Today we’d like to introduce you to Jude S. Walko.
Hi Jude S. , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my professional life as an Actor in college, graduating from the University of Georgia Drama Department, under the tutelage of Dr. August W. Staub and John Ammerman in Athens. From there I eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting and to really learn how the “Hollywood” machine works. Eventually I put two-and-two together, and realized that although becoming a superstar is unlikely for most people, making a living as a professional in the entertainment industry wasn’t impossible.
I started, like most in the industry, as a production assistant, getting coffee, lunch orders and answering phones. (Yes we had actual phones plugged into the walls back then and a crazy contraption called a fax machine!) Eventually, being around a lot of Production Management people, Studios Execs and Producers, I would learn invaluable insights as to how the art and mechanics of film and its logistics work. After a 30 year plus and over 100 feature film tenure, I would go on to become a member of IATSE, Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG), Producer’s Guild (PGA), ASIFA, NCS, HWA and a host of other alphabet soup organizations related to entertainment. In short, keeping a clean reputation, always asking questions, and learning from seasoned mentors allowed me to get where I am today.
I eventually started a production company, Blue Falcon Productions, with my business partner Dan Campbell in Grand Haven. We shot our debut feature, “The Incantation” with Dean Cain in France, and I was blessed enough to receive the 2018 Eclipse Award for Best Direction from my filmmaker peers in Michigan. Since then I have always remained acting and producing and also wrote a Gothic Horror novel which is a modern retelling of Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow tale called “The Unhallowed Horseman”. Dan and I have several projects in the works, including narrative film, documentaries and live entertainment projects.
But enough about me, let’s talk Michigan!
My love affair with Michigan all started by filming there. Between 2008 and 2010 Michigan had one of the most healthy and competitive film incentive programs in the country. It created a legion of professionals in the industry and brought an influx of capital into the region. It also spawned investments in things like studios, sound stages, equipment rental companies and local vendors.
During that time I produced and acted in several films in Michigan, including “House of The Rising Sun” with the former WWE star, turned actor, Dave Bautista. You might know him now as “Drax” in the Marvel Universe. We did two big Indian hits “Vishwaroopam 1 & 2” with Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan, a film with 50-cent, a series called “Rush” based on the “Battlefield” video game, a faith-based film called “Rumors of Wars”, as well as industrials for Amway.
Although the incentive is gone, We have worked with many of our Michigan-based crew on other projects in all corners of the globe. Dan and I are also starting up a haunted ghost tour in the works for West Michigan called “Gris’ Ghastly Ghost Tours” and I even bought our first hearse to kick it off!
I also spend a lot of time in Algoma, Wisconsin which means Door County’s Weinke Farms (especially their pumpkin and cherry jams!), Marshall Wiltfang’s “Son of Skaliwags”, Millie’s tiger sauce, and rides on the S.S. Badger are such enjoyable treats! Color tours of trees in both states, corn mazes, and Michigan craft brews are to die for!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As anyone in the film business can attest, it is anything but a smooth road. I always warn youngsters who only see red carpets premieres, like the Oscars and Cannes, and the shining veneers of freshly printed celebrities, that the business is NOT glamorous for 99.5% of it. It is said that even Tarantino himself shoveled horse manure on a set before ever gaining access to his own productions.
Our business has very long hours, involves spending long amounts of time away from home in a lot of cases, isn’t always financially rewarding, and makes it very hard to maintain significant longterm relationships. Yet, those of us who have made a career out of it cannot get enough it, and can never picture ourselves doing anything but. The old saying “feast or famine” is doubly so in our field. Many trends have come and gone over the years, and that often makes traditional Hollywood investors uneasy. Things like tax incentives, changing technology, revenue streams, and more, all change the landscape constantly. As a result you could go a long time without having work, and suddenly get three calls at once. That’s just the way our business works. The short of it is, you better be prepared to be fiscally responsible for the long haul or else you’re going to need to wait a lot of tables in between.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As I mentioned previously I am an Actor, Producer, Director and Writer. After three decades of hard work, luck, and great opportunities, I consider myself to be very blessed. Now I have traveled and filmed in over 22 countries across the globe and counting!
I spent all of my adult life on film sets in one capacity or another, I learned from the best of the best in the field, and continue to grow as an artist and industry professional, honing my craft on each and every set I work on.
You can check out the list of some of the over 100 films and TV shows I worked on at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) or here https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908351/.
I am also am a writer and have published a Sleepy Hollow Headless Horseman Horror novel called “The Unhallowed Horseman”, which was awarded the 2024 Gothic Horror Novel of the Year by Audiobookreviewer.com. I own a tombstone and grave plot in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in New York and will be doing some book signings there in the fall. I currently am also working on the official biography of famed animators and “Killer Klown” creators, the Chiodo Brothers.
Another accolade I’m proud of is winning Michigan’s 2018 Eclipse Award for Best Direction for my film “The Incantation”. Finally, a career highlight of mine was playing a “Human Bounty Hunter” on the set of the first season of Disney’s Star Wars “Mandalorian” series. I even met George Lucas who swung by for Jon Favreau’s birthday. In my line of work, we don’t get star-struck often, but that was the perfect time to geek out and be a fanboy.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I have always been an entertainer at heart. I was always acting, singing and goofing around. An introvert at heart, I found that I could relieve social pressures and anxiety by essentially throwing myself into the spotlight. Basically facing my fears head on.
The result of that is I was always the class clown. I always had jokes and skits and was never afraid of public speaking or being in the limelight. The more I made people laugh, the more I felt in control of any given situation. That has led me to all things entertainment related and eventually established me on a career path in the film business.
Although I did a stint in the Catholic seminary to become a priest, I eventually found the stage, and then the screen, as a proving grounds for my particular set of skills. I try to find humor in almost every situation to either break away the seriousness, or dull the pain. Laughter really is. the best medicine!
As a result, I feel like I try to use charm and wit in a lot of social situations. The inner me wants to be at home curled up with a book, but the entertainer in me really loves making people genuinely laugh and smile.
Pricing:
- https://www.amazon.com/Unhallowed-Horseman-Jude-S-Walko/dp/0578303566
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theunhallowedhorseman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judeswalko/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeStephenWalko/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judeswalko/
- Twitter: https://x.com/judeswalko
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HollywoodhoBRO
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Unhallowed-Horseman-Jude-S-Walko/dp/0578303566
Image Credits
Cairo Film Festival, Daniel Zirilli, Raaj Kamal Films International, Bradford Plows, RKFI, Jude S. Walko, Studio 71/Collective Digital Studio, Stefan Azaharioaie, Robert Kazandjian, Blue Falcon Productions LLC.
