Les Owen has pursued professional careers in both music and filmmaking. He received Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. then successfully auditioned for a position as saxophonist in The United States Army Field Band, Jazz Ambassadors in Washington DC. in 1983 and later went on to the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, also in Washington. He served his country for over 32 years as a musician, educator and producer in these elite organizations. During that time he performed throughout the United States and around the world as well as The White House and other highly visible venues.
During his service in The United States Army Band Les explored his interest in filmmaking. He started his own production company, Treehouse Dreams Films, in 2005 and began producing various videos and short films which eventually included projects for The U.S. Army Band. As the band added more and more visual components to their live performances, Les was tasked to become the first full time Video Producer for The U.S. Army Band. He created invaluable productions used by the band, as well as top U.S. Army leadership, for marketing, archiving, promotion and international public relations.
Since retiring from The Army Band Les has produced a number of successful award winning documentaries and continues to have his films screened in film festivals and television broadcasts across the country and internationally.
His awards include numerous Telly Awards, Communicator Awards, Accolade Awards and many other industry awards of excellence as well as winning various categories in international film festivals.
