Griffin took his love for Sriracha Hot Sauce, traveled through the United States, then to Thailand and back to truly understand the cultural legacy behind the Sriracha magic that has captivated thousands - all to bring us SRIRACHA - the film!
It won Best Short Film at the NYC Food Film Festival and the Chicago film Festival! Let's meet the man behind the beard and behind the cam! :)
OL: How did this journey of filmmaking begin for you and can you remember what initially inspired or continues to inspire you?
GH: My filmmaking journey began in high school - I took a video class, probably because a lot of my other friends were taking it and I loved it. I learned how to edit and I loved editing and then I probably thought I’d become a Hollywood director or something, so I went to film school. I actually finished my degree at a public university, studying television news. I got much more into documentary-filmmaking and now I’m inspired by so many documentaries, I just love watching all of them and I really like directors: Errol Morris and Werner Herzog - both great documentarians.
OL: Congrats on your critically acclaimed documentary, Sriracha!
What was that overall experience like and what was the greatest challenge you faced while pursuing this project?
It won Best Short Film at the NYC Food Film Festival and the Chicago film Festival! Let's meet the man behind the beard and behind the cam! :)
OL: How did this journey of filmmaking begin for you and can you remember what initially inspired or continues to inspire you?
GH: My filmmaking journey began in high school - I took a video class, probably because a lot of my other friends were taking it and I loved it. I learned how to edit and I loved editing and then I probably thought I’d become a Hollywood director or something, so I went to film school. I actually finished my degree at a public university, studying television news. I got much more into documentary-filmmaking and now I’m inspired by so many documentaries, I just love watching all of them and I really like directors: Errol Morris and Werner Herzog - both great documentarians.
OL: Congrats on your critically acclaimed documentary, Sriracha!
What was that overall experience like and what was the greatest challenge you faced while pursuing this project?
GH: The whole reason I did it was because I’d been making videos for, I don’t know, 10-15 years. But I’d never made anything that I would call a film - I didn’t feel comfortable calling myself a filmmaker. I was at some film festivals and was like, “Man, I should be doing this kind of thing with my own work.” It was an 8 month process of working A LOT, everyday. I think the biggest challenge was just doing it, like forcing myself to do it. I mean, I kind of started the thing by telling some people online and doing a KickStarter project - mostly because I just needed to have some accountability. Once I started going, I wanted to make sure there was no way to stop, because it was hard and it would have been easy for me to say, like, “Ehhh, I didn’t get the shot I wanted. I’ll just move on to something else.” |
"[So that] was the biggest challenge: persevering, continuing through it and getting it done and then being able to hit a deadline - being able to say, “You know, this is only 95% of what I wanted as a documentary but I can’t spend for more months on it, to get it to a 100%”, like it’s better to get it to market, it’s better to finish it - just be done and be happy with what I have; that was kind of difficult for me because I’m a perfectionist. It’s better to have a completed film than never finish the film you wanted to finish.
OL: How important was YouTube or your online community in getting your film out there or in networking and establishing contacts?
GH: YouTube was very important. I mean, I would not have been able to, [well] I guess I could have made the film but it wouldn’t have had an audience without the YouTube audience that I already had. But I think that just kind of jumpstarted the process, I guess I like to think that the film would have eventually gotten out there, because the press was interested in it, but it certainly helped to have a fan-base. I wouldn’t have been able to hit my KickStarter goal without that group. I mean I was able to get some people excited about the film in advance. It would not have had the same launch it did without my audience.
OL: As a filmmaker and successful YouTuber, what has been the most fulfilling moment for you thus far?
GH: That’s a tough question, just because I think my outlook on things is that I gain something from every experience, even bad ones, so I think every process of making the film was amazing. Learning from all that, going to film festivals, kind of figuring out which film festivals were worthwhile and you know, I think some of the most fulfilling parts of this process on this film was just taking it to theatres because it’s the first time I’ve ever, I mean I think in high school I had something play in a theatre, but it wasn’t the same. This was something that I was really proud of and it was really cool to see people laugh and people cry at your work, because you don’t see that online. When you put something on YouTube, it just doesn’t happen and a film is different in front of an audience, so it was a more emotional - it was a funnier film with an audience so that was really amazing to see, realising that the same thing I’d been working on, on my computer for eight months is a different thing with an audience - which was really cool.
OL: What do you have up your sleeve for 2015?
GH: ... I’m doing Bloomberg Politics now - they send me all over producing filmmaking kind of content as it relates to politics, so I get to do like “newsy” documentary kind of stuff for them. So I guess what I’m hoping, people keep asking me like what’s my next project going to be - I mean they keep me really busy at work and that’s really exciting but I guess my hope is that somewhere along the way with this job, I’ll probably uncover a topic or meet someone that I just wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. I mean, they’re giving me lots of amazing opportunities at this job, so surely something will come across my desk that intrigues me as a slightly longer topic - not just something for Bloomberg but maybe I want to develop something into a longer short documentary or maybe a full-length documentary. So, I don’t know yet, I’m kind of keeping my eyes open but staying pretty busy, so it’s not like I’m resting on my laurels! And I’m trying to do as much videos on my YouTube channel as I can but don’t have a lot of free time, so we’ll see.
