Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Pelegreen.
Joseph, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always loved the concept of stories and the power that they hold. Story touches every aspect of our lives, whether we recognize it or not – it is imbued into every detail that makes us who we are.
In my youth, I devoured every book I could get my hands on from The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Redwall, and Eragon to heavier reading such as The Aeneid and (my personal all-time favorite) The Iliad. Film as a medium to convey a story is something I have been passionate about ever since I snuck out of my room at four years old on my parents’ date night to watch Jurassic Park from behind their couch. The image of the T-Rex roaring in victory as the banner falls to the ground before it is one that has been forever imprinted on my mind.
Until college, however, I never realized that life in the industry could be considered for a viable career path – in my mind, it was always something that other people in cities like NYC and Los Angeles alone could pursue. At John Brown University (AR), in a young program under the tutelage of Steve Snediker, I acquired the foundations of my filmmaking capabilities and began to bring stories to life through small-scale, hands-on projects. The idea that I could create, or contribute to, the creation of a work of art that tells a fixating story or even impact lives is astounding – humbling. To me, film and video production are not just jobs: they are my passion. That passion grew rapidly as I began working on low-budget film sets in Arkansas and moved into large productions once True Detective S3 moved into the Natural State. From there, I have been fortunate enough to work on film, television, corporate, and commercial sets across the country for organizations such as ABC, CBS, Gymshark, Lifetime, Harley-Davidson, HBO, HULU, JB Hunt, the Sundance Institute, and more.
My latest passion project, a feature-length documentary entitled Mamakrom, is currently slated to premiere at The African Film Festival in Dallas before screening at other festivals across the country. Shot between Ghana, West Africa, and Dallas, this film focuses on the links between education and significant change in the developing world, telling the story of one village that has found new life, with the children there now on a path to break out of the only molds they have ever known.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have always tried to view my challenges as opportunities for growth, and that has led me to become a more well-rounded and knowledgeable filmmaker and human. Getting into the industry without any preexisting connections to that world has been difficult. Essentially, for every production (and the industry as a whole), you need a foot in the door to get a foot in the door.
No links to the industry meant several jobs without pay or jobs I have lost money on in order to obtain a chance for an opportunity that could possibly lead to something that moves me forward. Several of these gambles have been fruitless, but a few have paid off in big ways. In pursuit of these opportunities, I have become something of a nomad – last year alone, I worked in Texas, Louisiana, Idaho, Maryland, Arkansas, Utah, New York City, and Los Angeles. Maintaining a positive attitude can be difficult when battling exhaustion. Between days on set (typically 14 hours on the short end) and the incessant travel, fatigue sets in quickly. Couple that with the fact jobs do not always align with my hopes or goals (those fruitless gambles), and it can be a brutal combination.
Perhaps the toughest challenge is the fact that passion projects take the back burner to jobs that pay. My long-term goal is to write and direct and to be capable enough to generate income for those efforts. Until I can prove myself, however, passion projects are the pathway to continual growth and potential notice for future work. Finding a balance is incredibly difficult, but the struggle always makes the process more creatively driven and the end result more meaningful.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Film and video work are both my passion and what I specialize in, from concept creation, writing, and preparation, through shooting, editing and color grading. Bringing stories to life and sharing their power with the world is a profound gift that I am so thankful to be a part of. Something I’m proud of would be the relationships I’ve been blessed with over the years – every project thrusts a group of individuals into a strenuous, high-pressure environment and that process tends to forge a family. I am fortunate enough to call so many incredible people my friends that I would not have otherwise met, and I am always thankful to see them again, wherever in the country that might be.
My whole life has been spent in team environments. I played on basketball teams from middle school and through college. Ten years of mission trips to Ghana, West Africa, further instilled the power and importance of teamwork. Transitioning into the world of filmmaking felt like a natural progression, as all film productions are founded on a team. I am proud to be known as a team player who consistently brings a strong work ethic, creative vision, and positive attitude to every project I am fortunate enough to be a part of. This stems from an understanding that in this precious collaborative environment, no job is too small or unimportant to invest my time and energy into. If it is not my own project, then it is the passion of another who has trusted me to be a part of their team and their vision. It is only right to honor that with all that I can bring to enable my fellow collaborators and storytellers.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t necessarily believe in luck, but I do believe in good timing, working hard, and putting yourself in the places and environments where the chances of something good happening are increased. Living by that has afforded me opportunities to work with the brilliant teams at the Sundance Institute, among others.
Just as positive events take place, negative circumstances find their way into the world. COVID-19 has currently taken down the entire industry with theaters closing around the country, film releases and film festivals being postponed indefinitely, and film productions being brought to a screeching halt. Through this situation, I am still pursuing growth where possible, using the time to sharpen details on Mamakrom, study my craft, and begin moving forward on scripts for a short and a feature I’d like to direct in the near future.
Even through these dire straits, I have loved seeing creativity flourish around the world, as it always does when pressure is applied and normalcy is no longer an option. There are artists and creators in situations far, far more difficult than my own, and I am constantly inspired by their stories. This brings us full circle from the start of this interview: story always persists. Story constantly encourages, teaches, and moves us forward. When we are removed from this world, our stories are all that remain. And I will always count myself fortunate despite every negative circumstance, every challenge, and every struggle that may arise, to be in a field that prioritizes and truly values the power of storytelling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4942386/
- Email: jpelegreen@lastminuteprod.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kjpelegreen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kwaku.pelegreen
Image Credit:
Hannah Way Photography, Apag Studios
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