Meet the WHRO Public Lens Filmmakers

Jay Gates

Film: When the Sun Sleeps

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

What got you into filmmaking? I started doing stand-up comedy when I was 19 and was at the forefront of making comedy content for YouTube. Comedy sketches turned into short films and eventually a sitcom pilot that I wrote and directed. I made a short film for the first 48 Hour Film Project and won "Best Writer" and "Best Actor" which was seen by two directors at Coastal Training Technologies and was invited to learn more about the film industry by working hands-on as a Production Assistant.

I befriended professionals from every department and learned the importance of each position on set. I was given the opportunity to produce and direct a training video for them and have been producing content for them for 20 years. I have since produced content for Cox Communications, Studio Center, Televideo Productions, and others while continuing to entertain as a comedian, actor, host, and voice-over artist.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens? I have always been known as a comedian and pigeonholed to that genre. I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do something different to show I had more range than just being the funny guy.

Anything else you’d like to add? This film gave me another opportunity to work with my niece and nephew. They are absolute rockstars!!!

Porsha Brown

Film: The Space Between

Hometown: Orange, NJ

What got you into filmmaking?
Since a young teen I have been into arts. I started off playing various instruments and working backstage in high school plays. I really love the ingenuity that went into creating a visual story. After I got my first camera, my senior year, I was hooked. I didn't go to film school until I got out of the Navy.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
The Space Between is a story that was written by a friend of mine, and I was so motivated to bring it to life. We wanted to create a world that felt relatable in every visual way while tying in alternate-reality theories. We wanted to make the audience question the idea of living multiple lives and parallel universes. The concept of making the setting of the film in Harlem, NY brought a very recognizable imagery vs. an imaginary world.

The original version of The Space Between was written to be a 6-episode series. Due to budget constraints, we opted to essentially combine them and make a proof of concept. The goal is to continue to market our short version and find investors to help us bring the full vision to life.

Kendra Louka

Film: Heart Strings

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada.

What got you into filmmaking? I wrote a fictional novel, as a creative outlet, in 2018 after I graduated from NSU with a food science degree. Then, I decided to adapt it to a screenplay, which was challenging yet fulfilling. I’ve been a self-taught screenwriter and playwright ever since. Participating in the Hampton Roads 48 Hour Film Project Competition for the last few years has connected me to many other talented and passionate filmmakers in the area. Last year, I decided to start writing, directing, and producing short films along with a feature, which we just wrapped last month.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens? Women in Film & Video DC put out a challenge to make a short film with no dialogue to screen at their ScriptDC Conference last October. My co-producer and cinematographer, Micah Anthes, and I wanted to explore the artist’s struggle for this short, and encapsulated that through our banjoist. We were able to highlight the audio and visual storytelling elements since there wasn’t dialogue. Our focal question when coming up with this concept: why do artists create?

Anything else you’d like to add? Being a mother to three young children while also strengthening my creative muscle through storytelling is difficult, but it’s important for me to show the kids that I can “play” too. I’m exercising the lessons I try to teach them. I encourage any woman who feels compelled to go for her goals regardless. The more authentic we are to ourselves, the quicker we’ll find our people. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as others make it out to be. Art is not a luxury; it is essentially human.

Jaida G. and Tony C.

Film: Wet Paint

Hometown: Norfolk/Virginia Beach VA

What got you into filmmaking? As artists, we are inspired by everything we see and want to create anything that sparks our passion. Films captivate us with their storytelling and creative ideas, and we wanted to explore that world ourselves.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens? During a trip to Miami Art Basel, we watched a short film that simply consisted of people making noises with their mouths. This film is a commentary on contemporary art films which are often strange and simplistic but hold a deep meaning.

Anything else you’d like to add? The Doper Show is an event production/media company, showcasing artists and creating environments where the artistic community connects genuinely, sparking meaningful discussions. Follow the @thedopershow to stay updated!

Bradley Harper

Film: Leviathan

Hometown: Toano, Virginia, since 2008.

