RYAN HARTFORD - Gurnee, IL

Smoke poured from the back muffler of the furniture filled U-Haul as it sat in the driveway awaiting our departure to our new home. I was accustomed to the moving truck and the packing process, especially since I did it about every other year. Between the time my mom passed away when I was two, until the time I entered into college, I’ve lived in seven Midwest states; A few of them more than once. The vast majority of different environments and attractions made Texas my favorite.
I was in middle school, living in Kansas at the time when my friends and I would always discuss what college we planned to attend and boast about the one we thought was best. The University of Texas at Austin was always the school I bragged about.
Entering high school was somewhat daunting because I lacked confidence in a career path. I’ve always had an interest in film and acting, but I never thought of it as an occupation. When I became a junior in high school I purchased my first hand held camcorder and a computer with editing software installed on it. Using my newly acquired equipment, I wrote and directed my first short film and showed it at a school event. It was well received and I was encouraged to continue working at it. I finally realized what I was going to strive for as a career.
I moved to Texas after high school to go into UT’s RTF program, but after a year of gaining residency there, an opportunity arose to go to Chicago and I took it. Immediately after arriving there, I was admitted to the College of Lake County, where I joined the schools soccer team. Being a member of the soccer team opened the doors to new friendships and helped me become acclimated to the area.
Large paper filled bulletin boards lines the walls of my college. One flyer in particular caught my eye. In big lettering the flyer stated that the movie “5-25-77” was in post-production and they needed a couple more assistance. I proceeded to write the location and time down. When I arrived, there was a small meeting and each person received a role. That’s when I met Patrick Read Johnson who wrote and directed the film. He played a big part in encouraging my success and he demonstrated new ways for me to get involved.
After finding a few production houses in Chicago, I decided to send my resume and headshots to them. I was stocking shoes at The Sports Authority when I got the call to be a featured extra in the movie, “The Express” with Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown. I worked on the film for three months playing the part of a male cheerleader. Doing that opened up other doors for extra and acting work. I auditioned for five to six films being cast in two independent features, a television show pilot, and several short films.
While on set during breaks between acting, I wrote several film scripts. I was able to complete a 110 page feature and several short film scripts which I eventually planned to film. I began buying lights, better editing software, a camera (canon XL2), and other supplies in preparation to filming. I filmed several things with the equipment and soon I hope to get to my feature.
I very much enjoy acting and film making however the pay was sub par at best. School was starting soon and the payment deadline was nearing; I needed to find a job that was both flexible and paid well. I sent my resume to some marketing companies in hopes to do promotional work. I soon received the call from a company offering me the opportunity to work a Kellogg’s promotion. I’ve worked with Honda, Discover Card, New Balance, and a few others since my initial phone call. Later that year, my experience led me being hired as a Sony rep. on a 6 month tour traveling up and down the east coast.
My past two years in college were very exciting for me. I’ve learned a lot and did a lot of neat things through it. I’m now ready to move on to something bigger, a school that will bridge the gap between learning and doing, at a professional level. UT’s outstanding reputation and influence has always been reason for me to transfer into the school, and finally I’ll get my chance.
The U-Haul continued on its route and I realized that moving isn’t that bad, I’ve become acclimated to different cultures, met tons of people, and

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." – Conrad Hilton