Howdy friend! I'd like to briefly share with you the story of how this little family business started by my "crazy stunt dad" came to be over 20 years ago...
• The Beginning Of Stunt Players!
So stuntman Wally "Gator" Crowder starts to see how difficult it was for new stunt folks to promote themselves as stunt performers. This was an era where the phone only rang if you were hustling sets and actively putting yourself out there face-to-face with the Coordinators (a lot to juggle while training to do one of the toughest jobs on the planet).
Wally "Gator" comes up with the idea to create a hardcopy book called the "Stunt Players Directory" to list all of the stunt performers who wanted to be a part of it, along with their stats, headshots, and abilities, so that Coordinators could easily find new performers to call for work. Pretty cool!
• Here's Where I Come In!
About 10 years or so later after the Stunt Players Directory was born, the stork dropped me from the sky and I face-planted down on the concrete of the world (my first and only stunt). I got to see the stunt directory in action growing up and got to meet easily the coolest people on the planet. I even got to ride passenger to Rick Seaman skiing a car before learning how to ride a bike!
My problem was that as I got older (and my glasses got thicker)... I realized I was a stone-cold COMPUTER GEEK and didn't have the chops to do what my father or any of his friends did...
So I made a promise to use my "nerd powers" to help out my 'ole dad keep his directory ALIVE and try my best to give back to the community that had such a major impact on me and my family in a big way.
(Oddly enough, by having one foot in and one foot out of the stunt industry, I've aimed to bring a fresh take to the table when it comes to promoting the stellar performers in the stunt community and I've been beyond stoked to see great results!)
There are a TON of incredible resources for Stunt Performers today.
There are even MORE stunt directories now, each run by phenomenal members of the stunt community that offer their own ways of getting you "seen" by different Coordinators, Producers, and Directors.
There are HUGE social media platforms that allow you to easily upload your stunt reel and action videos to show off your skills (even more visibility!)
There are all kinds of networking events, virtual events, and meetups to help build your network and grow as a stunt performer.
The resources for stunt performers are growing at lightning speed... This is all very different from back in the day! And for some, it can feel very overwhelming. Well, this is where it all *clicked* for me...
I will never forget when Veteran Stunt Coordinator Thom Williams (and all-around awesome guy) told me in an interview on "what it takes to become a successful stunt performer" that...