What got you into filmmaking?
I began writing in 2013 after retiring from the US Army with 37 years of active duty. I am a retired pathologist with some forensic experience and in 2018 released a novel, A Knife in the Fog, which places a young Doctor Conan Doyle on the hunt for Jack the Ripper. The book was an Edgar Award finalist, is a recommended read by the Doyle estate, and published internationally. From August 2021 to 2022 I attended a one-year in-residence masters in creative writing program at Napier University in Edinburgh. While there, I took an advanced workshop in screenwriting with the goal of making contacts in UK film circles hoping to pitch an adaptation of the book.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
A young film maker, James Mansell, became aware of the novel and contacted me. Over the course of two years we put together the resources to make the film. I wrote the screenplay with a lot of notes from James and the actor who played Professor Bell, Matthew Lloyd Davies, with whom I've worked before. We had only enough money to use one setting, which takes place in a morgue. The director found a condemned building that was a nineteenth century coroner's mortuary, and we were able to use that. The film was made with a budget under $30,000 US and shot over two days. Of interest, besides Conan Doyle, I have Professor Joseph Bell, Doyle's professor of surgery and the inspiration for Holmes, as well as the journalist Margaret Harkness, joining him in the scene. Mr Mansell is a direct descendant of Professor Bell, and we used some of Bell's personal items in the shoot.

Anything else you’d like to add?
The film has made the rounds of film festivals around the world and won Best Short Film more than once. It has qualified for BAFTA consideration. We are pitching the miniseries to various production companies in the UK, using the film as a proof of concept. A stage adaptation is currently being written, using the film as source material. The premiere will be in California probably in the early fall of this year.

I'm 74 years old. Not bad for a guy who started writing at 63.

Amy Perez

Film: Story of Marie

Hometown:
I grew up in Yorktown, Virginia, and spent much of my childhood exploring the woods behind my house, climbing trees, and catching fireflies. I married a military man, the love of my life, and fulfilled my dream of traveling the world. We’ve lived in some far away places, including Indonesia and Hawaii, but I’ve always called Yorktown home.

What got you into filmmaking?
I believe I was always a storyteller at heart, drawn to small, real moments that often go unnoticed. For much of my life I just did not yet have the right outlet. In 2020, I discovered the art of editing and something absolutely clicked. I was also a new mother at the time, so I began filming our everyday life as a family and shaping those moments into small films. The creative process awakened something very passionate in me, and I realized documentary filmmaking was the language I had been searching for. I became fixated on learning everything I could about making movies. Story of Marie was the first film I produced independently from start to finish, and I am very proud of it.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
I made Story of Marie because I intentionally wanted to preserve my grandmother’s legacy for our family. I never set out to share the film publicly. My hope was simply to document her life while she was still here to tell it, and to capture her voice, her presence, and the memories that shaped her nearly nine decades of living. As I sat with her and later watched her interview come to life in the edit, I began to realize that what might appear to be an “ordinary life” revealed extraordinary depth. There was a timeless quality to the love she experienced and the grief she carried. I realized her story was not only meaningful to our family, but rare in its devotion and humanity. Only then did I make the decision to share it more broadly.

Anything else you’d like to add?
My hope is that my films invite people to slow down and pay attention to the gentle moments unfolding before them, to notice the miraculous in what might otherwise seem small, and to recognize the wisdom quietly passed down through generations. Moments like these may appear ordinary, but they resonate in ways that feel timeless. They remind us that honest storytelling does not need to be loud or flashy to be transformative. In fact, the most powerful stories are often sitting quietly at our own kitchen tables.

Caroline Tetschner

Film: Beer, Beards, and Broads: Admiral Zumwalt's Legacy

Hometown:
I’m from West Hartford, Connecticut — but at 17, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent nearly three decades traveling the world, from D.C. to Japan and beyond. Those years, shaped by global experiences and diverse communities, formed me far more than my childhood time in CT.

