Colby Holt and Sam Probst Return to Film Ganymede

Horror DIRECTORS COLBY HOLT AND SAM PROBST FILM LGBTQ+ Thirller

IN PADUCAH

by STEPHANIE WATSON

HE PRODUCTION OF INDEPENDENT FILM in Paducah is nothing new for our artistic town, but the size and scope of one of the latest movies shot T here certainly is. This summer, native Paducahan Colby Holt and his husband, Sam Probst, spent nearly a month back in Colby’s hometown filming Ganymede, an LGBTQ+ horror thriller produced under Kentucky’s tax credit for film production. Ganymede tells the story of Lee Fletcher IV, a high school senior and third generation heir to a local political dynasty in a small town in the South. When he develops a crush on his openly gay classmate, Lee finds himself stalked by a grotesque, faceless creature that increasingly inhabits his thoughts and threatens physical harm. Part horror, part coming of age, Ganymede examines the experiences that many people identifying as LGBTQ+ face during their most formative years.

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PADUCAH LIFE

“We were pulling from a modern Southern gothic lens, looking at how the past and future pull on each other, particularly on the issue of LGBTQ+ rights,” Colby explains. “While acceptance of the LGBTQ community may be at an all-time high, we also are facing a new wave of backlash, violence, and discrimination. That ideological split and its real-world implications are what we seek to dissect with this work. We wanted to explore the queer experience in the modern South, in both its unapologetic pride and the terror one can sometimes feel with the realization they are gay or queer identified.”

Filming took place over the course of 19 days (and several late nights) throughout the city and included several recognizable locations such as Paducah Tilghman High School, WKCTC, Jefferson Street, and the Lowertown neighborhood. The film stars breakout actors Jordan Doww and Pablo Castelblanco and features several seasoned actors including David Koechner (Anchorman and The Office), Robin Lively (9-1-1: Lone Star and Teen Witch), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things), and Marissa Reyes (Spirit Halloween and Raven’s Home). Many Paducah locals will also appear in the film as extras, a fact that has further excited local interest and investment in the film’s success.

Ganymede is produced by Stephen Stanley (What Lies Below), Kevin Greene, and Mark Goldberg in association with Iris Indie International. Geneva Wasserman of Dentsu’s The Story Lab (Spiderhead), J Craig Gordon, Kevin Stansberry, and Sean Fernald serve as Executive Producers. Ganymede is set to open with a festival premier in 2023.

Filming in Colby’s hometown was a goal for the pair from the beginning and investing locally was a priority for this proud Paducahan. “Not only is Paducah beautiful and a perfect setting for the type of film we were trying to make,” he notes, “but I’d rather spend the money in Paducah and invest into my hometown. Working with the city and local businesses from set locations to catering to costumes was a wonderful experience, and I think others will see that Paducah is a great place for filming.”

And while Colby and Sam note that they wanted to film here regardless of the tax credit, the cost benefits of filming a movie in McCracken County was a definite bonus. The Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program, which started in 2009 and experienced a significant boost in 2015, now offers up to 35% in refundable tax credits for filmmakers who bring their work to our state. In January 2022, it further grew the program by opening the credit to production companies that aren’t Kentucky entities. Some counties, including our own, also offer an additional enhanced incentive package of a 5% tax credit, making the state a competitive location for filming.

“The changes made in January 2022 open the state to a whole new world of filming and production opportunities for entities outside our state, and I think people are really going to start to see that Kentucky is a great place to bring your film,” Colby states. “The film office in Kentucky is wonderful, and they offer a very competitive incentive program when compared with other states in this region. One of our producers, Iris Indie International, is already considering shooting another film in Paducah because of their experience working with our film here.”

the CAST Left to Right: Jordan Doww (photo by Luke Fontana), Pablo Castelblanco (photo by Stephen Busken), David Koechner (photo by Mandee Johnson), Robin Lively (photo by Robert Zazandjian), Joe Chrest (Not pictured), and Marissa Reyes (photo by Tori Reyes).

Cinema with Substance

Producing film that engages people’s hearts and minds while exposing audiences to underrepresented perspectives is the primary motivation behind Colby and Sam’s work. Their first feature film, Pig Hag, premiered in the Narrative Feature Competition at SXSW in 2019. It follows the story of a woman in her mid-thirties struggling with family and societal pressure to find a partner and have children. Pig Hag’s showing at SXSW was a huge turning point for the directors, solidifying their place in the independent film industry and giving them an even larger platform for sharing their perspectives.

“Film is our way of engaging with the world outside ourselves while also trying to use our voices to leave the world a little better than we found it,” Colby states. “We lean into stories that challenge people’s perceptions, and we hope we can help them feel something and come out a little bit better or, at least, more informed.”

Sam, who is a digital and video film editor by trade, is originally from South Bend, Indiana. He started making films when he was 10 years old with the family camera, and later graduated from The Illinois Institute of ArtChicago with a Bachelor’s in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production.

After graduating from Paducah Tilghman High School, Colby obtained a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. He later studied writing for film and television under Michael McCarthy (Mike & Molly, SNL, Sesame Street) at iO, an improv and theater training center in Chicago.

In 2012 while studying at the theater, Colby met Sam, and the couple’s personal and professional lives converged. Together, they created Neighborhood Pictures, a production company dedicated to bringing diverse, LGBTQ, and heartfelt content to small screens, big screens, and stages.

While working professionally with one’s husband isn’t without some challenges, they wouldn’t have it any other way. “This industry is intense, and the work is time consuming. I can’t imagine how anyone does this alone,” Colby notes. “Honestly, I love that we work together because it feels like we’re in this together, and it’s rewarding to get to be proud of what we’ve done together. Life is better shared, and, for us, that applies to work as well.”

Photographs courtesy of Oscar Partridge