Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Worthy.
Richard, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m one of the few people from Georgia that still lives in Georgia. I was born at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta and I lived in the same house in Powder Springs until I went to college. Growing up, I ran track, played Tee-ball, soccer, and basketball. I learned the piano and the French horn. I also took taekwondo, all before I discovered my love for movies. It never dawned on me that I could be a filmmaker. To me, movies were magic and I didn’t know any magicians. It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I was properly introduced to writing and a corner of my mind opened up. My English professor asked everyone in the class to write a 3-page essay entitled “Who Am I?”.
After he gave me an “A” he said I should submit the work to the campus periodical, I was ecstatic. Never before had a teacher believed in my abilities as a writer and from that moment on, I began to believe in my abilities too. As far as screenwriting is concerned, I didn’t even know the profession existed. Then, one night I was sitting in my car, waiting for a friend and looking at some new homes being built in the neighborhood when lightning struck. I imagined what it would look like if a small army of ninjas were fighting in between the skeletal structure. I wondered how graceful and lethal that scene could be…then a voice said “You could write it”. I got the Screenwriter’s Bible and found scripts for “Only You”, “The Godfather”, and “The Usual Suspects” and I was off.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
“I was born by the river, in a little tent. Oh, and just like the river I’ve been running, ever since.” It is said that Sam Cooke is the soundtrack to the struggle. I’m a nineties guy, so for me, it was Tupac, UGK, and Outkast. Every trying situation I found myself in over the years could be solved with a melody, a lyric, or a line of dialogue from a movie scene that I loved.
My obstacles, if I’m being honest, were self-imposed simply because ambition is the enemy of complacency. I was confident that I had the idea to write screenplays for a reason and if I was good enough, I could write anywhere. I had faith in God before I had a relationship with God. So, I moved to Nashville with a high school friend and tried to find a better path. I left my parent’s house with $300 dollars, my first month’s rent paid, no job, and no degree. Over the next seven years, while I worked on my first screenplay, I sold cars, newspapers, and waited tables. When I finished it, I mailed out 3 query letters a day for a year to EVERY manager, literary agent, and producer I could find a physical address for…no luck.
I decided to shelve that project and I started writing another script. While I was finishing my first draft, I met a filmmaker that produced his own work. He had completed a short film and it was being accepted into film festivals. I saw the light. I knew that I was going to have to be my own manager, literary agent, and producer. After a few years of following a strict budget, saving my extra money, and getting a full-time job that provided me with vacation time, I leapt. I started a production company, got a reasonable attorney from the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, met a director…and “March” was born.
Overcoming challenges has taught me a lot. I’ve found that instincts can sometimes replace the numbers because what adds up may not be what’s right for you. I’ve learned that even when you are paying people for a service, integrity is something money can’t buy. Which leads me to one of the most important lessons I’ve learned: Money is a brick. Money can either build something up or tear it down.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Raw Productions LLC – what should we know?
The visual medium is one of the most powerful forms of influence. My dream is to create films that uplift, inspire, and entertain. We as filmmakers, have a responsibility to leave our audience in a better state of mind than when they arrived. If a filmmaker is going to ask for a person’s hard-earned money and 2 to 3 hours of their time, the least we can do is give them perspective. I founded RAW Productions LLC in 2017 so that I could contribute to the world through cinema. I am very proud of our first production, “March”. It is a POC (Proof of Concept) that evolved into a short film we are now taking to Film Festivals. “March” is the first, but definitely not the last. Starting RAW Productions has made me realize that when you’re doing something that you love, you don’t notice how much you’ve done until you sit down. I don’t plan on sitting down. As long as I have an audience that wants to see my stories, I can continue to produce. Check out our teaser @MarchTheMovie and let us know what you think.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
A friend once told me: “If it’s from the heart, it reaches the heart”. I feel that as a writer that it is most important to write what you believe to be true. As a producer, I feel it is your job to provide everyone with the proper tools to complete any task that lies before them. As a business owner, I feel that how my community, my team, and my audience respond to my efforts is the true measure of my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rawproductionsllc.net
- Email: raworthy@rawproductionsllc.net
- Instagram: @MarchTheMovie
- Facebook: March The Movie
- Twitter: #MarchTheMovie
- Other: www.marchthemovie.com
Image Credit:
Photo by Tom Baumgaertel of Pie Pixel Studios
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