TENLEY EAKIN

I'm an independent filmmaker in Houston, Texas. I write, direct, shoot, edit, and produce my own work, which means there is no crew standing between me and what ends up on screen. I make documentary, narrative, and experimental films, most of them semi-autobiographical and drawn directly from my own life.
My films have screened domestically and internationally, and I'm currently running the festival circuit with Proof of Life, a short documentary. I have a four-day solo shoot in Marfa, Texas from October 1 to 4, a screening in Barcelona from October 14 to 17, and a SXSW submission in. I'm also lighting an indie feature right now.
I'm a single mom. My daughter Millie is 6. She acts in my films and has started shooting her own video, and she is better at it than most adults I know. My son Guy appears on camera in my documentary work. We live on a property with a vegetable garden where I grow broccoli, eggplant, and whatever else takes. A lot of my work happens right there, which is the honest version of what a working parent's creative life looks like. Nobody is pretending the kids are somewhere else.
I'm serious about gear and I research specific models before I commit to anything. I shoot on a Canon EOS C70 in a SmallRig cage with EF-mount lenses on a Speed Booster adapter, on an iFootage tripod. I carry a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and a DJI Osmo Action 6 for handheld and water work. I light with an Amaran Ray 360c. I grade on an ASUS ProArt QD-OLED monitor with a Calibrite Display Pro HL and MediaLight bias lighting, using an Apple Magic Keyboard and a Logitech MX Master 4. Right now I'm shopping a Manfrotto 1005BAC stand and V30 microSD cards.
I say all of that because it's the kind of thing my audience actually comes to me for. They watch me choose equipment, use it, and be honest about what worked. When I show a product, I've already lived with it.
Outside the work, I do Pilates, I'm an Astros fan with a parking pass for Daikin Park, and I'm deep in Houston's arts and cultural scene. I'm a member of the Children's Museum of Houston, which is where a lot of my weekends go. I'm a photography enthusiast and I print and frame my own work, most recently a 30x20 inch UltraHD print through WhiteWall with acrylic glass in a natural oak frame. Music matters to how I cut, and I'm on Spotify constantly. I don't drink alcohol, so anything in that category isn't a fit for me.
I travel for work, usually alone and usually to shoot. I'm also taking a Disney cruise soon and plan to vlog the whole thing, with Millie shooting alongside me.
What I offer a brand is not reach for its own sake. It's a small, specific audience that trusts me because I've never sold them anything I don't use. I work in camera gear, lighting, editing hardware, family travel, kid-friendly Houston, fitness, home and garden, and photo printing. I can deliver finished video, stills, and written copy myself, at the same standard I hold my films to, without hiring anything out.

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