Clifton Futch – Interstate Man of Mystery
Who gets Terrence Howard to act in their micro–budget feature shooting in Baltimore? Who has producer credit on videos for Musix, Red Café, Ace Primo, Pretty Ricky, and Big E? Who juggles web storefronts like Superhumans LLC, Futch Entertainment, and Mogul Meetings? Who is producing a life-on-the-streets DC Cops pilot called Dirtier than Ever? Who taught himself Maya CGI software to create special effects? Who may have brokered personal meetings with upper stratosphere industry barons, including one with the letter “O” in her name?
Who is Clifton Futch, anyway? When I asked him, he described himself as a “consultant who puts people together.” I said that in L.A., they call those “Agents.” I also asked him, if he has his hands in as many pies as it seems, why isn’t he living in L.A., rather than Bel Air, MD? Futch does commute to the left coast, but he wants to build up his rep and body of work before taking on the large orange. Besides, it seems that his peeps network is Baltimore/D.C. based, and maybe, for now, that is a large enough ocean for this entreprenurial fish.
Mr. Futch’s build-it-and-they-will come business philosophy (as manifested in his website, Facebook and MySpace presence) signifies a DIY mover and shaker that, while still in a fledgling stage, exhibits the core qualities one needs to claw one’s way to the middle (or even the top), of the fickle entertainment biz. Those qualities include showmanship, self-promotion, hubris, relentless networking, and lots of hard work.
Consider The Guild, Futch’s sci-fi movie that combines Oscar-winner Terrence Howard with a local Baltimore cast of semi-pro Baltimore actors. The film was produced on a micro-budget, and apparently some funding came from cash contributions offered up by the supporting cast. Well, as in love and war, all is fair in producing indie cinema, and it takes a warrior and a lot of love to get any movie made. And who would be crazy enough to attempt a micro-budget sci-fi movie? Aside from self-creating CGI work for the sci-fi movie, Futch also outsourced effects work to India. Maybe not so crazy… The Guild (no website yet) is now in post-production at Numb Robot Post in Los Angeles.
Mr. Futch is adept at bartering goods, services, and knowledge as in, say, between a recording studio and a new artist, or an equipment rental house and a green indie filmmaker, or an untested creative talent seeking a meeting with a entertainment power broker. Clifton Futch has a handle on that particular alchemy one must master in order to create something out of nothing. We wish him luck, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
