Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Edward.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Crystal, Minnesota; a suburb of Minneapolis. I discovered my passion for filmmaking at a very young age. My brother and I would constantly use any resources we could get our hands on to make little skits, fight scenes, and parodies of movies we watched. I pursued this path continuously throughout middle school and high school, making YouTube videos across two different channels. Shortly after graduating high school, I attended Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato to take things a step further and explore filmmaking as a career. I now have multiple award-winning short films under my belt as well as a full, complete feature in the process of getting distribution: Captive (2026).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Filmmaking hasn’t always been easy. When I shifted my mindset from viewing it as a hobby to viewing it as a career, I knew I had to show that I had the skills and determination to make my concepts come into fruition. Making my first feature film, Captive, proved to be a very intense journey. I worked from the ground up, raising funds completely from scratch to pull it together. I was simultaneously finishing up my senior year of college, so attempting to balance school life with making an entire feature film was the hardest step of the process thus far. My passion never dwindled, however, and I had an amazing pool of people supporting the film, so I never gave up on it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m known for writing, directing, and editing the short films Without a Doubt (2023), Mina (2024), and Do You Copy? (2024), as well as my feature directorial debut; a horror science-fiction film, Captive (2026).
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I’ve learned that in order to have any success in what you do, you have to have be able to operate solely from within yourself. You cannot expect others to give you permission. You cannot expect someone to hand you the keys. If you want to make something “unachievable”, simply think outside the box to figure it out. Everything is in reach. It just takes the right balance of passion and determination.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tyler-edward.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyleredward.films/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoa8Cp7IjyZArpik-CnTsyQ
- Other: https://www.gofundme.com/f/captive-feature-film-distribution
