ALMetro360 June 19

Stephen Poff – A Local Artist, Filmmaker, Father with Extraordinary Talent Directs a New Film to Have an Outlet for His Songs BY L YNN C OX W E SAT DOWN WITH S TEPHEN P OFF RECENTLY TO TALK ABOUT HIS NEWEST CREATIVE PROJECT , A FILM CALLED “T HE S ONG Y OU ’ LL N EVER H EAR .” I T IS A SEQUEL TO THE FILM “S ONGS ABOUT Y OUR G IRLFRIEND ”. A FILM HE PRODUCED YEARS AGO ON THE M ISSISSIPPI C OAST BEFORE H URRICANE K ATRINA , W E TOOK TIME TO LEARN ABOUT HIS BEGINNINGS ON THIS PATH TO FILMMAKER . f you know Stephen, you know he is a humble, modest man, but oh the talent that he has is extraordinary. Poff, originally fromMississippi, had a tough upbringing. His father was a bit of a rounder and stayed in trouble more than he stayed at home. His parents even- tually divorced and his mother re-married a wonderful man who took Stephen and his sister in as his own. He was a quick learner and always trying new things. Even though the funds to go to col- lege were not there, that did not keep him from learning and pur- suing his dreams. He had written songs, been in a rock band while in high school, then worked as an engineer in a recording studio. Along the way, he took a move into graphic design. But as he says, “I wasn’t happy and didn’t feel like I had found my calling.” So, he began to try his hand at filmmaking, starting with a short film with his daughter and her friends. Poff said he read "Rebel Without a Crew", a book by Robert Ro- driguez, an American filmmaker who shoots, edits, produces and scores a lot of his films. The story was about how he produced the 18 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT .................. I