Story & Lesson Highlights with Christian Haynes of City

Christian Haynes shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Christian, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up, head to my office where I read a devotional or my Bible for around an hour then I do about 30 minutes of yoga.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Christian Haynes and I’m the writer, director and creator of a 2D animated pilot episode called “Zack In Time”. It tells the story of a 13-year-old biracial boy who moves to a small town and stumbles across a high tech watch that allows him to travel through time. I helped to create it alongside my producer Paige Powell-Revis who is the founder of an independent production company called “Imhapie”. Part of why we made this project is to help students and aspiring animators to get the experience they need as they transition from school to the workforce. We had a Kickstarter campaign for the project last October and were able to successfully fund it. We finished up sending out the Kickstarter rewards to our contributors and now planning the future of the series. I’m also developing several other ideas for movies and shows and working with artists on character designs and concept art. I also create videos for YouTube, Instagram and TikTok! I’ve grown up always loving film and television and I hope that one day I can pitch one of the concepts I’ve developed can be brought to life!

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I think the moment that really shaped how I see the world was when, at age 11, I moved from Southern California to Southern Maryland due to my dad getting a new job out of state. When I was living in California, I went to a school that was very racially diverse, but when I moved to Maryland, it seemed to me that everyone was in their own groups as far as race. When people would hear the way I spoke, they would look at me confused and constantly asked where I was from since I didn’t sound like the other black kids around me. I also didn’t have a lot of the same interests as everyone else, so that made me feel “other” as well. I also moved three-quarters of the way through my sixth grade year and middle school is already an awkward time in general, so this just added to it. But as the years went on, I slowly but surely learned to accept myself for who I was and find friends who didn’t judge me. Now I feel good about myself and if I ever feel like I’m being judged somehow, I try my best not to it affect and just keep moving forward.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been several times when I almost gave up especially when it came to pursuing my dreams of having “Zack In Time” become a full length series. There were times that were really slow and times when it seemed that nothing was happening I felt like it would never get made. But then every so often a shot would become completed or a sequence would come together in the editing or the sound effects and music would start coming in and I would feel hopeful again. I still have doubts sometimes, but I try to remember to enjoy and process and keep in mind that projects like these take time and that I need to be more patience. I also try to have multiple projects in development so that if one project is moving slowly, I can jump into the next one and work on it to keep the creative juices flowing while I wait on the previous one.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Currently the project I’m committed to no matter how long it takes is “Zack In Time”. I created it back in 2014 when I was a junior in college at Biola University. It was actually my senior thesis project in 2015 and I always had the intention of using it as either a pitch to an animation studio or for my resume to get a job in the animation industry. Neither actually happened after I graduated, so I put it on the shelf and applied for odd jobs to make ends meet. I wasn’t really satisfied with the kind of work I was doing at the time, so I picked the project back off the shelf and started to expand the idea from a pitch trailer to a full length pilot episode and series. I took a little while and many iterations, but it eventually got to the point that I thought was ready to develop. I reached out to Paige and told her about the project and she immediately became interested in producing. When 2020 hit, we both lost our jobs and decided to go all in with the project and four and half years later, we finally finished making the pilot episode. It was a long process full of ups and downs, but that only made us stay more committed to finishing it and now we hope to continue that commitment as we move into the pitching process.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
It may have taken a while to realize, but I believe that I am doing what I was born to do which is being a storyteller. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been writing short stories or comic books and creating different characters and worlds. I had no idea that that could actually be something someone can do for a living and once I found out, that has been my goal. Even if I wasn’t being paid, I would still be doing it because it is something that I’m passionate about. Throughout my life, there have been many ups and downs and times when I felt like my dream was impossible and that I should just give up and do something more practical. But then a certain idea would spark in my mind about a specific character or a story or a genre that would excite me and I couldn’t help but to explore it until it was a fully fleshed out screenplay or outline. I hope that that spark never fades and that I can continue to tell stories and one day share them with the world.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Imhapie LLC
Shea Beck
Luke Scribner
Christopher Brooks
DJ Stewart
Rebecca Link
Ashley Hladycz
Alexander Moscozo

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we

Highlighter Series
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than