Daily Inspiration: Meet Lydia Woodruff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Woodruff. 

Hi Lydia, 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.
We are Christopher Jones and Lydia Keen. We are a filmmaking team of two based out of Northern Michigan. Acting is our passion. Together we write, direct, shoot and edit our productions. We met each other a few years back when we teamed up to work on a film project together, and since then, Chris has moved from El Paso to Michigan so we could create a world of the film here. Together we are self-taught and funding our projects out of pocket for now- but we are doing what we love, and that is what matters. Recently, we created a YouTube channel to share our story and our filmmaking process at Youtube.com/NewHeroPictures We also produce commercials, promotional, and music videos. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road of the self-made artist is not easy. There have been many struggles and hurdles along the way, but we overcome them because we are doing what we love. As a crew of two the ultimate struggle is our limited budget which affects the overall scale of our projects, for example, additional equipment, props, travel expenses, etc. Regardless, it keeps us sharp and always ready to improvise. We hope one day to connect with investors and possible distributors who support our film projects. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What makes us so different is that we share the same dream through movies and in life- we are Chris and Lydia. We are constantly challenging ourselves and doing everything we can to reach the same goal. Last year we created our first project together called “Protect and Serve.” It is a short film that we wrote, filmed, and edited in three months. That was our test to see what we could do with what we had, and it was a blast. The completed film is available on YouTube for viewing. We are also working on a documentary called “Follow the Art: The Creative Journey of Tom Woodruff,” along with a feature film, “Lucky Seven.” To follow our progress, we created a YouTube channel, where we post every Friday at noon about our journey. With every project, our goal is to spread the art of film, bring light to important topics, involve our community, and do what we love. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Do what you love, and don’t be afraid to reach out to others who are doing the same thing. Build your own community and following. We can use the technology we have as a tool to learn, connect and create. Personally, our mentors come from our favorite movies, actors, and content creators. Over the years, we have tried to learn anything and everything to create our own productions. If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newheropictures.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newheropictures/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newheropicturesfilm
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/newheropictures
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NewHeroPictures