March 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 03
FREE
LOVE OF MOVIES AND FILM PRODUCTION
FUELS FORMERLY HOMELESS HOLLADAY FILMMAKER SPANKY WARD By Sona Schmidt-Harris | s.schmidtharris@mycityjournals.com
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hroughout his childhood and most of college, Spanky Ward did not know what he wanted to be when he “grew up.” Then, during his last two years at Weber State University, he was a college DJ. This led him to write and produce some radio commercials. “Everyone loved what I made, and that’s when a love for writing hit me,” Ward said. He did not want to stay in radio, however, and made three zero-budget films “far from perfect, but they got me some attention and started my career,” he said. WSU did not have a film program at the time, so he majored in communications with a minor in English “though I’m horrible with grammar and can’t spell to save my life. Thank goodness for Spellcheck,” he said. Ward had a chaotic and insecure childhood. He, his mother and older brother moved a lot. “We often lived with relatives because we were too poor to get a place of our own, so I spent a lot of my childhood sleeping on couches and floors. At one point we were homeless, living in my mom’s old car, which was parked in someone’s backyard,” he said. “I know what it feels like to be cold and starving; it’s no fun. So, I’ve had an interesting life so far. I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t affected me in a negative way, but on the other hand I can follow the breadcrumbs back through my life and see how the trail has led to where I am now.” Though his youth was difficult, Ward considers those experiences to be “fodder for the muse” and is grateful for those who helped him change and get where he is now. Director Spanky Ward at the premiere of his film, “The Santa Box.” (Photo courtesy Spanky Ward) He loved movies so much, he worked at three different Continued page 9
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