West of Greatness

West of Greatness is a personal story rooted in the world I grew up in and the people who shaped me.
In Northwest Arkansas, life often felt directionless. We spent our days skateboarding on cracked pavement, rebelling in small, often self-destructive ways, and seeking out trouble to break the monotony. Drugs, cheap beer, violence, and movies formed the backdrop of growing up in a struggling industrial town.

Addiction and poverty were woven into the fabric of daily life where I came from. I was lucky to find a way out—to get clean and sober—but many of the people I grew up with weren’t as fortunate. They are the true inspirations for this film—ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges with quiet strength and resilience, often relying on small illusions to make it through another day.

In the years since getting sober, storytelling has become an urgent calling for me.
Now living in New Orleans, I’ve found a new sense of home on the Westbank, a diverse and resilient community that reminds me of where I come from. It’s here that West of Greatness takes place—a story about two young men, Terry and Jerome, each searching for purpose in a world that offers few opportunities. Bodybuilding, a pursuit that demands complete dedication and self-discipline, becomes their way of finding meaning and self-worth in a difficult environment.

Making this film was a collaborative effort in every sense.
We created a real bodybuilding competition, blending actors with actual participants, and filmed over the course of a year as they trained, transformed, and prepared for the event. This hybrid approach allowed us to capture unscripted moments that deepened the film’s authenticity, blurring the lines between fiction and reality in ways I never anticipated.

But this project was far from a solo endeavor. It was shaped by an extraordinary team of collaborators who gave everything to bring this story to life. Their dedication and creativity transformed the film into something I could never have achieved alone. This experience has only reinforced my belief that the strength to endure and create lies in the power of community.

West of Greatness is a film for anyone who’s ever had to invent their own reasons to keep going. It’s a tribute to the overlooked fighters who push forward without recognition and a reminder that true greatness isn’t found in the spotlight but in the quiet strength it takes to keep moving forward.