015 ACTORS TALK PODCAST – STANDING FIRM with KYLE PROHASKA – AN UNLIKELY TALE OF UNCOMMON SUCCESS

Summary: Can a first time filmmaker with zero experience and a micro-budget succeed in the marketplace? If you're Christian Filmmaker, Kyle Prohaska the answer is a resounding YES! When he was approximately 18 years old, with no prior experience as a film director, Kyle Prohaska and an elder at his church formed Praise Pictures. Praise Pictures was formed as the umbrella under which Prohaska would shoot his first film, a feature length project called STANDING FIRM. I asked Kyle Prohaska about his earliest attractions to the arts and he talks about picking up pencil and paper and learning to draw. He also talks about how learning to draw began to teach him concepts about perspective, color, shapes and the use of light. Unlike some filmmakers, Prohaska did not grow up taking his parents camera out to make little short films. Instead his interest in films and in becoming a filmmaker was piqued by watching and rewatching VHS copies of films he loved. He would eventually become inspired by the early successes of the Kendrick brothers (no relation to this podcaster) - FLYWHEEL and FACING THE GIANTS. Prohaska took the unusual step of plunging ahead into making a feature film without ever having made a short or any other film project. Don't try this at home, kiddoes. In the interview we go on to discuss the ups and downs of making STANDING FIRM on a shoestring budget and with an all volunteer cast and crew. Prohaska, an accomplished graphic illustrator and web site designer also touches on what makes a good web site, what attracts viewers to a web site and how to leverage the power of social media. We talk about his experience with Facebook and Facebook advertising that helped propel the Standing Firm Facebook Page to an unprecedented number of 'Likes' for Standing Firm. Currently that number stands at: 292,551. That is a truly unbelievable number of likes for an independent film by a first time filmmaker, especially one that is aimed at a niche market. Those are results that a Hollywood PR firm would envy. And I haven't even touched on the fact that STANDING FIRM is or will soon be available on NetFlix, NetFlix Streaming and at a redbox kiosk near you! All this and more this extensive interview with Kyle Prohaska in Actors Talk with Tommy G. Kendrick Episode 15. And Finally, in an act of shameless self-promotion, I invite all in this audience to find a screening of Richard Linklater's new film BERNIE, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey (and I just might be in there as well) coming soon to a theater near you.