Today we’d like to introduce you to Drake Howard.
Hi Drake, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in a small town near San Antonio called Comfort. While it’s beautiful and I love it with all my heart, living in a small town as a kid can get a little boring. My friends and I loved playing outside and goofing off, but everything changed when my mom bought a little Sony camcorder. Youtube had been gaining steam, and my friends and I were super inspired by all the skit comedy and silly videos we were watching. BINGO! We should make our own videos, right?! Right. So that’s what we did! The whole goal was to crack each other up. We would create a rough story, and then improv the rest. We pestered an older sister to let us upload and edit our first video on her MacBook, and after hours of waiting for the dang video to upload to Youtube, finally, it was live! What a high! Of course, we spread the word at school, and people actually laughed and were excited to see what we were going to put out next. Even though this only went on for a semester or two, the feeling I got from making those films always stuck with me.
When I went off to college, I originally majored in education because I wanted to be a football coach. Fast forward to sophomore year, I had to take an art elective. I chose theater based on a friend telling me that it was easy. To my surprise, within a couple of weeks, I was falling in love with the chance to be so involved with stories and characters. It didn’t even feel like work to me. I was pretty damn good at it! Game over. I was changing my major to theater. I want to be a filmmaker. The theater department at Texas State is one of the best, so even though the film program isn’t big there, I was working with some really incredible teachers and talented classmates. I became a T.A for one of the film professors, which gave me a key to the film equipment cage. At night I would take the lights and camera set up scenes to practice. Being in an environment where I could fail forward and just be an artist is something I hope everyone can experience.
After college, I got a full-time gig on a feature film as a G/E intern, unpaid. I was still living in San Marcos at the time, so I had to commute to Austin every day. Worth every 5am alarm. I moved to Austin shortly after, said yes to every job, and networked my @ss off. I decided to make and direct my first short film. We did a Kickstarter and almost reached our goal, a whopping $2,500. Making that short is the best thing I have ever done. It was on that set that I met all my best friends whom I still collaborate with and invite over for dinner. I got into making music videos; then commercials started coming along. My newest endeavor is a production company I named Green Bean Pictures. We have a lot of exciting things in the works!
That’s basically how I got to where I am today. Make art and do what you love so you never have to work a day in your life.
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?
I wouldn’t call it a road as much as a roller coaster. Sometimes you’re climbing a huge peak and have a lot of momentum. Then all of a sudden, something goes wrong, and it comes crashing down. You just have to keep moving forward and learn from the ups and downs. Life is a ride, and you have two choices: either scream the whole way through and have fun with it, or scream the whole way through and hate it.
The biggest struggle for me was having confidence in myself and believing in my voice as an artist. I have gotten a lot better over the years but boy was it hard after I graduated from school. I had to learn that you have to make your art for yourself. If you’re creating something as a means to an end, like affirmation or fame, it will be noticeable on screen. The audience can feel the lack of authenticity. Using your voice and trusting your own artistic process is huge. Imposter syndrome is very real. Something I find helpful is surrounding yourself with people you trust and love. Film is a team sport so don’t be afraid to lean on your collaborators. That’s why they’re there!
Love thyself and love your art.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I recently created Green Bean Pictures. We specialize in bringing stories to life. I’ve met a ton of talented people working in film over the years, and this production company allows us to funnel all of our creative energy into one place.
We can make everything including commercials, music videos, and short films. I think what sets us apart from others is the people involved. Like I said earlier, film is a team sport. Surrounding our projects with talented artists in every department makes our films shine.
Green Bean can handle every stage of production, big or small! Let’s tell a story together!
Any big plans?
One of my greatest passions in life is the environment and keeping it safe. Therefore, one of the next projects I plan to do within Green Bean is to make PSA style commercials about how we can help protect the environment. I hope to partner with organizations already fighting the good fight around our community.
We are currently in pre-production on two short films. One is a Drag Queen Revenge story, and the other is a horror film about the Black Eyed Kids paranormal phenomenon. We also have a couple of music videos for local Austin bands in the works! A lot to be excited about!
Contact Info:
- Website: drakewhoward.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakehoward_atx/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvfvyv_UrLcITBgNHefbSTg
Image Credits
Tannaz Telikany
Taylor Kakas
