Meet John Barnhardt | Director/Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Barnhardt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who have impact. Our last project was a documentary called “Undersized” on the CSU Women’s Basketball team and every single one of the athletes inspired their fans and my crew to be better.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I always wanted to make films. When I was nine years old, I saw the Road Warrior with my father and when I walked out of the theater I told my dad, “I want to make movies.” He said, “good.” From that moment on he took me to every movie he could and fueled that dream. I started at the very bottom running teleprompter for a local news station in Charleston, Sc and climb my way up the ladder. I think starting from the bottom has helped me the most by allowing me to understand where everyone is coming from on the crew. I eventually worked my way into teaching film classes at Trident Technical College and eventually move on past that to direct and co-create a wild life travel show called “Born to explore.” Traveling was my best education and helped me see the world with a different lens. I think everyone has a story to tell, they just need to find their voice. That voice can be a canvas, a sheet of paper, a cello, any instrument to let the music out is what we all need. My instrument just happen to be a camera.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m in Fort Collins, so the first move is to Lucky Joe’s for a night of live music, lone stars and some good old Irish times. At some point, you have to go to Horsetooth and cruise around. After the Horsetooth trip, a quick visit to Music city hot chicken for lunch, then zip down to the emporium for a cheesecake, then make last call at Lucky Joe’s. if we’re lucky, we can see The CSU women’s basketball squad drop buckets at Moby. That’s the full circle fort Collins tour.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give my shoutout to my production crew, Dr. Temple Grandin, The CSU Women’s Basketball team and Colorado State University for believing in me.

Website: barnflyproductions.com

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