Rising Stars: Meet Brendan Merrill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan Merrill.

Hi Brendan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Washington D.C. was an interesting place to grow up. Surrounded by privilege and influence, that city oozes power but carries a veritable chip on its shoulder. I still have many friends from that area, but my path was quickly led elsewhere as I grew to love the graphic arts during my teenage years. These weird times were straddled by the millennium’s change and punctuated by events like 9/11, the Iraq war, George W. and the death of the pre-internet mediascape.

Trading one swamp for another, I attended the University of Miami for four years and majored in Communications. My passion for photography (which I’d developed in high school) had blossomed into a concentration in Film, specializing in Cinematography. This brought me to London for the first time where I participated in a documentary program, whetting my appetite for an international life. I’d (luckily) been out of the country before, but living and working somewhere is different than being on a holiday. The next city I lived in was Manhattan for a summer, taking the A Train every day while interning in Soho before returning to Florida for my final year of school.

I went back to the DC area and worked for a crisis-management public-relations firm in Dupont Circle for nearly a year after graduating, just long enough to save up the money required to move out to Los Angeles the following spring of 2009… at the end of the fabled Great Recession. California is where things really began to take shape for me, and I participated in the struggle-to-find-success game which quickly changed to the struggle-to-stay-alive-and-pay-rent game and evolved from there, as many LA journeys do.

Since then it’s been a real adventure with many highs and lows, but they were well-enjoyed. Plying your trade, learning and growing is all one can do. I have come to appreciate what being on-set is like. I’ve participated on incredible projects, met magnetic people that I’ll never forget and spent long nights that bled into never-ending mornings. I’ve experienced the true euphoria of wrapping a project and the crushing defeat of learning you didn’t get into X festival or make X deal.

At one point… I moved to China for nearly a year. Living in Yiwu (a small, rural manufacturing city in Zhejiang Province) was a singularly awesome and exhilarating experience. The wild times there changed me so much that I wrote a feature film, raised money for it and returned to China where we filmed it without government permission. It received distribution last year and you can watch it anytime now for free on certain services.

Where am I today? I’ve produced several indie features that I’m really proud of, including the aforementioned thriller that I wrote and directed, MADE IN CHINA. Another film titled UNDER MY SKIN (Co-Producer) was recently nominated for 5 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, winning two including the award for “Best Indie.” Starring Liv Hewson and Alex Russell, the powerful drama will be available in the US market in 2023.

I’ve been a part of some excellent feature and documentary shorts on the production and post-production side, including pictures coming out next year. I’m currently running my own company called FLAT 8 PRODUCTIONS Inc. which specializes in production and post-production supervision. We’re now busy creating commercials, shorts and feature films. In the last few months, I’ve worked on some incredible events and award shows including the GRIO Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. During the last year, I Produced three short films that are all coming out in 2023, including assisting Directors and Producers raise money for their projects through crowdfunding. Right now I’m completing my first book (the first part of a science-fiction novel series) and developing new written ideas while working in post-production as an Editor.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No. Finding work in film was a huge challenge in and of itself. That took years. Jobs worked, jobs lost, learning a new skill, a new work set. Then finding a balance within your life once you can achieve any kind of success or inclusion in the system. Then a relationship ends, then you lose your footing somehow… then life happens. Failure is a teacher and Los Angeles has a reputation as a tough instructor for those with big dreams, which is basically everyone who moves here either for film or music or anything else. It definitely has not been a smooth road, but it’s lead me here and I’ve no power to change it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My skills changed as I evolved in the industry. I’ve developed from an Editor to a Producer and eventually a Director, but there’s a long way yet to go in terms of where I’d like to be as a creative. I specialize in organization and communication, priding myself on my ability to create an effective working environment for a team like a film crew. I love working with others, but also have a part of me that requires time alone in a room… clicking or writing or painting and blissfully still.

Right now I work mostly in Adobe Premier or supervise post-production workflows, but my heart is on-set. In my spare time, I’ll draw and paint. I’ve got a long history of graphic design that’s brought me a lot of joy and opportunity.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Head to www.brendanmerrill.com for updates on projects and any news from FLAT 8 PRODUCTIONS Inc.

They can watch my film MADE IN CHINA by going to madeinchinamovie.com and paying to watch the movie OR watching it for free on Tubi (1) and sharing it on their social media.

In addition, please watch UNDER MY SKIN (2) starring Liv Hewson and Alex Russell when it comes out next year on streaming services!

(1) https://tubitv.com/movies/636023/made-in-china
(2) https://deadline.com/video/under-my-skin-first-trailer-non-binary-drama-starring-liv-hewson-debuts-at-the-raindance-film-festival/

Contact Info:

• Website: brendanmerrill.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeinchinamovie2021
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FilmMadeInChina
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqLRY6Bb2Kk
• Other: www.madeinchinamovie.com