We were lucky to catch up with Samuel Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Samuel, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
You know what they say: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together” So when you talk about resiliency, work ethic, even purpose, so much comes back to having a good working partner. I met my creative partner, Louis, at the University of North Texas when we were both in the film program. This was when everyone wanted to be the next Tarantino or some other flashy director. We just wanted to tell great stories. By working together, we pushed each other to go farther, to not accept the next easiest thing. We often said, “Let’s work 5 more minutes on that.” Meaning, let’s not just call it good and move on. Five minutes by itself is not a huge commitment, but that prompted us to work harder, rethink solutions, and not be predictable.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Waco Indie is definitely a passion project for us. We started it eight years ago, thinking it would be profitable after a few years, and perhaps it would be if we didn’t pour everything right back into the festival. In the meantime, we’ve each been financially blessed in other ways, which allow us to continue the fest as volunteers. We started this journey as filmmakers, and we still are. But after traveling to many festivals in cities big and small, we saw the beauty of bringing people together around storytelling. There’s something special about seeing a movie with an audience, being able to share the ride together and unpack the message when it’s all done. Movies do bring people together, and we’re the folks who want to share these great stories. We’ve recently gone through a rebranding process to become the Waco Independent Film Festival. This better defines who we are and who we serve. We serve the Waco community, celebrating the incredible people here. We are independent – not tied to Hollywood, rather we are focused on great storytelling from fresh voices and underserved communities. And the words film and festival are each important as well. At Waco Indie, not only will you see world-class films, but you are going to experience a true festival – with food, fun, people, and a joyous atmosphere. Because going to a film festival should be fun! At our festival, you’ll have a few drinks, play group games, roast marshmallows, and maybe even ride a mechanical bull (this is Texas after all).
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three things that have helped us on this journey are resilience, finding the fun, and willingness to listen. I don’t think we would be where we are today without those traits. Event planning is really up and down. Things don’t go your way, venues become unavailable, and people are hard to please – if you let these things get you down, it’s hard to keep going. So when things go great, you celebrate. When they don’t, we look at why. We dissect the problem, look for the cause, and figure out the solution. We’ll get outside opinions. We ask our volunteers for feedback – and our volunteers are so important to us. We could not do what we do without the skills and enthusiasm of our volunteer staff. It’s all a bit daunting, but when you look back at the end of each fest, it’s such an incredible experience. The satisfaction fuels us to start it all again every year. And we can go so far when people are enjoying what they do. Waco Indie makes so many people happy. It brings folks together, and that feels great. Just seeing the impact the festival has on Waco is incredible. We’re changing people’s minds about what is possible in Waco. We’re inspiring filmmakers to make their movies in Waco.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
So much of our success reflects on the mentorship of Fiona Bond, the president of Texans for the Arts and the Executive Director of Creative Waco. She’s an advocate, a supporter, an advisor, the person in the front row of your show, and a friend. What’s more, she fills this role for so many organizations here in Waco. She is incredible. She pushed us to go big or go home. She’s always there when we need advice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wacoindie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wacoindie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WacoIndie/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wacoindie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wacoindie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wacoindiefilmfest
Image Credits
Rachel Neckar Photography
