Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayward Crawford.
Hayward, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a Filmmaker & Content Producer from Michigan. I work during the day at Verve Talent & Literary Agency and currently reside in Los Angeles, California. I have been creating and working in the video/media field since 2007 and working professionally in the film industry since 2013.
Over the past 12 years, I’ve directed over five original short films, several documentaries and other web-based content. My past filmography involvement includes ‘Dial A Prayer’ starring William H. Macy & Brittany Snow, ‘Eloise’ starring Robert Patrick, Brandon T. Jackson & Eliza Dushku and “Destined’ starring Cory Hardrict & Jesse Metcalfe. After receiving my first Producer credit in ‘Imaeatchu’ short film and finishing my Bachelor’s Degree at Wayne State University, I began freelancing as a filmmaker/content creator and even participated as an original crowdfunding backer in the summer of 2013 for the indie feature film ‘Dear White People’ produced by Lena Waithe & directed by Justin Simien. DWP went on to win awards at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and was later developed into a Netflix original series in 2017.
After college, I became licensed with the State of Michigan Department of Insurance & Financial Services to pursue day job work in the field and later went on to complete a certification in Directing and Production at the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan in 2014, where I directed my film school thesis “One out of Ten” which went on to screen at 3 local Michigan festivals. I later combined my experience in Finance with Film and began to develop a following as #TheFinancialFilmmaker on social media. As a Producer, I went on to help produce “Akoma” a civil war era period piece that went on to win Best Short Film at the 2016 Channel 4 Film Challenge Detroit and “Affliction” that went on to win the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Trinity International Festival in 2018 and Best Short Film Award at the I See You Awards in 2019. I am currently the director of upcoming short film/feature ‘Alpine’ an indigenous horror/thriller cautionary tale, Producer, Writer & Creator of “Script Sundays TV” an LA-based comedy troupe reboot of the Detroit original and Director of “Blipster Love” an upcoming black hipster rom-com set in the mid 2000s in the Midtown Detroit Cass Corridor Art District scene.
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?
It has not always been a smooth road. As a youth, I was extremely introverted and had trouble making friends in high school. With low confidence and self-doubt, I was too shy and almost terrified to play sports and couldn’t seem to find any creative/film outlets back in those days. All my high school had was theater but I was way too introverted for that as well. I went home and wrote stories including storylines I drummed up through one of my favorite PC games The Sims 2 as well as numerous movies I’d watch.
Going into college, I started learning a lot about the film theory but not as much in the practical real world. A relative of mine named Uncle Jamie who I grew up with was like a second father who inspired much of the humor I have nowadays, he tragically died suddenly after a faulty pacemaker malfunction two days after he was supposed to begin recovering. His death left a mark on me for a while. Upon graduating from college, I had very few stable job prospects and had to move back home. Living back home provided me the opportunity to not only saving some money & find my footing but also continue to my journey to study, learn & hone my filmmaking craft to self-teaching for nearly the next two years.
When things seem to be getting better and film work in Michigan was still steady, I moved into a room in an apartment in Midtown Detroit. When film work began to leave the state and work got tight, there were days when I didn’t have enough money to eat food through the drive-thru. I even had to pawn my old film camera in order to make rent, which the money ended up being pocketed for months by a shady roommate and it led to us being evicted anyway. What I learned through these various struggles is that no one is immune to adversity. It’s not about being a victim of what happened to you but asking yourself what lesson/hidden gift is in what I’m going through and how I can learn and become a better person by persevering past it.
Crawford Creative Group – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Crawford Creative Group was established in 2018 and we specialize in Film Production & Content Creation Our clients work ranges from commercials, music videos short films and other web-based content. We are currently known for our current productions that include some of our in house content ‘The Career Pulse Podcast’, ‘Alpine’ & ‘Script Sundays TV’ What sets CCG apart from the others is our Extreme Execution coaching services for Creatives/Filmmakers in the areas of Personal Finances & Career/Business Strategy which stemmed from my day job background experience in Sales and Finance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vimeo.com/haywardcrawford
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haywardcrawford/
Image Credit:
Nick Carter
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