Meet Will Hollerung | Photographer & Filmmaker

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

Hi Will, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
What make me happy is telling stories that people care about. The one thing that everyone for sure has in common is a connection to the human condition. Love, fear, sadness, and many other emotions play a crucial role in everyone’s own unique journey through life. With my work, if I can bring people from different walks of life to come together and laugh, or cry, or cheer, or simply experience the same reality together, then I‘m satisfied as a creative.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a kid, I saw how the arts were severely under-represented and under-valued in society. I was fortunate to grow up in a home where I was encouraged to stimulate the right side of my brain just as much as the left, and above all else to become a well-rounded person. I felt that I could truly achieve that through my filmmaking and my photography. I’ve always been the type of artist who wants their hands in many different pots at once and working as a freelancer has certainly afforded me that luxury. It provides a flexibility and a spontaneity that makes each day fresh and exciting and has helped me learn which mediums and roles I want to diver deeper into.

My real artistic endeavors began behind-the-camera. Then, in high school, I stepped out into the spotlight and truly fell in love with acting. That passion guided me to the University of South Carolina where I earned two degrees in Media Arts and Theatre. Today, my behind-the-camera and acting expertise have molded me into the visual storyteller I am. My work, while highly stylized, focuses on what’s inside all of us: raw, human emotion that we tend to cast aside. I knew I wanted my work to be cathartic, not only for the audience but for myself.

I’ve learned many lessons over my career. I’ve learned that the stories I tell aren’t for everyone, and honestly, they shouldn’t be. If everyone automatically agreed with what I had to say, knew the ending of a film before the credits rolled, or could analyze one of my photographs exactly as intended on first glance, then I haven’t really told a unique story. My mission in to bring something, whether it be a story or angle at which it is shown, never seen before to the forefront. Hopefully, I will inspire others to do the same along the way.

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.
Atlanta is a vibrant hub for arts and culture, so it would be tough to tackle everything I wanted! Taking in the sights would be first on my itinerary including everything from Piedmont Park to Sweetwater Creek State Park or the Chattahoochee River . As a filmmaker, I would want to scout out some of the most iconic filming locations in the Atlanta Metro area like the Jackson Street Bridge. For food and drink, we would hit up some of the stellar local breweries and try a variety of foods at a place like Ponce City Market or The Works. Maybe even the downtown Smyrna area or The Battery! For entertainment, my first destination would be Alliance Theatre or Stage Door Theatre to catch a show. Then hopefully there will be one of the always-popular festivals up and running in Piedmont Park for us to swing by and check out.

Obviously, depending on the season, we would have to get tickets to see the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, or Atlanta United play! Catching a game either at home, at a bar, or at the stadium is a must.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my Mom & Dad, Kinzie Correll, John Romanski, my Famously Hot Films production team, Nick Hoisington & Virtual Media Tours, and my Gamecock family back at the University of South Carolina.

I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you all.

Website: willhollerung.com

Instagram: @Will_Hollerung

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/willhollerung

Twitter: @Will_Hollerung

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgX7XW4rf31O7YqbMCEZd8Q