The Storyteller
Alumnus Ronnie Allman recently submitted a short film to Project Greenlight, the incredibly popular directing contest helmed by Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Most people would be intimidated by the odds, but Allman is definitely not one of those people. He has every reason to be confident. Looking for inspiration, Allman ran across Ron Howard's competition, Project Imaginat10n, and decided to enter. The result was “Filter,” a love story set in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has to wear gas masks. With only a year and a half of filmmaking experience, Allman won. Then he was off to New York to meet Howard and a host of celebrities, pick up his prize and be christened a legitimate filmmaker. Allman's “after graduation” story is something many of our students dream about.
He even admits it is a bit like a fairy tale. The Rowlett native took an internship in San Francisco straight out of his undergraduate program and translated that into a job as an art director for an advertising firm.
“There are lots of characters here. Nobody is really from here like people are from Texas. Everyone seems to be passing through. I call it a transit city. And there are lots of stories to tell,” said Allman. “I have a lot of ideas and not enough time to do them all.”
But he certainly is going to try. In addition to his Project Greenlight film, Allman is working on music videos and writing short stories.
Allman says that he would like to eventually open his own production company and change the industry.
Ronnie graduated from the Texas A&M University-Commerce with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Direction. He currently works at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. View his award-winning film, “Filter,” and find out about his other upcoming projects at ronnieallman.com.