Outsiders Productions: Kenny Pitts, Jason Alexander, Adam Hampton & Chad Mathews
from the
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ALUMS MAKE THEIR VISION A REALITY They may not be DreamWorks Studios yet but with eight films in the can since 2005, Outsiders Productions could be the next force in the cinema industry. The independent moviemakers, made up of ECU alumni Kenny Pitts (’99 and “01), Adam Hampton (‘01) and Jason Alexander (’04) along with pal Chad Mathews, have been invited to film festivals across the country where their movies and short films have captured the imaginations of audiences, garnered the attention of the press and taken home numerous awards. “These guys are my friends who have become my brothers and it has become a comfortable, warm place to come and do the illogical with,” Pitts said. “I have no problem letting go or exploring an emotion being around them on set.” Hampton, who has written and directed five of the group’s films, said making movies is a passion, a fervent desire to tell the stories that bubble inside him. “It is a bloody chase but we all believe in the story -
Up
whatever that might be - and I am hungry to tell it,” he said. “I think we all are. I don’t know how smart it is, but I can assure you the love is pure.” Nobody is in charge. The roles are dictated by each project. Every member of the team has a different skill set that the others gravitate towards. “Jason and Chad are more technically proficient than I am, and for the most part, they don’t have interest in writing scripts,” Hampton said. “Kenny is amazing as an actor and entertainer, but he is also a gifted and adept producer. He also writes.” EAST CENTRAL UNIVERSITY BEGINNINGS Outsiders Productions formed in 2004 as an end of year college project for Alexander. “I asked Adam if he’d be interested in writing a script for me that I could produce for my senior project,” he said. “He and I enrolled in an independent study, formed the company and started shooting ‘Looking for Hope.’” The full length drama deals with a small-town factory
Q. What does ECU’s campus have that the Smithsonian Museum wants? A. “The Callixylon which is a 250,000,000 24 The Columns
