Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken. - Frank Herbert
As most of my clients and friends are aware of, until last year I was a full-time teacher and ran my photography business as a side hustle. Since I am not ready to retire, it is time to take my business to the next step.
In 2011, I had a desire to make documentary films and attended a class on starting a production company given by a famous Hollywood producer. I left teaching and started a production company, Rude Parrot Productions. As I was developing the concept for my first documentary, I received a phone call that would alter the course of my life.
I received a call from an old classmate informing me about a reunion of our high school band. You see, our high school band went to Miami the week after Christmas and marched in the Orange Bowl Parade in 1973. That was a cherished life experience for a 14 year old kid to be away from home for a week...with his friends...and MOST OF ALL...away from his parents! This experience would forge close bonds between my band mates and myself that still continue to this day.
The classmate who called, was the French Horn player that sat on the row in front of me. Well, after the reunion, we started dating and eventually got married. I needed a job, so it was back to the classroom for me. I would have to put that dream on a shelf, hopefully to pick it up again, one day.
Earlier in my teaching career, I rediscovered my love for photography and started a photography business in 2014. As I developed my business, I gravitated towards documentary photography, concentrating on protests, politics and various aspects of America’s Culture War.
Additionally, I obtained a certification to teach journalism & photography. For many years, I was an 8th grade Science teacher and in Texas, all eighth graders take the STAAR test, which is the Texas standardized test. I changed teaching assignments in 2020 to teach journalism & photography and get off the “testing merry-go-round” and then the worldwide COVID epidemic hit!
After the lockdown and enduring the “China Flu” myself, I really began to reflect on my time as an educator in the State of Texas and finally left the classroom at the beginning of 2023 due to “irreconcilable differences” between serving a failing & flawed educational system and my conscience.
I reactivated Rude Parrot Productions and my first documentary has started pre-production and principle filming begins in July. I also have another documentary that has been under development for a few months that will feature Vietnam Vets and I will be concentrating fully on that project once filming of the first documentary wraps up.
I am also currently putting the website design and social media presence together for Rude Parrot Productions and this has been a little more of a daunting task than I had originally thought it would be.
In the near future, I probably will be archiving this photography site I have maintained for the past decade and launch the production company’s website in its place. I will still do some aspects of photography for hire, but it will be done as part of the services offered by Rude Parrot Productions. However, I will be offering some of my photographic art prints online. I have an fairly extensive body of work and will be offering some limited edition work soon to help fund the new company.
Rude Parrot Productions will primarily tell stories. Through its documentary films, we will tell stories about people, notable events and epic struggles.
Additionally the company will tell stories about people, help them grow their businesses and establish their brands, as well.
Finally, I would like to thank those friends and clients who I have done work for or sold one of my art prints to in the past. Your business and patronage of my work is appreciated.
