Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Wiedman.
Hi Charles, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Charles Wiedman, and I’m an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and founder of RuffHouse Studios based in Austin, TX. Our latest project is a vertical micro-drama series called ‘The Hand’ – starring Katherine Willis, Arya, and Mike Davis. Our initial 12 episodes will be available on Instagram, YouTube, and streaming on Velvet TV starting August 22nd, 2026.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The original idea for The Hand comes from a feature film script I wrote 20 years ago. With the advent of vertical series on social media and streaming platforms, we saw an opportunity to take the production and distribution into our own hands, and create something simply for the love of it.
The only challenge, really, was rewriting the relevant portions of the script to conform to the faster-paced storytelling style of vertical dramas. Shooting and editing is also faster, so we had to be efficient in what we shot. In the end, we shot for 6 days, and cut 12 episodes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
‘The Hand’ Plays With the Rejection of Latent Human Potential.
In my personal world view, human beings are infinitely powerful. We just don’t know it. And for some of those who catch a glimpse of what it means to be actualized and free, there may come an element of fear or distrust. That these innate abilities or ‘powers’ are not normal, or simply too wild to be true.
I love to tell stories that elevate the concept of what it is to be alive – that point to the idea that we are more, and better than what we were told. That, at any moment, something could happen that unlocks our highest potential – a freak accident, a crisis that forces us to forget our physical limitations, or a sudden bit of knowledge that unlocks our limited beliefs and sets us free.
The Hand is a contemporary piece centered on a young woman who suffered through tragedy and death, only to be given a second chance at life through a proceedure that inadvertently unlocks her unfiltered subconscious impulses and meta-physical power. As frightening as this new aspect of her reality appears to be, it ultimately serves to protect, and empower her.
This is a fun, surreal, and potentially powerful story. I’m excited to share it with the world.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Austin is still a great place to produce a film or show. The community loves film & filmmakers, so they’re often excited and eager to help.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ruffhousin.com/hand
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruffhousestudios/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3pKgLiGVZ8&list=PLJQpLbSPfAOY
