Support Hunter Nickless' Film Festival Journey

Hello there! My name is Kyra McKinney and I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my friend, Hunter Nickless. Hunter is a young filmmaker from Chesapeake, Virginia, who was recently given the opportunity to attend three highly acclaimed film festivals and pitch his work to industry professionals.

Hunter’s passion for filmmaking sparked when he was a young boy, being on set for TV, film and commercials. At ten years old, he filmed his first short film, “Haunted for Life.” Two years later, it became an award winning short film and gained international recognition. Today, Hunter is fifteen, and attends a Performing Arts High School where he focuses his studies on film production. He now has four films, which together have received over 90 accolades at film festivals worldwide in categories such as, Best Actor and Best Young Filmmaker. His camera has since become a part of him, continuing to go wherever he goes. He actively tries to capture footage to put together video edits, as well as shooting photography. Hunter is building up his portfolio and hoping that it will draw enough interest to book work. This would help pay for new film equipment, as well as help Hunter attend future festivals he is likely to be invited to.

Each festival Hunter attends comes with the opportunity to be a part of screenings and workshops and to network himself, while learning from professional filmmakers first hand. By attending, he takes every bit of knowledge he can collect, applying it to his next project; and when his peers ask for his help, Hunter is quick to give it. He never hesitates to be of assistance to those in his community, encouraging them to grow alongside one another as filmmakers. I met Hunter over a year ago through the acting class we attend. I learned very quickly what kind of person Hunter is by his motivation and how it inspires others. His award winning work was the inspiration for a short film competition in our class where Hunter was hands-on, helping every student with the creation of their own short films. As a mentor, he provided assistance on structure, storyboarding, shots and editing. As a judge, he critiqued the work of each of his peers with honest, positive and beneficial feedback. He has since guided many of those students who have been inspired by him, with the process of submitting their own work to film festivals around the country. Most recently, he assisted two of his peers with the making of their very first short film. He taught them how to use the camera, set up audio and continues to be an integral part of the editing process with them in post production.

As Hunter’s acceptance rate into these festivals continues to grow, so does the submission fees and travel expenses. This cost is limiting how many festivals he can attend. As well as limiting his potential of furthering his knowledge and networking with fellow filmmakers at much larger events that he has found himself being invited to. Some of the more recent film festivals he has been accepted into and plans on attending:

These festivals bring such large opportunities that Hunter has yet to be a part of. This includes traveling abroad, where he would get a chance to learn about the perspective of the film industry at the Red Movie Awards in Reim’s, France. Hunter will also be presenting his short film, “Gone,” before well known box office filmmakers in Burbank, California. As well as pitching the same film to a panel, made up of industry professionals on Catalina Island at the Lions Den. This is a rare opportunity for select filmmakers to present themselves and their work before a panel of industry professionals and investors. He will have five minutes to present his film, with hopes of striking a financial agreement to help further the film into a feature. Presenting oneself before investors is not easy and very hard to come by. Which is why this alone would be such a great experience and opportunity for Hunter, especially at his age. By being a part of all of these highly acclaimed film festivals and the opportunity of pitching himself and his work at the Lions Den, Hunter ultimately plans on continuing to share his experiences at these festivals with fellow student filmmakers.

Always giving back to his filmmaking community as an inspiration, a leader, a teammate and a friend, it is with great excitement that I organize this GoFundMe for Hunter. The money raised will go towards airfare, lodging, transportation, festival fees, etc. between the three festivals. It will especially aid in Hunter’s transportation between the events of Burbank and Catalina, whose dates align with one another, but do not deter Hunter from giving his time to both. The donations will also help fund Hunter’s opportunity to be a part of the Lions Den. Any donations that exceed the goal will be saved and used towards future festivals that Hunter gets accepted into.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know Hunter. He and his family appreciate any and all contributions toward his goal and his continuous journey doing what he loves and is meant to be; a great filmmaker.

If you would like to check out Hunter’s work, I listed the links to his websites below:

https://www.hunternickless.com/ (Hunter’s Acting and Festivals)

https://www.hunternickless-photography.com/portfolio/ (Hunter’s Photography)