Meet Trevor Hancock

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

Hi Trevor, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It’s pretty much all I’ve ever wanted to do. I come from a small hometown in Tennessee, where most people work blue-collar jobs, so creative work was limited and difficult to break through. I grew up watching cartoons and movies in my living room, dreaming one day I could be a part of that process. Originally I wanted to be an animator and work on Pixar movies, but eventually, I picked up a camera, and from then on I knew I wanted to do something in film. I had a lot of twists and turns, doubts, and concerns, you name it. At some point, I wanted to be an English teacher, a youth pastor, or some other safe career path. After graduating from college, I landed a job at an IT firm helping with filing and was absolutely miserable. I woke up every day wondering when it was going to end and I would be happy. One day a friend of mine suggested reaching out to this guy named, Nathan Mowery and I immediately started messaging him about filmmaking questions. “How did you get to where you are?”, “What’s an f-stop?” Eventually, Nathan asked me to come to Atlanta to help him film a music video. I went into that day like it was my last shot at filmmaking. I was on my toes the whole time and wanted to make an impression.

A couple of months went by and I began to give up hope. I went into my IT job and accepted that this was my life. Sitting at a desk contributes nothing to pleasing my creative urges. Then one day I received a text: ‘Hey bro, give me a call after you get off work.’

It was Nathan; I don’t even think I waited a minute after receiving that. “Hey bro, I’ve got a crazy idea. I’m going to buy a house and I want you and 4 other filmmakers to move in with me. Let me mentor you and introduce you to the Atlanta filmmaking scene.” 5 months later, on April 29th, 2019, I packed up most of my earthly possessions and moved to Atlanta, GA. It was bittersweet to move away from everything I’ve ever known, but exciting to be moving to something bigger and more fulfilling.

I’ve been in Atlanta now for 5 years and it’s been the best ride of my entire life. I found the love of my life, got married, and worked with big brands like All Elite Wrestling, Fox Sports, NASCAR, Shakey Knees, DDP Yoga and so many more. I also am a part of a community of filmmakers who just create for the love of the craft called, Kick the Ladder. This community taught me so much about the creative process and collaboration and I’m eternally grateful for what they’ve done for my artistic journey. I’ve made over 30 micro short films thanks to them. Not many people get a chance to land on something they genuinely love doing, but I’m glad to be where I am.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is derived a lot from my nostalgia and my version of fun. It’s something I can’t explain very well, but I know it when I see it. Something that brings me joy to see on a screen. If something doesn’t seem fun or meaningful, then what’s the point of making it? I’m heavily influenced by films like Back to the Future and Pixar films. I love simple storytelling told through an effective lens. That’s always been the kind of art that I’ve connected with the most, and I hope to emulate that through my work.

The project I’m most proud of at the moment is a music video I directed for the band, Guardians of the Jukebox. They came to me asking for an 80’s throwback rollerskating music video and I feel like my team and I delivered just that. My DP, Isaac Leif, and the rest of the crew absolutely crushed it. Can’t wait to show the world what we worked on. A film that I’m most proud of would probably be the short horror film, Camp Ripley that I created alongside one of my favorite collaborators, Matt Dickstein. It was a blast to make and we made some killer memories.

I explained my backstory earlier, but I felt like I truly didn’t form into my professional work until about mid-2020. The pandemic gave me a lot of time to hone my craft and experiment. It also helped me to live in a house of creatives that pushed me to do my best. Just a continuous process of trial and error and of learning helped me to develop what I’m able to achieve with a camera today.

Once I was thrown into the world of professional wrestling with All Elite Wrestling, I was able to hone my craft weekly. Being forced to think on my feet and react without a moment’s notice helped me develop into the filmmaker I am today. Filmmakers need to be like boxers. Once you take a hit you can’t flinch you gotta stay on your feet and keep fighting.

My entire journey hasn’t been the easiest. It took me forever to understand the basics of filmmaking. My ADHD prevented me from fully grasping some concepts probably, but I didn’t let that stop me from working hard to learn. Thankfully I have an amazing support system that keeps me in check. From my lovely wife to the incredible Kick the Ladder community. I still have a lot to learn, but that doesn’t discourage me from continuing.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to learn to love to fail. That doesn’t mean to seek out failure but to embrace it. Failure is how you grow and become better. Success doesn’t teach you anything. Failure makes you a better person and artist. The best artists I know failed a million more times than I have. Growing up if I failed at something I kept my head down and tried to hide the embarrassment. Sometimes as an adult, it can be embarrassing, but now I do my best to keep my head up and move along.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh man, I still feel like I haven’t fully explored the city, but of my favorite places is Ponce City Market. You could spend an entire day there. Then of course you gotta walk the beltline. I’m probably not the best person to ask this kind of stuff.

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?
First, I gotta shout out my wonderful and lovely wife, Jessica. She truly is such an inspiration to me and a constant reminder for me to chase my dreams. When I’m feeling low and like what I’m doing doesn’t matter she is always there to cheer me up. She is always down to hear what’s on my mind and if I have any new silly ideas for a film. I love spending this life with her the most.

Second, all of my filmmaking friends and mentors, Matt Dickstein, Robert Peak, Isaac Deitz, James Wightman, Nathan Mowery, Nate Powers, Tucker Blackmon, Gwen Shroyer, Lindsey Bell, Jeremy Ping, Travis Flynn, Katie Hawkins, Joe Peed, Seth Kark, Skyler Smith, Dalex Miller, Jaren Lewis, and a heck of a lot more that I can’t think of at this time haha. These people have taken the time to talk to me and work with me throughout my career and I couldn’t be more thankful than to have these people in my life at one point or another. Rock on friends.

Thirdly, I absolutely cannot forget these people, my parents. My mom and dad have supported me since day one. Thank you for allowing me to be weird and express myself. Thank you for raising me to be the man I am today. Can’t believe you were given the responsibility to raise my brother and I don’t know how you did it honestly. Hope to one day return the favor and do something for ya’ll.

Lastly, As for other inspiration throughout my life, I’ll give a few, for films, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Back to the Future, Inside by Bo Burnham, and Toy Story (These change all the time). I’m also heavily inspired by video games such as Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario bros, and Skyrim. There’s a lot that I’m inspired by. If you wanna talk about it send me a DM.

Website: trevorhancock.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portabletrevor/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-hancock/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PortableTrevor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PortableTrevor

Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NvbNokL3pkvdR2yKfbLW8 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-portable-trevor-show/id1554815567

Image Credits
Joe Funk Photography