“You know, if I had to describe what the goal of Horyzon Picturesis, I would have to say that we want everyone who views our films to come in and not only enjoy our entertainment, but be able to take home a feeling of being a part of something larger. Something that makes them think about what their purpose is. We want our films to focus on stories that really emphasize and explore that idea because if you really think about it, that’s what life is all about – finding your purpose” Andrew Stokich
Andrew W. Stokich is a born and raised Antiochian Orthodox Christian from Phoenix, Arizona. He and his two partners, Cody J. Carlson, & Andrew J. Peterson are the three filmmakers who founded Horyzon Pictures in the Fall of 2013. Horyzon Pictures is a premier up-and-coming film and multimedia company based out of Phoenix, Arizona. So how did this young film company come to be? To understand the full story you’ll have to go back one year prior.
The three friends & partners met in the spring of 2013 while working on a school web series. After forming a bond from working on this series the trio was asked to produce a short film that was to be screened at Campus Movie Fest in Hollywood, CA.
"When I was approached to work on the Campus Movie Fest project we didn't have much of a crew going in and I wanted to make sure that the project that we were creating would stand out from everyone else's in the festival, to do this, we decided to really focus on the technical execution of the story. Which is why I brought Cody, and Andrew onto the project, they are by far some of the most talented filmmakers I've ever met, and their main focus when creating a film is on how the technical aspect of filmmaking can be used to emphasize the story rather than dominate it." Andrew Stokich
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| Andrew J. Peterson, at Campus Movie Fest 2013 |
It would be in Hollywood that the trio would first experience the taste of success. In the city of a million shining lights, the team would take 2nd in the nation. Upon returning back to Phoenix, the three filmmakers were hungry for more and wanting to take on a project that would push them to a level they had previously never been before.
"When we returned back from Hollywood the three of us decided that we all worked extremely well together and wanted to continue working with one another. That's when we formed Horyzon Pictures and began working on our next project which ultimately would be known as “Faith”. “Faith” not only ended up solidifying the three of us as partners, but also opened up new opportunities for the three of us to continue to make films.” Andrew Stokich
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| Cody J. Carlson In Central Park |
Faith is the largest project that Horyzon Pictures has currently worked on. It tells the story of Johnathan Morrison who is a veteran who has returned home only to fight an internal battle of guilt-ridden PTSD. The film picks up with Johnathan self-medicating himself through alcoholism inside an empty church. It is here that the story of Faith unfolds before us, allowing us to witness what brought Johnathan to this point in his life. It's a beautiful story that actually mainly takes place within the confines of Andrew's home parish of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, in Phoenix, Arizona.
"The original concept for "Faith" was literally a story about two people having a conversation and how that could actually be something that would visually be interesting. It was then myself and the other writer, Matthew Branscome, decided we should have the story take place inside a church, and I knew that St. George would be the only place we could shoot it, due to the unique architecture that can only be found in an Orthodox Church." Andrew Stokich
Now with Faith's festival run coming to an end, the trio has begun work on formalizing the production company. Currently they have three film projects that are in pre-production, and aside from working on their own proprietary content, Horyzon Pictures offers its videography, photography, and sound work to individuals who are in need of such services. They recently signed a contract with vocal group to produce their next album as well as film four music videos for them.
“You know this is our first full year of working together and we're excited to see where we go with all our projects. We're thrilled with what we've been able to accomplish thus far, but we're not a company happy with being complacent. Even our name states it, Horyzon Pictures, we're always looking on towards the next Horyzon!" Andrew Stokich
Edited by Kyriaki Fuss
Horyzon Pictures & Photography
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