Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerard Clarke, Gregory Kerrick, and Rashielle Teape.
Gerard, Gregory, and Rashielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We came together to start The Ledge Media in the spring of 2017. Together, we all had an interest in starting an independent media company as a way to tell the stories we were truly inspired by and found worthy of highlighting and sharing. Separately, we each had unique skills and experience that could form a roughly complete, albeit small, production company.
Greg earned his Bachelor’s degree in Film and has since worked as a cinematographer on projects from feature films and commercials to documentary films for clients like Red Bull Media House, NFL Network, and ESPN. Gerard has years of experience using his skills in photography and film to work with various clients andis responsible for bringing this team together, overseeing important relationships, securing opportunities and managing the company operations. Rashielle worked for Zoo Miami Foundation for about five years as a graphic designer, marketing coordinator, and editor.
In April 2017, Greg and Gerard worked together to film and produce the Ledge’s first short documentary, “People’s Climate March” about the March in D.C. that year. Now, we are currently wrapping up post-production on our second project, Respect the Light, a docuseries about stand-up comedy in Miami that is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha! Managing a small company and producing independent film projects is anything but smooth. Since we are such a small team, we all have to wear many different hats, with the smallest of budgets. Every single problem comes down to the three of us. Every question has to be answered and agreed upon by the three of us. We have final approval of everything, which means there’s nobody else “higher up” on a chain to blame if something goes wrong.
Even from the early stages, working on Respect the Light was always about problem-solving and our ability to be flexible and shift gears when necessary. We didn’t even have solid confirmation of our subjects when we began shooting. One of the comedians that we originally planned to cover turned out to be based way further away than we first thought, and again, with a small budget, every little extra expense had to be considered. This meant we had to find a new comic, and we had already begun production. Thankfully, everything started to fall into place once we really got into production. Then it was about being creative and resourceful. We set up the “look” and lighting for our interviews literally using old Christmas lights, sheets, and mop poles and whatever we could find to make it work, while still looking great. Otherwise, we didn’t have much control over our circumstances so it was all about improvising and working with what we had.
That was just the beginning. After we filmed, post-production came with its own fresh set of challenges. Originally, we planned for the project to be one short documentary film, but we struggled to tell the most compelling version of the story this way so we had to shift to doing an episodic format. Gerard, who is now located in Atlanta, and Greg (they are both co-directors on the project) had to find a way to efficiently meet and edit together virtually. We had to figure out how to finesse assistance with Spanish to English translations, much-needed aerial footage for the film, high-quality music, and more. This meant digging through our personal and professional networks to find help, with a dwindling budget.
Thankfully, with all of the issues we’ve faced, we’ve been so fortunate to find the help and tools we needed. Huge shout out to Zusel Escriba for donating some of her stunning drone footage of Miami that really helped us level-up our production, and Vanessa Deschapell for assisting with the translations!
Please tell us about The Ledge Media.
We like to say that we specialize in storytelling with style. Right now, we’re most known for Respect the Light, a five-episode documentary series that covers the growing stand-up comedy scene in Miami, FL – the city where we all grew up. This is, by far, the project we are most proud of. We are a small team, with a small budget, covering a small comedy scene with up-and-coming comics. Yet we managed to capture something that feels so big. The stories we tell are both intimate and relatable to anyone who has a dream and a passion they are willing to sacrifice everything for. Our subjects, Manny Garavito, Sebastian Mattar and Rudy Wilson have inspired us so much throughout this entire project and we hope we’ve been able to capture their stories in a way that inspires others as well. Plus, in a way, this project is also a love letter to our hometown, Miami. You get to see aspects of it that are lesser known to non-natives and an honest look at what Miami is really all about.
What sets us apart is that even though we face many potential limitations, we were determined to not have to sacrifice quality or any aspects of this story. We know what we want our audience to feel when they watch this and we fought tooth and nail to get there.
Is there a quality or characteristic that has played an outsized role in your success?
A couple of things come to mind. One, our chemistry as a team. When we first came together to form The Ledge, we made a commitment to each other that we would always have each other’s backs. We’ve all had our individual bad experiences working with others, and we knew it was important that there be no room for that. Even though we each have our own responsibilities, everything gets run by the team for approval so that we all feel confident and happy with what we are putting out there. If there’s a problem or setback, we all bear the responsibility. That’s so important because, at the end of the day, the best work is made when you truly believe in it and feel pride in it.
Second, our community! We can’t even express our gratitude for all of the people who have contributed to our success. It really does take a village. Even though our team is officially just the three of us, so many people had a hand in ensuring the success of Respect the Light, including our families, friends, the subjects themselves, and the stand-up comedy community in Miami. People in Miami may come off as super cynical sometimes, but there’s always a willingness to keep putting our city and our people on the map. Even while we were shooting, we were given so much access and freedom in the venues and with our subjects and other comics, that’s really how we were able to capture the full scope of the story. When you’re such a small, humble team, you have to be willing to ask for and accept help wherever you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theledgemedia.com
- Email: info@theledgemedia.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/theledgemedia
- Facebook: facebook.com/theledgemedia
- Twitter: twitter.com/theledgemedia
- Other: patreon.com/theledgemedia http://bit.ly/respectthelight
Image Credit:
The Ledge Media
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