Today we’d like to introduce you to Zack Gross.
Zack, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in the Herndon, Virginia area and discovered my love of filmmaking very early on in elementary school. I remember I originally wanted to be an actor, but then quickly discovered they don’t really dictate what kind of film is made; that’s the job of the writer, producer, and especially the director.
In high school, like a lot of kids, I got sucked up into the theater scene because it was the closest thing to what I wanted to do. But I was always the “film kid” in that group, and so I put my actor friends in my (horrible) student films.
Knowing without a doubt filmmaking was for me, after high school, I went on to study film and video production right down the road at George Mason University. And I got lucky because it was a very exciting time to be there. The generation of filmmakers I was a part of really transformed that program. Up until then, Mason’s film program had been more focused on documentary-style filmmaking since that’s what (and to a large extent, still) pays the bills for filmmakers in DC. But my generation didn’t want that. We all grew up on DVD behind-the-scenes videos, director commentaries and saw the rise of the first YouTube filmmakers. We wanted to make “cinema,” and so we did.
And this was the environment I met all my close collaborators that would eventually form Hand Me Down Films.
Working as a creative collective throughout and after college, we would all collaborate on each other’s class and independent film projects under the Hand Me Down Films banner as a way to share resources and build a brand. After a time, with a number of short films and other projects under HMD’s belt and having spent a few years working in the DC film industry as a cinematographer and editor, I decided to set up Hand Me Down Films as an actual production company in 2015, in preparation for my dream: directing a feature film.
After two years of scriptwriting, fundraising, and preparation (and a few other starts-and-stops), we began production of “Harmony” in August of 2017; HMD’s first feature film. No one on the team or I would’ve guessed it would take another 5 years to get “Harmony” across the finish line, but come June of 2022, our locally cast, locally filmed, and locally produced independent film was released.
Along with the success of “Harmony,” Hand Me Down films has been incredibly lucky to work and collaborate on a number of other local productions the past few years, including ArtsCentric’s “The Last Five Years,” Monumental Theatre’s “Songs for a New World,” music videos with musician Kelsie Kimberlin, and commercial work with Olney Theater Center.
We’re looking forward to continuing and expanding our work in 2023, as well as returning to a few short film productions over the next two years while we prep our next feature film.
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?
The DC Metro (and Baltimore) area is full of amazing artists, performers, writers, and especially filmmakers. Besides it being known mainly as a political town, the problem we’ve found is how siloed everyone is in regards to their own projects and productions, particularly with filmmaking.
One of Hand Me Down Films’ goals is to bring together and connect the DC-Metro area’s local filmmakers.
If you’re looking to connect, please reach out to Hand Me Down Films through our website.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m mainly a film and video director, cinematographer, and editor.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Hand Me Down Films, both as a collective and as an actual company, would not exist without these gems of human beings: Nathan and Micah McFarland, Ashley Blue, Zach Griffin, Scott Jeschke, Henry Leeker, Eric Stenmark, and Evan Shaw.
For our film Harmony, I have to call out: Our producers Adam Bartholomew and Nathan McFarland; my cinematographers Scott Jeschke and Jamie Sullivan; our ADs Nick Lewis and Zach Griffin; and a very important adviser to both HMD and the film, Mark Ricche.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hmdfilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmdfilms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hmdfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HandMeDownFilms
- Other: www.harmonyiswatching.com
Image Credits
Nathan McFarland
Michael Collins
