Reno is not often considered a home to a vibrant film community. However, one production company Horror Nerd Productions, with almost a dozen films to their credit, is singlehandedly building an indie film community.
“I’ve always been a giant horror nerd,” said Dillon Brown, during a recent interview with Our Town Reno. Having studied English he is a published author but had always wanted to make a film. “I just went for it,” he told us.
Brown remembers his first film having numerous challenges. Notably, filming a scene with a prostitute and a large man on the university campus one afternoon, he forgot to let anyone know he would be there. Naturally, this scene raised eyebrows and eventually security showed up. “I actually didn’t even film a portion of the script because I was trying to get out of there as fast as possible,” Brown explained. He said it was an absolute nightmare. Which may be fitting for his chosen medium.
The company he’s building has grown in the past four years, allowing Brown to bring on a producer. Jessica Grimaldo, another creative, helps with all things concerning scheduling, contacting filming locations, and most importantly, casting.
“I’ve been to a few to a few different theaters where I’ve acted, come on as an instructor, and I’ve made a lot of connections,” said Grimaldo. She has been working in theatre for several years and explained that Reno is not only a great home to theatre, with many small venues, but an excellent place for up and coming actors and actresses.
She uses her wide breadth of connections to help Brown keep his goal of using Nevada-based actors and resources in his films. “I think the art community is really special here in Reno considering our size,” Grimaldo said. She is excited that Horror Nerd can be a stepping stone for actors looking to make it to a larger screen.
“Some of our leads have gotten other lead roles in other films...everyone is just getting a lot of exposure,” explained Grimaldo.
Theater Backgrounds
Brown also comes from a theater background. His grandma worked extensively in theatre in the Bay Area and his uncle still works in the industry. “I always understood that making films or plays, it really is a family thing,” he explained. It is a large process that requires the coming together of so many people and elements. “Otherwise it doesn’t work.” This is why he reached out to Grimaldo, who is his wife’s cousin. He needed the help to take Horror Nerd Productions to the next level.
“When Jessica got these group of actors together is when the sense of what I wanted to do with Nevada based stories really hit home,” said Brown. He went on to explain he has used actors from across northern Nevada in his films. “There is so much to tell about Nevada and a lot of the famous horror movies have taken place here.”
Funding has always been his biggest challenge in producing films. But to him, it does not matter.
“We know how to make them [films], we know we have fun making them,’ explained Brown. The budget does not shape the film for him and Jessica. The goal is to enjoy the process and create art.
The whole process though has still been a learning curve for both Brown and Grimaldo. From figuring out how to ask for help to writing contracts, it is a process that has helped grow the company into streaming films via online platforms.
One film is now available on Wicked Horror TV and POV Horror, both accessible on ROKU or Firestick. Brown and Grimaldo are already working diligently on the sequel. They are taking their mistakes and learning how to improve the whole process.
“The Devil’s Children [trailer above] is our biggest thing so far, it’s really the one that is going to put us on the map,” explained Brown. He said this film has more distribution than any of his other films and knows it will lead to more films down the road. Many of the actors have returned for the second film and the community being built around Horror Nerd is blossoming. Brown sees this growth with Grimaldo as his biggest success. He remains humble as a director and hopes he can be the catalyst for actors to go from hopes to careers via his films.
“I would love to see somebody we worked with all the sudden up on the big screen,” said Brown.