but I’ve been extremely blessed in the last three years. I have fostered some great projects in the past that I’m very proud of, and I’m excited to see where the future will lead.

Please tell us about Mountview West Films.
Mountview is a film production company. We guide independent filmmakers through both financing and development. As a company, I am most proud that we aim to have a positive impact in the lives of viewers. We strive to create content that touches hearts and souls, bringing people together and focusing on the beauty of life despite its struggles. I am proud that we built a team of partners and other filmmakers who seem to share the same spirit. We are not here to be aggressive in our messaging but to tell meaningful stories in an artistic way. We have passed on certain projects that could have made us a lot of money, but they weren’t aligned with our company values.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
The proudest moment of my career so far has been creating a project in honor of two people I love beyond words—my grandparents. My new book Crescendo (HarperCollins, July 16, 2019), is my way of sharing with the world their redemptive story of triumph over trauma as they chose to dedicate their lives to mentoring young musicians. I’ve been so grateful to have New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell as my partner in this journey, and we have such big plans for this inspiring story! In life, Fred and Winnie Allen have shaped countless lives, and we’re hoping this book will expand their message and encourage all of us to use our gifts to serve others.

Image Credit:
Photographer credits: Ronnie Stripling

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