Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Walker.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am originally from District Heights Maryland. I moved to California on a whim in 2010 when I started college. I attended La Sierra University, a private college located in Riverside, California. I pursued a communications degree while attending college which touched on a wide array of subjects from journalism, public relations and filmmaking. I had caught an entrepreneurial spirit through the experiences I had and the classes I took, but during this time is when I gained a real passion for filmmaking. I had created a few short films with some friends of mine and realized, although I have other entrepreneurial goals, filmmaking needed to be at the forefront.
Shortly after my graduation in June 2015, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away a couple of months after. This was a very difficult time for me. Some of my mom’s last words to me was to make sure I do what makes me happy in my life and not to live for other people but for myself. This hit me very hard and since then, I only make decisions based on if I believe it will fulfill the greater purpose of my life.
This mindset has helped me overcome difficult times, find my wife of which we now have two children, and am making it in a city that once seemed so far out of reach for me.
Once I was back in California, I instantly started building up my finances and started investing in all camera equipment so that I can start making my own films. I finished a creative internship at Loma Linda University where I created promotional videos for the University. Throughout the years, I have directed and produced nine short films, which have won various awards in numerous film festivals; two of which I was able to sell to an upcoming streaming service.
Basically, throughout the years it took a lot of prayer, self-determination, hardships and even tragedy for me to get to where I am today. I am thankful for all of it and there is still so much further that I’d like to go.
Alright, 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?
The road has not been easy. Between the passing of my mother and just overall trying to keep positive when times get tough, the journey can be a real struggle at times. Another challenge is that I am also the only one in my immediate and extended family that is here in California but I am lucky to have a great community of friends and a supportive wife to encourage me to keep going, although its a challenge in itself balancing family with all of my other aspirations that I pursue for my family to try and provide a good life for them.
As far as professional struggles, there have been many. It’s difficult to pull together even a film, even a short film; creating what you believe to be a compelling story, getting cast, crew, locations, equipment, etc. More than that, since I have a very entrepreneurial, deciding to continue to put film at the forefront instead of pursuing other aspirations that could bare more fruit has been a challenge, especially when I have a wife and two children who depend on me. Luckily I do have other means to provide for them and since I feel the impact that I am trying to make with my films are so important, I continue to pursue it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So currently, I am an independent filmmaker, I also work as what’s called a trial technology consultant where I present evidence for attorneys in court during trial. I also run two online businesses.
I am proud of all the work I have accomplished but most proud of the films I have directed and produced. I think filmmaking is a fantastic avenue to help people understand different points of view, as well as making people think differently on the very idea of what life is and what it can be through inspiring and even tragic stories.
An example of this is my current film named “Faith”. I really wanted to create a film that focuses on religious aspects but didn’t necessarily follow the formula of these kinds of movies today. I just simply wanted to make something unique within that genre.
The synopsis goes: After losing her mother to a fatal illness and not being able to afford the inherited debt, a girl named Faith decides to join a group of adventurous strangers on a road trip to experience another way of life.
The point I am trying to make with this film is that life is not always so cut and dry to those who have been sheltered from it. Sometimes, whether a person is religious or not, people have to go through some pretty unfortunate things in order to understand how life works.
I think this approach to filmmaking sets me apart from others in the sense that there is a uniqueness and sense of empowerment that can come from these kinds of stories. Every film I have made or plan to make in the future all deals at its core with a very serious subject matter (ex. Depression, domestic violence, ptsd.) and surrounds that subject with hopefully a very elaborate and unique story to help audiences think of that subject matter in new ways.
My goal was never really to becoming “Hollywood” with filmmaking if it happens then great but I have just simply wanted to make an impact through telling story’s that will really make people take a step back and question the many aspects of our life.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The qualities that I feel are most important to the success I have seen so far is my willingness to keeping going and finding a way to get things done even when times are extremely difficult. So basically a tendency to never give up on something I feel is important. I think proper planning is a great quality to have in this regard.
I am also very friendly, patient, understanding and outgoing when it comes to most aspects of life and I feel that has allowed me to meet people from all walks of life as well as opened a few doors as well.
Most importantly, I have an idea that has been instilled in me since I was a kid that we speak things into existence. As long as we pray for these things and are willing to put in the work to accomplish them, they will happen. This idea that I will succeed to a degree no matter what I am working on is a very important characteristic that I feel has helped me a lot.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/ianwalkerstyle
- Facebook: Facebook.com/walkerian92
Image Credits:
Jordyn Castillo Joseph Patrick Sarah Walker
