Meet Joe Lewis | Documentary Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance is rooted back to my high school photography program. I was fortunate to attend a high school that offered an intensive career tech course on photography. My final two years of high school I was able to spend half my day in the dark room and studio. This allowed me to spend a great amount of time working on my craft while following goal oriented projects.

This experience guided me in the direction of an art and design college, where I changed my major to filmmaking. At the Columbus College Of Art & Design I was shocked by the passion and commitment of the students from the beginning. I came from a background of athletics and could find a respect for the hours and days my fellow students dedicated to their work.

Since I was at a school solely dedicated to art and design I became obsessed with the creative process. As a filmmaker focusing in documentary work, my process involved research, writing, watching and creating. It was a cycle I found myself in 24/7.

While ideally finding yourself spending ALL of your time focused on your next project, that ends when you walk across that stage to graduate. 6 years removed from college, I am the father of a 2 and a half year old who runs his own production company, while taking on independent documentary contract work.

To balance work and life my time had to be analyzed. While I refuse to step away from my creative process, it can become increasingly difficult to manage the time of work when your dedications take on bigger meanings.

I chose to commit to a regimented schedule, without having to loose my intensity and creative drive. I spend the mornings working on pre-production or any writing I need to do, moving into the afternoon where I take a look at any edits that need attention. If I have a meeting I schedule it after I spent the day working, I find my brain is sharper after I’ve worked it out.

Depending on my clients schedules and my partner and sons schedule, I book my shoot dates accordingly and concisely. I keep a clear communication with my clients about my availability and time frame. While it can seem daunting to hold yourself to a tight schedule, creating the muscle memory of your process will become second nature to you.

By 5:30pm on most days, I am in my sweats, making dinner, playing with my precious son and spending quality time with my beautiful partner.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
From a young age I found myself in love with journalism, with my photo background I intended on pursing a photo journalism career. By the time I got to college, photojournalism was a dying field. This shifted my focus to documentary work.

My senior year thesis was a documentary on my uncle, who was shot by the National Guard at Kent State in 1970, the film follows my uncle at his home in rural Oregon, detailing his experience and posing the question surround the use of force by military and police. Luckily this film was able to win a handful of film festival awards, in the US and internationally.

6 months removed from releasing my thesis film, I was approached to go interview a man named Craig Mack, a former Bad Boy Records artist who found himself living at a cult in South Carolina. From that conversation with Craig myself and 2 producers were able to form a bond with the cult, gaining unlimited access to them.

This project began in 2018 and over the course of 3 years I produced and documented the cults ins and outs. While silently communicating with former members and victims of the cult, all independently. With a few hiccups due to the writers strike, the film is in the stage of being shopped to networks.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If were in Columbus, I’m taking them to the Olde Towne Tavern for a few beers and good nachos.

If were in Cleveland I’m taking them to Little Italy and getting some Mama Santas.

If we end up in Cincinnati I’m asking someone else for recommendations. LOL

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to make a shoutout to my older sister and her husband, who both were photographers growing up, watching them run their own business and create meaningful work set the tone for me as a teen. I also would like to shoutout Jeannene Mathis-Bertosa, who was my photography teacher at GlenOak High School where I ultimetly found my love for creating photo and video. Another influential person who has played a massive role in my creative approach is professor Tracy Miller-Robbins.

Also I’d like to shout out my best friend and producer James Russo, we’ve been creating video work since 2013 and have shared many experiences together, brutal and beautiful.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_joelewis/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJcPr2hKmL9ON1oW3TvxqsQ

Image Credits
Mark Webber