DesertShamrock Jan-Feb 2015 e-Magazine

By Ann Niemann

Travis Mills,

Filmmaker

T

ravis Mills has barely turned 29 and already Joyce’s “Dubliners contains some of the best his credits include directing five feature films short stories ever written and they are still and over 80 short films, providing most relevant today,” he affirms. Travis’ The Dubof the writing as well. He has also produced music liners in Arizona comprises 15 of the 52-film videos, commercials, and documentaries. All this challenge. They coincided with his showing just since 2010 when he founded Running Wild six of these at the McClelland Irish Library’s Films with local playwright Gus Edwards, a former “Dubliners” 100-year celebration of the pubASU professor of his. “From the beginning, we set a lishing of Joyce’s groundbreaking work. standard of making movies at a fast pace with small In April 2014, he completed production budgets, while focusing on good storytelling.” on his fourth feature, a baseball drama titled Growing up abroad, Travis was born in Quito, Duel at the Mound. The film was shot in Ecuador, lived in France for one year, and then six nine days, featuring locations around the years in French-speaking Comoros Islands off East Phoenix metro area. One of the principals is Africa. He was obsessed with film for a very long Holly Nordquist, the 2013 Arizona Colleen time, starting with watching Mary Poppins “20 and Rose (Irish titleholder), with Michael times in a row” at age 2. Since his dad is an Arizona Hanelin playing her father. native, eventually the family returned to settle in Filming starts in March on Durant’s Mesa with Travis and two Never Closes about younger sisters.

Phoenix icon, Jack Durant.

In high school, he Adapted to the screen by became serious about Travis Mills, the film is based pursuing this career on the works of Mabel Leo direction. Travis graduand Terry Earp. He shares that ated from Arizona State Durant “was a restaurateur, University in Film and ladies’ man, and mysterious started his company a year gentleman who maintained later. It’s not a hobby and many connections to the to demonstrate that, he mafia. From the backwoods went full-time in 2011 of Tennessee to the world of and full throttle. Clearly, Vegas at the time of Bugsy and Travis is viewed as one of finally as the owner of his fathe most respected and mous steakhouse, Durant is a legend and dynamic character, established film producers Duel at the Mound at once charming, powerful, and directors in Arizona, and dangerous. This film tells his story during one committed to building a sustainable film industry day at his restaurant.” in the State. There is a very long list of press awards Durant is played by well-known actor, Tom on his website, plus more recently being included Sizemore, from Saving Private Ryan. The cast in the Phoenix New Times 2014 edition of “100 includes Pam Grier, Peter Creatives,” which spotlights 100 of the city’s creaBogdanovich, Joe Don tive forces.

Baker, and Michael RichA daunting project, Travis is the creator of 52 ards (he played Kramer on films in 52 weeks featuring over 30 Arizona actors the hit show Seinfeld). A in various locales that debuted at a three-day film Kickstarter crowdfunding festival in early 2014. The films are contemporary campaign launches January adaptations of famous short stories by authors 1 to raise $100,000. Go to such as Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, and Irish www.durantsnevercloses. writer James Joyce. Travis has been a devoted fan com for more information of Joyce’s books since his literature days in college. about ways to participate.

His favorite genre?

Westerns! “I love not See Fox10 News about only the look and feel of Durant’s Never Closes Westerns but the central question of justice in every true Western film.” Running

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The Desert Shamrock

Wild’s most ambitious project to date is 12 Western feature films in 12 months, to begin production in 2016. Travis highlights that they will be traditional, along with some variations with contemporary settings and one musical.

Sitting opposite me having lunch at Durant’s, Travis grinned and remarked the red hair and beard had to come from somewhere. He has Scotch-Irish from both sides. His dad is the family genealogy expert, tracing their heritage all the way to William Smith Bryan (1590 - 1667), Travis’ 11th great grandfather. Bryan and his wife, Catherine Morgan, were both born in County Clare, Ireland. During the Puritan Rebellion, William Smith Bryan attempted to gain the throne of Ireland and was dubbed “Prince William of Ireland” by his followers, at that time thought to be the only lineal descendant of ‘Bryan Borou,’ King of Ireland. Sometime about 1650 to 1660, William Smith Bryan and Catherine were exiled to Virginia by Oliver Cromwell for anti-English continued on page 22

James Joyce “The Dead”

January – February 2015