"I don’t know what 2015 will bring. I never really have much of a plan, I just always kind of see what comes my way."
GH: YouTube was very important. I mean, I would not have been able to, [well] I guess I could have made the film but it wouldn’t have had an audience without the YouTube audience that I already had. But I think that just kind of jumpstarted the process, I guess I like to think that the film would have eventually gotten out there, because the press was interested in it, but it certainly helped to have a fan-base. I wouldn’t have been able to hit my KickStarter goal without that group. I mean I was able to get some people excited about the film in advance. It would not have had the same launch it did without my audience.
OL: As a filmmaker and successful YouTuber, what has been the most fulfilling moment for you thus far?
GH: That’s a tough question, just because I think my outlook on things is that I gain something from every experience, even bad ones, so I think every process of making the film was amazing. Learning from all that, going to film festivals, kind of figuring out which film festivals were worthwhile and you know, I think some of the most fulfilling parts of this process on this film was just taking it to theatres because it’s the first time I’ve ever, I mean I think in high school I had something play in a theatre, but it wasn’t the same. This was something that I was really proud of and it was really cool to see people laugh and people cry at your work, because you don’t see that online. When you put something on YouTube, it just doesn’t happen and a film is different in front of an audience, so it was a more emotional - it was a funnier film with an audience so that was really amazing to see, realising that the same thing I’d been working on, on my computer for eight months is a different thing with an audience - which was really cool.
OL: What do you have up your sleeve for 2015?
GH: ... I’m doing Bloomberg Politics now - they send me all over producing filmmaking kind of content as it relates to politics, so I get to do like “newsy” documentary kind of stuff for them. So I guess what I’m hoping, people keep asking me like what’s my next project going to be - I mean they keep me really busy at work and that’s really exciting but I guess my hope is that somewhere along the way with this job, I’ll probably uncover a topic or meet someone that I just wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. I mean, they’re giving me lots of amazing opportunities at this job, so surely something will come across my desk that intrigues me as a slightly longer topic - not just something for Bloomberg but maybe I want to develop something into a longer short documentary or maybe a full-length documentary. So, I don’t know yet, I’m kind of keeping my eyes open but staying pretty busy, so it’s not like I’m resting on my laurels! And I’m trying to do as much videos on my YouTube channel as I can but don’t have a lot of free time, so we’ll see.
"I don’t know what 2015 will bring. I never really have much of a plan, I just always kind of see what comes my way."
OL: What would you say to budding filmmakers who may be intimidated by the many challenges of this often gruelling and highly competitive industry?
Is it really as cut-throat as it’s made out to be?
GH: My advice to filmmakers would be to find your own path, your own voice, your own style; because I don’t think I would make it in Hollywood. As you mentioned, “the highly competitive industry,” I just don’t see myself as like a cog in that machine - I don’t think I’d be happy working with a thousand people on a film and being some small part of it. For me, I found a lot of work in the corporate side of things, I mean I’ve worked with State Farm as a video producer, I worked for YouTube, now I work at Bloomberg News as kind of a reporter/filmmaker. So I think there’s a lot of video jobs, there’s a lot of opportunities to be a filmmaker, you know, you could do your Indie stuff and release it online, you may not always make a lot of money but there’s freelance too. I mean there’s a lot of people that need video and they’re not all in Hollywood. I just assume that my work wouldn’t get seen if I tried to go that path. So I guess, just recognise that there’s not one way to do this kind of job. Do what you want to do, make the films and the projects that you want to do and I guess find the alternative ways to do that. With the internet now, there’s an audience for everyone, potentially.
Is it really as cut-throat as it’s made out to be?
GH: My advice to filmmakers would be to find your own path, your own voice, your own style; because I don’t think I would make it in Hollywood. As you mentioned, “the highly competitive industry,” I just don’t see myself as like a cog in that machine - I don’t think I’d be happy working with a thousand people on a film and being some small part of it. For me, I found a lot of work in the corporate side of things, I mean I’ve worked with State Farm as a video producer, I worked for YouTube, now I work at Bloomberg News as kind of a reporter/filmmaker. So I think there’s a lot of video jobs, there’s a lot of opportunities to be a filmmaker, you know, you could do your Indie stuff and release it online, you may not always make a lot of money but there’s freelance too. I mean there’s a lot of people that need video and they’re not all in Hollywood. I just assume that my work wouldn’t get seen if I tried to go that path. So I guess, just recognise that there’s not one way to do this kind of job. Do what you want to do, make the films and the projects that you want to do and I guess find the alternative ways to do that. With the internet now, there’s an audience for everyone, potentially.
"With the internet now, there’s an audience for everyone, potentially."
Visit Griffin's website for awesome film tips and tricks as well as |