Justin Kornmann

What is your name, company name, and URL?

Picket Fence Entertainment, No URL at the moment.

What is your specialty: filmmaking or screenwriting? If filmmaking, which aspects?

Filmmaking, specifically producing.

What are you currently working on?

Currently working on the latest draft of our next project which is in the horror genre.

Nice! Who do you consider your mentor and why?

I've been lucky enough to have several mentors who I have had the pleasure of working for. All of them have played an instrumental part in my growth as a producer. I've been able to learn from them while on the job while also being able to reach out to them on my own projects when I run into situations where I'm unsure on how to get the best result. I think every filmmaker needs a mentor. There is so much to learn in this business and there are many people out there who are willing to share their knowledge so you don't have to learn everything by trial and error.

I agree! Why do you think the horror/sci-fi genres have such a large following?

I believe it's because of the imagination that goes into those genres. There are always memorable lines, gruesome deaths, futuristic environments and situations that you can really put yourself in and then ask yourself what would I have done differently? We all are scared at one time or another and for horror films it's a way to release those fears and live them without having to be chased by a psycho killer or some demonic force. With Sci-Fi, we all look to the future and are excited to see what type of technological advances may be on the horizon or we vision where our society will be in 10, 15, 20 years. It's cool to possibly get a glimpse.

What do you love most about this business?

I love being able to play make believe for a living. We are literally getting paid to do something we did as children every day which is use our imagination.

That is so very true! What do you dislike most about this business?

For one, the uncertainty that goes into all of this can definitely take its toll. But I think what I dislike the most is how so many things are out of your control. You do what you need to do to get things going and then there is always the hurry up and wait game that happens and that can be brutal.

I hear ya! It is frustrating. What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of completing my latest project. It's always the latest completion. You learn so much from project to project and I feel you become a better filmmaker by every experience and you can take that with you for the next. So I'm proud of my latest accomplishment because it excites me to know I'll be better on the next.

I love that! It truly is a process and it's exciting! Any advice you'd like to give to newbies?

If this is what you love to do, don't let anything get in your way. Don't give up, keep going. Ultimately if you continue to pursue your goals and persevere you will get things done. Then it all makes up for all the day jobs, rewrites, rejections, etc. You just have to want it bad enough to not give up.