What got you into filmmaking?
I fell into filmmaking almost by accident. Over a decade ago, my daughter—Abigail Fedorowicz—dove headfirst into acting and theater, eventually graduating with a Musical Theatre degree and signing on as a professional vocalist with the U.S. military (yes, I’m a very proud mom). Through her work, I befriended filmmakers and performers across the 757’s thriving creative scene and even dabbled in acting myself for a little “beer money.” As I watched friends bring their stories to life, it hit me: now that I’m semi-retired, why not finally tell the Navy/Zumwalt story that’s been tugging at me for years? I’m a history nerd, I believe great non-fiction beats fiction any day, and after 27 years in the Navy, this story is both personal and overdue. I may be as “unqualified” as anyone else who decides to make a film—but that’s exactly why I should.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
I came up with “Beer, Beards and Broads: Admiral Zumwalt’s Legacy” from my own time in the Navy. When I joined in the mid-80s, the old salts spoke about “Z-grams” and Admiral Elmo “Buzz” Zumwalt with almost mythic awe. The former CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) had served as the Navy’s top leader from 1970-1974. Although he’d already retired by the time I started, his impact—fighting for equal rights, pushing women onto ships, dragging the Navy into the modern era—was evident everywhere.

With the 2024 election and fresh assaults on military equality, the timing became almost eerie. To understand where we’re going, we have to remember where we came from —and how hard the military fought to change. We all love “Top Gun”, but the stories in “Beer, Beards and Broads” are soulful and real. Admiral Zumwalt, Seaman Pettus, Donna—these are the people who shaped the Navy for every sailor and “ansister” who followed. Their courage didn’t just make history; it made today’s Navy possible, while advancing human equality for all Americans.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I can’t call myself a real filmmaker without shining a spotlight on our next project: a feature-length film that brings this powerful true story to life. I created the Proof for "Beer, Beards and Broads" as a “long teaser” — a glimpse into a gripping, multi-year, non-fiction account of the U.S. Navy’s struggle with human rights and the broader fight for American civil rights in the early 1970s.

This was a seismic moment in history — raw, complex, and deeply human. The stakes were enormous, the courage was real, and the impact still echoes today. Ten minutes barely scratches the surface of the drama, sacrifice, and untold truths woven into these lives.

Now, my team and I are actively seeking bold collaborators — visionary investors, passionate producers, and creative partners — who want to help bring this never-before-told story to the screen in a way it truly deserves. Let’s make something unforgettable.

Christopher Coleman

Film: The Smell that Ruined My Life

Hometown: Virginia Beach

What got you into filmmaking?
I grew up watching movies and always wanted to make them since I was in elementary school.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
I was living in Milwaukee at the time and was homesick for Hampton Roads. I envisioned a character who would go to Lake Michigan and imagine it to be the Atlantic as a coping mechanism for homesickness. From there, it snowballed into an eccentric story about the self-imposed inability to adapt to new places, making something harder than it needs to be, and using an unhealthy strategy to cope.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I'm committed to putting Hampton Roads on the screen and love filming on 16mm.

Deonna Thompson

Film: Unveiling Roots

Hometown:
I currently live in Portsmouth, but I grew up in Suffolk.

What got you into filmmaking?
In 2015 I was fully invested in my acting and modeling career, until one day I wanted to know about the behind the scenes of filmmaking. So I decided to go back to school (Regent University) solely to learn about Production- never to be a filmmaker. One day while talking with my Professor during her office hours, I began to tell her about my love for working with actors, and how I had recently Directed my 1st Christmas stage play at my church and how it sparked something in me. During that conversation, she saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. She gave me the confidence to step in my calling to switch my degree from Production to Directing. With this degree, it was more than just learning about the craft, but creating art and taking control of your vision that you want the world to see.

What is the story behind the film you submitted to WHRO Public Lens?
Unveiling Roots is a heartfelt drama inspired by true family events. Nia, a 25-year-old woman adopted at birth, has finally found her birth mother after years of searching. With the support of her lifelong best friend, Kennedy, she travels to meet her mother, Evelyn, hoping for answers and closure.

What begins as an emotional and hopeful reunion soon becomes more complicated than Nia ever expected. As she learns more about her past, she is forced to confront truths that challenge everything she thought she knew about herself, her family, and the people closest to her. Caught between gratitude for the life she was given and a growing need for understanding, Nia must decide how much of her history she is ready to embrace. Unveiling Roots is a story about identity, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to face where you come from.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Unveiling Roots is inspired by a deeply personal family experience that revealed long-hidden truths and changed the way I viewed identity and family.