Derby to Victory

I am Terry Ballard, an ambitious filmmaker from Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up in my family's bed & breakfast in Guanajuato, Mexico, I encountered and befriended travelers from foreign countries on a daily basis - it was not unusual for me to meet someone from a different country every single day at the dinner table. These experiences gave me a great desire to know more about the world around me, and despite having not traveled much outside of the United States and Mexico, I have traveled vicariously through the stories of people abroad - and sought a way to tell their stories through different artistic mediums. At age 16 I became interested in filmmaking, and it has been my preferred medium of storytelling ever since. In my junior year of high school, I founded and became president of my school's first film club, and promoted filmmaking despite the absence of a film/video program at my school. In Leander, Texas, which is where I spent my high school years, there is very little support from the community for filmmakers, and coming from a humble background, it has been a tough art to break into. I attended the University of Texas at San Antonio for one year - a school which also does not have a film/theater program - and despite the setbacks, continued my endeavors though the UTSA Film Society. After freshman year, I decided to go freelance. I believe that when it comes to filming on the fly and under budget constraints, I am a head above the rest. This is why I should win.