Meet Gavin Fields | Writer; Director

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

Hi Gavin, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My wife, Shelby, and I started Lil Cowboy in 2021. I previously had a video agency in Chattanooga and she had just moved back from New York where she was pursuing her career as an actor. We had both been chasing our dream long enough to realize that, no matter how many scripts I wrote (or how many roles she auditioned for), nobody was coming to hand us the perfect opportunity. We realized that if I want to be a director (and if she wants to be an actor) our best bet was to make our own films together. So, we started Lil Cowboy, a production company that gave us the opportunity to determine our focus and output between commercial work and our own, narrative films.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The films we make are truly independent. We’re really proud of the efforts and the sacrifice that goes into making an independent film. Each one you make feels like a tiny miracle.

Brutal Season was filmed during COVID in the winter of 2020. It’s a period piece set in the 1940s in Red Hook, New York. The film takes place in the kitchen of the apartment of the Trouth’s. When the eldest son inexplicably returns after a 12 year absence, the family struggles to come to terms with the violence, addiction and rather large life insurance policy that comes in his wake. Brutal Season is a chamber play shot within one room and only with a handful of actors. It’s very much inspired by film noir and classic American theater.

Our latest film, Window Shopping, is about a group of filmmakers who follow their unhinged director, Lincoln, into the mountains of Carolina to embark on the journey of ‘real socialist cinema’. It does not go according to plan. Window Shopping is a suspense/comedy that was shot on the most meager budget. That said, filming Window Shopping felt like capturing lightning in a bottle – the cast and crew worked tirelessly to create something truly different. If you don’t have money to make a movie, you better have spirit and gumption. The Window Shopping crew brought that in spades. Window Shopping is currently in post-production. We’re hoping to premiere later this year.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Shelby is from Atlanta. Before we were married, I would come to Atlanta on the weekends to visit her. By the time I moved here in 2021, I knew the area pretty well…so, we picked a place to live with this exact itinerary in mind.

The most important factor in our location is that we are in-between The Plaza and Midtown Art Cinema. We are within a mile of each. So, we can easily walk up Ponce to The Plaza or down the Beltline to Midtown Art Cinema. These two establishments help keep the arts alive in Atlanta. Any chance to show some love and support to these theaters is taken. On that note, Videodrome is another Atlanta staple that does wonders for the city. Another must-see spot for visitors interested in the arts – particularly film.

We live a stone’s throw to the Local. We take everybody there because it’s the best. We’ve lost a few amazing spots on Ponce in the last year (RIP Bookhouse, Java Jive, & The Best Sandwhich Shop), so I really hope those shoes are filled with some cool, locally owned businesses that I can share with out-of-town guests.

If friends are coming into town, we’re definitely going to spend some time on the Beltline. Hop into Burle’s, Three Tavern’s Wine, Victory Sandwhich Shop – too many good options to name.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Filmmaking is inherently collaborative – so my ‘shoutouts’ are numerous. Unfortunately, that means, no matter how I try, when I shoutout people in my life who desperately deserve it, I’m also excluding several others who are equally deserving.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it weren’t for my wife and business partner, Shelby Grady. We are truly a filmmaking team, and when it comes to actually moving the boulder up the hill, she is the one who is insuppressible. There needs to be somebody like that in a filmmaking team, and in ours, it’s her.

Our families are continuously supportive – my parents, Shelby’s parents. They’re always behind us. In a dramatically sacrificial act of support, my brother, Markwood, has even taken on the plight of an actor. He’s been a lead in both of our feature films – Brutal Season and Window Shopping.

Making a film takes a village. Our latest film, Window Shopping, was the tiniest of villages in comparison to your average film. The film was Co-Produced by Basil Films, the company of our incredibly inventive cinematographer, Tom Festo. Window Shopping was also Co-Produced by Brayvhouse, another Atlanta production company headed by Kaleb Mitchell and Tina McCoy Mitchell. Both Tina and Kaleb are extremely talented actors, writers, directors – they wore many hats on the set of Window Shopping.

Website: https://www.lilcowboy.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilcowboy.films/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-fields-9778709b/