Having a supportive partner, and friends and family who understand the sacrifices that they too will have to make for your dream…that’s just priceless. It just means so much to have someone who doesn’t get pissed when you are giving so much of yourself to your art that there’s not enough of you to go around.
Until his late twenties, Tony Walters spent much of his free time making short films with friends, with little ambition of profiting from his creations. The love for film grew throughout his childhood years while watching crime and action movies with his grandfather. After viewing the 1994 independent cult classic Clerks, the light bulb began to glow as Tony realized he could apply his passion for cinema along with his own imagination and creativity to making films himself. No longer satisfied merely watching what others were putting out on tape, Tony set out to start producing his own home movies and skateboarding videos. But it was the 1999 Sci-Fi/Action hit The Matrix that unhinged his mind and thrust his ambitions of creativity into overdrive.
Most who remember seeing this film for the first time can recall the depths of awe for the film’s style and graphics which exploded out of the screen and awoke a whole new generation of filmmakers. Unlike most, Tony’s awe for the film did not end after the credits but propelled him to unearth the production and knowledge of just how to bring such grandiose imagination out of the mind and onto the big screen.
In 2015, with the help of a DSLR camera and free editing software, Tony began putting his passion and knowledge to the test by creating videos for YouTube while he continued to explore more areas of filmmaking. By 2016, he had assembled a small team and created his own production company, Rad Entertainment. The next two years were spent creating content heavily based around movie reviews and video game play and releasing multiple videos each week for the YouTube channel.
During this time of cutting his teeth with short vids and growing the Rad name, he was summoned by another local production company, HM&M Films, to assist with the production of their independent horror films being shot in the area. Gears really began to shift during this time, from creating as a hobby to becoming a filmmaker. He kept up with the weekly YouTube channel content but the desire to make movies had taken too strong of a hold.
He wrote and directed a short film titled “June” that starred Rebekah Erb, who would later become his wife and so much more, as well as HM&M owner Daniel Murphy. His experience working with HM&M landed him the opportunity to be a cinematographer on a feature length film shooting in Las Vegas, which launched him full time into his life’s journey.
The hard work was paying off and yet just beginning. Whether a writer, director, producer, or cinematographer, Tony Walters was now a filmmaker. Not a filmmaker with the goal many have of financial prosperity or becoming the next Scorsese, but being able to live a balanced and fulfilling life of family unity and creativity which would keep opening new doors in the filmmaking business and has continued to bolster new opportunities and inspirations in his everyday life. And as he continues to open new doors and begin new projects, he believes it is important to stay true to yourself, to stay connected to your work. “Make honest art. Make art that speaks the truth–that speaks your truth.”
Nothing in life comes without complications, and filmmaking delivers a barrage of challenges, especially at the beginning; new obstacles present themselves with each new project. Time management has always been one of Tony’s biggest hurdles to overcome but with a happy family being the cornerstone of his success and having the strong support system of his wife Rebekah, also a filmmaker, actress, and part owner of Rad Entertainment, he has been able to find the balance.
In 2022, Tony conceptualized a story written by Michael Taylor, and together they produced the feature length film titled The Undesirables. This is their first Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) production costing $35,000 to make and is currently in post-production. This drew attention from others in the business and he soon found himself directing another feature in West Virginia, titled Macabre Mountain, which is also in post-production. Both films are set to release in 2023.
Today, filmmaking and family are Tony’s life. A day does not pass without time spent working on one of multiple projects always in the making. When not directly engrossed in a project, Tony is usually found either sharpening his tools by reading books on the filmmaking process or taking online classes. Spending quality time with family is also one of his priorities.
With a hectic, always changing and challenging schedule like his, most people’s first thoughts are to utilize any free time to just relax, but Tony enjoys taking time to give back to others who are starting out. He participates in online and in-person seminars in the hopes to inspire others in their own journeys. Tony is also a guest on podcasts and speaks at schools to share his knowledge and experiences of filmmaking and creative writing.
It is in his everyday life–the people he meets, the works of fellow artists, and his invaluable interactions with his family and friends–where Tony now draws his inspirations to create. Understanding growth comes from continuing to interact with others, especially when it may be an uncomfortable situation; he is driven to put himself in those settings to examine the interactions and reactions. Studying people’s faces and mannerisms while trying to understand the underlying philosophy for the tension or uncertainty that makes the given situation awkward sparks self-awareness and insight, which can be woven into your own marrow and perspective on the world outside your own.