Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Blake and Eli Adé.
Hi Cory and Eli, 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?
Summer 23 Films was founded by Cory Blake and Eli Adé in July of 2023.
We got here today by failing forward, and believing in ourselves and others. Before the writer’s strike we discussed to create something that would not only help us but other individuals seeking their dreams. ElI Adé is up and coming Director on the rise and through working on set discovered Cory Blake, a young and talented writer / producer in Atlanta. Together we got together and created a few projects, that have gained some traction. Through hard works and just believing in the process, we were able to get to where we are standing today.
We both have always done creative things together and this time we wanted to push the envelope. Our goal was to leave the strike with a better resume / Reel than when we started, and we accomplished that.
One of our friends Larry Lawrence, presented a One Take Film Challenge that we decided to take on. After one week of prep and talking to a few of our friends we were able to not only make the film but win the challenge.
The project is called Reflexion, written and directed by Eli Adé.
Although we completed the goal we found something that meant more to us than winning the award. That was helping crew members and Actors fulfill their dreams as well by making something we all can use on our reel.
After the success of the first film, we decided to make two other projects helping more of our fellow crew members in the process.
Through the short films this Summer we were able to successfully help a few crew members and a couple of actors get the jobs starting in the New Year. We couldn’t be more proud of and thankful for everyone who put in their time and effort into something amazing.
Our plan is to grow the community and production through finding talented individuals who work on all of these big Movies and Television shows.
Crew members have so much talent and knowledge that is taken for granted or looked over a lot of the time. Aww, plan to change that.
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?
“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
There has been many ups and downs during this process, just like any other production. Luckily, due to the strike many crew members were looking for something to keep their minds busy.
We have had many people drop out due to family issues and schedule conflicts. Despite it all, we were able to finish each project.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Eli Adé
– Local 600 Still photographer
– 2022 Photographer of the Year
Cory Blake
– Local 600 loader
– Check IMDB
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The best part of Atlanta is the community. Not every state has an art community like this.
The least attractive part of the city is the traffic from 3-7.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/summer23films_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/F9aKrrcY2u0?si=VVeEJVh7ZKWcwsv-
Image Credits
Jasmine Benson Cory Blake Gerard Brister
