Today we’d like to introduce you to Stark Howell. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The son of an actor, Stark grew up around the entertainment industry in Burbank, California. His early artistic talent grew into a love for all forms of art and lead him to choose Art Center, College of Design in Pasadena, CA for his formal art education. It was then a natural transition to apply his craft within the entertainment industry where he spent 28 years as a director and storyboard artist in the field of animation. His credits include work in both television and theatrical releases for studios such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, and Universal. Drawing from his artistic talent coupled with a classical art education, Stark has applied his craft in varied arenas over the years. His freelance career has included work in film as well, including writing and directing an award-winning documentary and a feature-length 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?
Transitioning into my role as the writer/director of a feature-length film was in someways very natural. I have been a storyteller my entire career, more difficult however, was learning the production side of live-action. I believe good storytelling is good storytelling whether you are in animation or live-action.
The biggest challenge I faced was the global pandemic. We shot our movie right in the middle of it. We took the standard precautions as mandated by the CDC and we were very fortunate in that no one to my knowledge came down with the virus. The other challenge is a universal one for filmmakers and that is raising money. We raised money for our film through crowdfunding. We have a very loyal fan base and they came through for us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I mentioned, I grew up in Burbank, CA, the son of an actor. My father was a character actor and appeared in dozens and dozens of classic television shows throughout his career. He also appeared in feature films and a few commercials. I think this is how I developed my love for storytelling. My father would take me to the movies regularly so I was exposed at a very young age to cinema. I also had the privilege of growing up with Ron Howard and his family. My father and Ron’s father, Rance, were writing partners. Ron’s younger brother, Clint was a year younger than me and we spent most of our “wonder years“ hanging out together. He is still a good friend today. I guess I have been surrounded by show business my whole life, so when I was offered a job in animation at the Walt Disney Company right out of college, I jumped at the chance. This is where I was able to combine my artistic talent and my love for storytelling. It really was a dream job. I started my storyboard career in 1991 and learned so much over the next 28 years. Since my father’s career was in live-action, it was only natural for me to want to make a live-action film. I figured the only way I would have the opportunity to do that was to write and direct my own film, so that’s what I did. Mayberry Man is a family film inspired by the Andy Griffith show. My late father appeared in two episodes as Dud Wash and a few years ago, I was invited to attend a Mayberry Festival, representing him. After spending a week at the festival and signing photos of my dad, I was inspired to write the screenplay. Dixie Griffith, Andy Griffith’s daughter is one of the executive producers, and Karen Knotts, Don Knott’s daughter is in the film. Also, Laura Hagen, wife of the late Earle Hagen allowed us to use Earle’s musical arrangements from the original Andy Griffith Show. Mayberry Man is currently available on Amazon.
My advice to anyone aspiring to do anything is not to sit back and wait for the phone to ring but to get out and make it happen.
What does success mean to you?
Success is not how much you have in your bank account or how many people know your name. Success is how you are viewed by your children and your friends. It’s your reputation, who you are. To me, success is all about what you do after you fail. We will all fail at many things throughout our lives. If we’re not failing, then we’re not really taking any chances. Nothing great happens by playing it safe. We also learn more when we fail than when we succeed. This is how we grow.
Pricing:
- Mayberry Man DVD – $19.99 Available at www.mayberrymanmovie.com
Contact Info:
- Email: Mayberrymanmovie@gmail.com
- Website: Mayberrymanfilm.com
- Instagram: mayberrymanmovie
- Facebook: @MayberryManMovie
