Three Years of Great Storytelling (MMM#57)
Greetings all,
Madeline here with the first Movie Minute of September! For this entry, we’ll be reflecting on what it’s like to have been with the Poor Bear Stories team for three years now!
Back in 2022 between my junior and senior years of studying for my BFA in film and television at the Savannah College of Art and Design, I asked the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, who had been supporting me throughout college, if they could help get me an internship within film. It was then that they connected me to creative director Jacob Centeno, who is not only a fellow SOWF recipient, but also a Gold Star child of Operation Red Wings- both of our dads, SFC Marcus Muralles and SCPO Dan Healy, made their ultimate sacrifice on this same mission.
After getting to know each other, I temporarily moved down to the Orlando area, where Jacob had me join him as an intern on a variety of projects to develop my talents within filmmaking. These included event photography at SOWF’s 2022 edition of Operation EPIC, an event I previously attended back in 2017, as well as a music video among other projects. Other than the Florida heat, having to walk in a car dependent area, and catching COVID (what a bummer!), it was a meaningful experience that continues to have an impact on me to this day.
Then after I graduated from SCAD in 2023, I wasn’t sure where I would go for my first job until out of curiosity, I decided to visit Jacob after visiting family back down in South Florida. It was then that he offered me a position on the Poor Bear team, and from there was where my filmmaking evolution truly began. It was the first of September that year, and I mainly started off editing social media reels and occasional highlight reels, which wasn’t too easy at first but got less stressful as I continued on with various projects. Then the following year, I took on additional duties as a camera operator, production assistant, and DIT as I was brought on to shoots for the different clients we work with, such as Legacies Alive, SOWF, and ClearanceJobs.
Over the years leading up to now, as I continued to be part of the teams’ projects, many things have changed both inside and outside of work. Not only did I get the hang of shooting different kinds of footage with various cameras and move on from just editing reels to crafting full highlight videos from scratch, but I also formed long-lasting friendships and relationships with the people we have worked with, from fellow team members to clients and fellow SOWF recipients. Overall, all my time being part of Poor Bear Stories has brought a wealth of knowledge, love, and creativity that will boost me in filmmaking and in life for years to come.
And that concludes this entry in The Movie Minute. Wishing you all the best, and see y’all in 2! -Madeline
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