Meet Leland & Phaedra Benford | Director & Producer at Cupcake Rapture Studios

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leland & Phaedra Benford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leland & Phaedra, why did you pursue a creative career?
Both of us gravitated toward film at a young age. We both have a passion for movies and always wanted to be involved in the magic. After graduating from Full Sail University on the same day we journeyed to Atlanta to pursue film. Throughout our careers (Leland pursued sales and Phaedra Real Estate) we never stopped seeking out opportunities to film and at the beginning of 2021, we made the leap into full-time filmmaking.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Cupcake Rapture Studios is a full-service production house focused on feature films and digital content. We produce everything from short-form commercials to feature-length films by helping to curate a story, hiring a crew, and executing production and post-production. Our in-house Director Leland takes the creative lead while our Producer Phaedra coordinates production. The running joke in our team is that if you want to get something done, bring it to us. If there’s anything that you need to know about Cupcake Rapture it’s that no matter the project, we’re going to get it done, one way or another.

2023 is shaping up to be very exciting with the release of our premiere feature film “Empathy” in May followed by the premiere of our first pilot for the series “From Yard” in June. We are extremely proud of both of these projects and we can’t wait to show them off.

We have taken many lumps and bumps in this industry but we have learned and continue to learn so much. Working with different businesses and creators not only fuels our business but fuels us both individually. We are students at heart and love learning about the people we get to work with and highlighting their unique stories the best way we know how – through film.

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?
The first place we always take our visitors is to Flying Biscuit. We are OBSESSED with their gouda grits and biscuits. Next, we would head to the Georgia Aquarium (Phaedra’s favorite place) to see the largest tank in the US. Then we would head out to Atlantic Station for some shopping followed by a movie at the Regal before grabbing a bite to eat at one of the restaurants over there (they’re all great). For a more intimate dinner, we would take our guests to Lyla Lila for the roasted duck lasagna and incredible cocktail selection.

We also love the Battery and taking nature hikes at Stone Mountain Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s impossible to pick one single influence that has helped us on our journey but we would like to dedicate our shoutout to our families. Without their guidance, trust, and most of all support there is no way we would be where we are today. They don’t call this the path of the starving artist for nothing. Many of our projects simply wouldn’t have happened without their generosity. There have been many ups and downs and I’m sure there are more to come. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them.

Website: www.cupcakerapture.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cupcake-rapture-studios-llc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cupcakerapture

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

Other: Empathy: https://www.cupcakerapture.com/empathy Empathy: https://www.instagram.com/empathy_film/ From Yard: https://www.instagram.com/fromyard_theseries/

Image Credits
Nick Whatley