It was my pleasure to interview Richard T. Wilson
from the Philadelphia area, an Emmy award winning
filmmaker and president and founder of
OutReachArts, Inc. and also founder of Mad Shelley
Films which is a film company that specialises in
supernatural drama with a twist. Read more about
this incredibly talented filmmaker.
What do you love about filmmaking?
had been interviewing over the years. Yes, the series’
five Emmy® nominations and the win for “After I’m
Gone” were awesome, but the teens who regularly
shared their stories with me and those viewers the
show helped, that’s been the most rewarding.
What’s your writing process like? Do you have a
favourite place to write your scripts?
I talk to myself ‘out loud’ in notebooks! I ask myself
Probably the same things I love about a great rock ’n’ questions and don’t censor my responses - just write
it all down! This process ultimately leads me to
roll song; the power of all this visual sound and fury
just grabbing the audience by the shoulders and
writing dialogue and before long I’m typing things in
cutting through all the BS! Seriously, for me, film is
to Final Draft. Actually, I’m not very precious about
just the perfect marriage of all that I love about art - the writing process - making art is just messy - a lot
it just floods the senses and yet provides such an
like cooking really!
intimate, emotional conversation with the audience.
What inspired you to write your short “The Halloween
Anymore, I couldn’t imagine telling my stories any
Girl”? From what I’ve been seeing, it has been winning
other way!
awards and touring festivals and most recent one
Tell me about your company, OutreachArts, Inc., what was the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival
services does it provide?
Awards.
OutreachArts actually began its life as OutreachPlays
(over 17 years ago!) - Live theatre that would help
break the ice about issues that otherwise might be
too difficult for audiences to talk about. The short
touring plays, which addressed various health and
social issues, were very successful and sponsors
began to ask for video adaptations. Long story short,
digital filmmaking was just starting out and,
naturally, I saw this as a golden opportunity to return
to my first love, film. So, for the last 15 years, we’ve
been doing just that; creating Emmy® AwardWinning dramas that are designed to entertain
audiences while addressing very difficult issues
(addiction, suicide, self-injury, etc.). Here in the
States, our films have reached audiences via Public
Television, the Independent Film Channel (IFC), public
schools and even a Legislative Briefing in Washington,
D.C. (about Veterans suffering from PTSD/gambling
addiction) in front of Sen. Elizabeth Warren! It’s very
fulfilling work to say the least.
Your TV mini-series “Maple Avenue” which is an
Emmy Award Winning Series, you wrote and directed
it, what has been the most rewarding about the
series? I’m sure winning an Emmy was quite
rewarding, but what else?
Yes, the recent Hollywood screening was very exciting!
In answer to your question, “The Halloween Girl” was
essentially forced into being after I lost my mother in
the spring of 2014. My father had also recently passed
away the previous fall, but it was my mother’s death
that was the true catalyst for the film. My mother
has reached out to me many times since her passing
and it’s the essence of these same ‘visits’ that have
provided much of the film’s connective tissue. So, in
that sense, “The Halloween Girl” is very much a ghost
story within a ghost story…
What are three fun facts that you can share with the
readers of Watch This Space Film Magazine?
When I was little, I made Super 8 “Planet of the Apes”
sequels in my backyard w/ my litt