Join us at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15, for a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of screenwriting and independent filmmaking with special guest Dustin Whitehead, a Columbia-based filmmaker, actor, and educator. Whitehead will share the story behind the making of Hero, his directorial debut feature film, co-written with a fellow artist, Myles Isreal. This unique project was born out of the resources and talent available at the University of South Carolina, where Whitehead teaches acting. Rather than working with a traditional script first, he and his co-writer developed the story by reverse-engineering the screenplay—starting with the actors, locations, and community already within reach.

The approach allowed them to build a narrative that felt authentic to the space and people involved. By engaging actors in the storytelling process and crafting characters around their strengths, Hero became a true reflection of collaborative, community-driven filmmaking. This methodology not only provided students and locals the opportunity to be part of a professional-level production but also proved that meaningful cinema can be created using the resources around us.

Whitehead is a core creative behind Local Cinema Studios, a non-profit production company founded in 2019. Its mission is to bridge the gap between academia and the film industry, giving students and recent graduates hands-on experience on real feature film sets every summer with professional mentors coming from around the globe. Through Local Cinema Studios’ Get on Set initiative—developed in partnership with the South Carolina Film Commission and the University of South Carolina—they have successfully produced several films, including the 2023 film The Grand Strand, featuring John Carroll Lynch, which just won Best Picture at The Beverly Hills Film Festival!

With acting credits in Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Your Worst Nightmare, and a diverse production background, Whitehead brings a wide range of experience to his work. He holds a BFA in Performance from Jacksonville University and an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and has studied filmmaking at NYU Tisch Asia in Singapore.

Come hear how Whitehead merges his passions for storytelling, teaching, and community building to shape the next generation of filmmakers.

SCWA is proud to support the Piedmont Publishing Symposium, a day and a half program May 28 and 29 at Wofford College in Spartanburg designed to provide authors with a learning and networking opportunity among the publishing community in South Carolina and the larger Southeast region.

The symposium is organized by Clemson University Press, Hub City Press, University of North Georgia Press and University of South Carolina Press.

The event will offer eight sessions appealing to different constituencies: academic writers, non-academic writers, publishing professionals, and students and recent graduates who want to know more about publishing.

FULL SCHEDULE FOR PIEDMONT PUBLISHING SYMPOSIUM

REGISTER NOW ($50; SPACE IS LIMITED)

Details to come

Details to come