They met in a video production class. Little did they know then but that chance meeting would later shape their lives. After high school Nathaniel and Vincent went separate ways. Vincent attended the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree, while Nathaniel stayed closer to home, attending Georgia State University, and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Film degree. Vincent founded “Life Is My Movie Entertainment”, a television and film production company, in 2001, and five years later the two were reunited when Nathaniel came on board.
One of their first big ventures together as filmmakers was producing a documentary movie called “An Inconvenient Tax.” Delving into the United States tax code was a daunting task so the team compiled a list of who’s who in the world of scholars, politicians, businessmen, and other pundits to interview. The result is not only a historical look at the U.S. tax system but, through the interviews, the movie offers insights on the future of the tax code. Accolades and support of “An Inconvenient Tax” poured in. That set the stage for Nathaniel and Vincent’s next project, “American Made Movie.” Born and raised in Lawrenceville, Nathaniel is the fifth generation of his family to live in Gwinnett County. “My family’s history is the history of Gwinnett County,” Nathaniel said. His grandfather and father worked for General Motors but, when Nathaniel was in middle school, the family had to temporarily move to Louisiana to find work because the GM plant was laying off workers.
Across the nation jobs in manufacturing have been in decline for years. “Everyone’s talking about unemployment,” Nathaniel said. “We looked at how Gwinnett County tries to attract companies to come here and how they encourage people to buy local goods.” The seed was planted. “American Made Movie” looks at the impact that some American companies are having not only on the local level but on the national level as well. “Manufacturing is coming back in a big way,” Nathaniel said. “The American consumer has the ability to make a difference by buying local.” Nathaniel and Vincent finished filming the movie in 2012 and screened it in January of 2013.Later that year, the pair went on a 32 city tour in 32 days to promote the movie. This past April Virgil Films purchased the movie rights and released it for video on demand. Nathaniel and Vincent have an even bigger audience in mind for “American Made Movie.” “We’re writing a curriculum for middle and high school students,” Nathaniel said. “We want to have the movie seen by masses.” In the meantime, Life Is My Movie has expanded. Vincent runs the Los Angeles office while Nathaniel runs the Atlanta office out of Grayson. The company has more documentary movies in development. “After “An Inconvenient Tax” we realized the power of non-fiction documentaries,” Nathaniel said. “We want to make a difference and that is our focus.” You can learn more about Life Is My Movie Entertainment at lifeismymovie.com.
Earl Gray is a freelance writer. Send comments/suggestions to etg_3@hotmail.com.
