Rising Stars: Meet Sean-Patrick Sullivan of Saginaw, Mi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean-Patrick Sullivan.

Hi Sean-Patrick, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been creating films as far back as 4th grade. We had a project where we could create literally anything, so I decided I made a silly little horror movie with my family. My parents acted with one of my sisters, and my other sister was my camera operator/editor. I stayed up all night before the shoot writing a script with colored pencils & an entire story board filled with stick figures and speech bubbles. Showing that to the class was a really important moment for me, especially as a nervous kid. Everyone talked about how cool it was, and how much they wanted to make movies like I did. For the first time, kids who bullied me, for every little reason, saw me as more than someone just to make fun of. It really helped me feel accepted by my peers, even if it was such a bad film in retrospect. Once I hit high-school I had some real FILM experience. I took 3 years of film classes and just made project after project. I ended up being head editor/producer of my high-schools announcements team in my junior year. It was just a broadcast that played everyday for my whole school that I had fully put on my shoulders. My senior year is where my whole life really turned around, I came out of my shell and started really applying myself outside of youtube videos and academics. I took on a ton of responsibilities and the experience just was so fulfilling. Eventually at the end of my senior year, I made a full 20 minute short film to celebrate graduating that played on the football field for my whole class. I took a bow at the end and heard the biggest applause I’d ever heard before. After graduating high school, I went to The Motion Picture Institute of Troy and I really found my calling. I made a handful of short films I was super passionate about, and I made things I could’ve never dreamed of. It really gave me the creative outlet I always needed. I played guitar for years, and even after a decade of playing music that I love, it never really scratched the same itch being behind a camera did. Eventually I graduated from MPI after I helped make a ton of student films. I think by the end of it I’d been on over 20 sets for myself and my classmates. I made a lot of life-long connections with people that I wasn’t afraid to be myself around. It really was a magical experience, and I couldn’t imagine where I’d be without it. I took a lot of life lessons from my instructors, my family, and my best friends I met along the way! Today I’m trying my best to keep creating. I’ve got multiple scripts in the works, along with a ton of friends who still want to make movies with me. I really couldn’t be happier and I owe it all to everyone who stuck with me!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As far as smooth roads go, my childhood wasn’t horrible by any means. My parents supported me, let me try sports, extracurriculars, music, really anything I wanted to try. They worked day and night to put me through school & help me find ways to express myself. Friends were a different story, I never had a super consistent group of friends growing up. Every few years I’d have a completely new group of people I surrounded myself with, and with that, I also had a completely new personality to boot. I tried so hard to fit in with everyone I surrounded myself with, and I had a hard time really discovering myself when I was too busy playing the role of someone I wasn’t. There was just a lot of insecurity, ya know? I felt like a chameleon, changing with the environment to stay safe. Don’t get me wrong, I have some life long friends who’ve always cared about me, so take what I just said with a grain of salt. Plus I’ve had a really solid support system for years now. Although it wasn’t always the best, I’m lucky enough to surround myself with some really amazing people who are looking out for me, and finding the real me has become a lot easier. Self doubt, anxiety, and bullying were the biggest culprits of my struggles, but its nothing I couldn’t manage with some self reflection and the right people.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a Film Maker from Saginaw Michigan, but I work pretty heavily out of the Troy/Royal Oak area. I’m also a guitarist! Most of my credits are actually for my work in the sound department. which funnily enough is sort of a mix of the two! I’d always ask directors on sets “Why did you get me to mix sound? I have no idea what I’m doing!” and they’d always say something like “Oh you play guitar, so I just thought you’d understand sound”. Luckily, after some trial and error, I actually became pretty good at mixing and boom operating at the same time. Even though I love being a helping hand on set, I absolutely love writing and directing. It’s amazing to put my creative vision into motion with an awesome crew who helps bring it all to life. I’m most proud of a film I made about a year ago called “Happy Anniversary”, its a little comedy that went through a ton of last minute changes, but still turned out great for one of my first short films. It was a story I just couldn’t stop thinking about, you know? I think what sets my films/my style apart from others is my writing style. I love putting twists in all my films. Whether its something in your face or something subtle, I love leading the audience one way and pulling you in a completely different direction. My friends love to point out when I’m pitching them scripts “Okay, so what’s your Shyamalan moment” which is an honor for sure! Ya know, as an artist, my interpretations of a story can be drastically different than what someone else get might out of it. I can write a movie with an ambiguous ending and people go on to ask me what happened and I always say thats up for them to decide, which is such a fun concept to talk about! I just love that after someone watches something I made they wanna talk about it, instead of scrolling to the next thing. It sticks with them, and I think thats something that I really treasure as a story-teller. Keeping the conversation going is so important, because after someone finishes a film I made, then thats it. They can move on. but when you make them stop and think, that story never truly leaves them. They keep talking, because they’re left satisfied, but hungry for more.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
As a storyteller, risks are definitely needed. It’s unfair to you, your crew, and your audience, to make sacrifices on your vision because the rules say no. Back in high-school, I’d go places I wasn’t supposed to go, skip class, and bend the rule just to get what I wanted for whatever I was working on. I started using the phrase “Ask for forgiveness, not permission” religiously once I realized I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. As I got older, those risks had greater and greater consequences. I’ve gotten kicked out of places, had security called on me, and spent my fair share of time ignoring “DO NOT ENTER” signs, but if it’s something the script calls for, then I’d rather pay the fine than make due with “good enough”. That being said, I’ll never advocate for putting someone in harms way. You can always find a way around something if it comes to the well-being of your actors or crew. Stuntmen, choreography, and special effects are here for a reason. Every time I see someone on the news or social media get hurt on a film set, I’m always so heartbroken because that could’ve been any one of my classmates from film school, or an actor I met on set, or anyone who was willing to do something just to get the shot. I subscribe to the idea that “Rules are meant to be broken, but bones aren’t”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHBnPJC2vE/jdm6Ekolflve-YPbLlL1Uw/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sean_sullivan04
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sean.sullivan.9655806
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sean-patricksullivan

Image Credits
Aslan Peters Brooke Brdak Brianna Rose Luke Meier Thaddeus Nolan